The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, February 16, 2001, Page 11, Image 11
'(Che ©amecock
USC track team to host its
first meet of indoor season
■ Top athletes to take meet off, rest for
next week's conference championships
BY MANESHKA
Eliatamby
The Gamecock
As the indoor season draws to a close,
the Gamecock track and field team will
be competing on their home turf this
weekend for the first time this year.
USC will host the Gamecock Indoor
Invitational on Saturday, its last compe
tition before the team heads for the final
showdown of the indoor season - the SEC
Indoor Championships on Feb. 24-25
in Lexington, Ky.
USC’s track team, which has com
^peted throughout the winter, might not
show off their maximum strength at
this weekend’s meet. Head coach Curtis
Frye is going to rest most of the athletes
who will be in action at the conference
championships.
“The athletes have had a long and
hard winter of competition, and I want
them to take a break before the SEC In
door Championships,” said Frye, who is
also wary of his own indoor running sur
face.
“The risk of injury is high on this track
since it is made of an extremely hard sub
stance, and I don’t want to take chance
with those going into the meet next
week,” Frye said. Demetria Wishington,
Miki Barber and Pap Howard are among
the athletes that will be taking the week
end off from competition.
However, Gamecock fans won’t be
^vithout a good show. Sprinter Mechelle
^-ewis returns to the track after a three
week break because of injury. She will
compete in both the 60 and 200-meter
events. Lewis will be joined in those
events by teammate Lisa Barber.
On the men’s side, Corey Taylor will
be in action in the 60-meter hurdles event,
while Andre Totton will participate in
the 60 and 200- meter sprints.
Despite missing their top athletes,
Frye still insists the meet is a can’t
miss.
‘This has always been
a nice meet because
the facility is tight, so
it gives you a chance
to see a little bit of
everything.’
Curtis Frye
USC Track and Field
Head Coach
“The meet this weekend will be a
good one with our field events and some
of our shorter sprints competing,” Frye
said. “We are excited to welcome
Dawn Ellerbe (former Gamecock, NCAA
champion and 2000 Olympian) back to
Columbia, who will compete in the
weight.
“It will be agood time to see our pole
vaulters, including our newest school
record holder, Chris Steddum. Football
fans will also have a chance to see five of
the guys (Deandre’ Eiland, Langston
Moore, C.J. Frye, James Adkisson and
Brian Elam) competing in the sprints,
hurdles and throws. This has always been
a nice meet because the facility is tight,
so it gives you a chance to see a bit of
everything.”
Frye adds that although the top Game
cocks won’t be in action, they will still
“be there all day ready to talk track and
sign autographs.”
Competition is slated to begin at 10
a.m. Saturday with the pole vault. The
meet is held in the Indoor Practice Fa
cility, located next to the soccer stadium.
The sports desk can be reached at
gamecocksports@hotmail.com
Gamecock
Indoor Open
Schedule of
Events
Saturday, Feb. 17
USC Indoor Complex
■ Field Events:
10 a.m. Pole Vault
11 a.m. Weights
11a.m. High Jump
11 a.m. Long Jump
1:30 p.m. Shot Put
2:30 p.m. Triple Jump
■ Track Events:
Starting from 1 p.m,
(order of events)
55m Hurdles
Women (semifinals)
55m Hurdles
Men (semifinals)
55m Dash
Women (semifinals)
55m Dash
Men (semifinals)
55m Hurdles
Women (finals)
55m Hurdles
Men (finals)
55m Dash
Women (finals)
55m Dash
Men (finals)
Mile Run
Women (followed by men)
400m Dash
Women (followed by men)
600m Dash
Women (followed by men)
800m Run
Women (followed by men)
3000m Run
Women (followed by men)
4X400m Relay
Women (followed by men)
W THE
THOMAS
COOPER
SOCIETY
»
Student Book Collection Award
A competition Open to all Students
Currently Enrolled in South Carolina
Institutions on Higher Education
Prize $300
The Winning Collection will be
Exhibited in the Thomas Cooper Library,
University of South Carolina, Columbia.
Entry Forms Must be Submitted by
March 30, 2001.
For a set of Competition Guidelines and
information on How to Enter,
CONTACT:
Nancy Washington
Director of Publications
Thomas Cooper Library
University of South Carolina
Columbia, SC 29208
(803) 777-3142
Crimson Tide 60, Gamecocks 55
Alabama overcomes sluggish
start, sloppy play to beat USC
by Alex Merritt
The Crimson White
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama
matched South Carolina turnover for
turnover in a game that was sloppy
throughout, but the Tide pulled out a
60-55 victory Wfednesday night at Cole
man Coliseum.
“It feels good to win, but we did
n’t play well,” said ’Bama Coach Mark
Gottfried. “It was just one of those nights.
We struggled and it’s like running in the
mud a little bit. It seemed like whatev
er we did right, we did something
'wrong.”
Both teams came out flat to start the
game. Neither team managed to score a
point on a combined seven possessions
after the tip until sophomore Erwin Dud
ley scored off a Kenny Whlker miss more
than two and a half minutes later.
Some players attributed the slow
start to the sparse crowd. The Tide had
been averaging more than 11,000 in
attendance per game this season, but on
ly 8,246 showed up for this match-up.
Even that number may have been a gen
erous estimate, as fans opted for Valen
tine’s Day instead of basketball.
“I think the crowd played a big part
in it,” said the Tide’s leading scorer, Rod
Grizzard. “We were talking about that
for a little while, but in the tournament
they aren’t going to follow us either.”
“We don’t need to be so con
cerned with the crowd, although our
guys have been excited because of the
big crowds,” Gottfried said.
With 7:51 remaining in the first half,
the Tide was trailing 14-12 and
r-—
seemed to be completely out of sync of
fensively, until sophomore center Ken
ny W&lker converted a three-point play,
hitting a free throw after being fouled
on a lay-up. Walker’s hustle initiated a
9-0 run over the next three minutes to
give Alabama a seven-point lead. Since
he has been reinserted into the starting
line-up, Walker has picked up his in
tensity.
“Well, since Gerald (Wallace) start
ed for me that one game, Erwin (Dud
ley) came up to me and said, ‘Kenny,
you’ve been playing all year. What’s
wrong?”’ Walker said. “And from that
day, I’ve got my mind set that I’m go
ing to come out and play. If coach needs
a rebound, I’ve got to rebound. I’m a
good player, I’ve just got to come out
and play.”
Despite the 9-0 run, Alabama man
aged only a 22-21 half-time lead. While
sluggish second-half starts have plagued
the Tide this season, they managed to
put together another impressive 9-0 run
early in the second half. Once again, it
began with a Kenny Wker basket. It
ended with the Tide holding a 33-26 ad
vantage with under 15 minutes left in
regulation.
The Gamecocks managed to cut in
to that lead, however, mostly due to
Tony Kitchings, who scored 10 straight
at one point in the second half and scored
a'game-high 16 points. With under a
minute to go, Carolina guard Aaron Lu
cas nailed a three-pointer to silence the
crowd and cut the lead to three. Alaba
ma point guard Travis Stinnett was called
for an offensive foul on Alabama’s next
Eastern Division
SEC All
Kentucky 9-2 16-7
Florida 7-4 17-5
Georgia 7-5 14-11
Tennessee 5-6 18-7
USC 5-6 13-9
Vanderbilt 4-7 15-9
Western Division
SEC All
Ole Miss 8-3 20-4
Alabama 8-4 19-5
Auburn 5-6 15-9
Arkansas 5-6 14-9
Miss. St. 3-8 12-10
LSU 1-10 11-11
possession, giving South Carolina one
last opportunity.
Fortunately for the Tide, Kitchings
could not find the basket on his turn
around juniper with under 20 seconds
remaining, ending South Carolina’s hopes
of escaping Coleman with a victory. •
“I don’t think we played well, but
we got the win and that’s all that mat
ters,” said Dudley, who led all rebounders
with 12.
—: 1
Priority Reservations Lottery
for Student Organizations for Fall 2001
2nd Floor Lobby Russell Mouse
February 22,2001
9:00 A.M. • 1st Ballroom Date and Weekly Meeting Room Space
10:00 A.M. - 2nd Ballroom Date
Because of the high demand for space in the Russell House a lottery
system is used to ensure equitable distribution of space to registered student
organizations. The highest level of demand is for Ballroom reservations, however,
the lottery system will apply to all reservable spaces in the Russell House.
at 777-7127 or stop by Russeii House 218. Academic Space will not be reserved until September 6,2001.
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