Four Gamecocks Qualify On Final Day of NCAA Preliminary Meet
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. –
South Carolina earned four final bids to the NCAA Outdoor Championships
on the final day of competition at the East Preliminary held at Hodges
Stadium on the campus of the University of North Florida. Pole vaulter
Marvin Reitze advanced in the men’s pole vault, and the Gamecocks also
advanced the men’s 4x400-meter relay in addition to both women’s relays
to give South Carolina a total of nine qualifying events to Des
Moines.
Senior Marvin Reitze has earned the right to try
and avenge his NCAA Indoor silver medal after advancing in the men’s
pole vault. Reitze was one of only nine men to successfully clear 17’5
½ (5.32m) to earn his berth, and the senior will look to use the
opportunity and experience from indoor nationals just four months ago
to try and bring home the first pole vault gold medal in program
history.
“I’m really confident right now,” Reitze said. “I’m
glad that I made it. It was a tough competition; real long. A couple of
guys cleared a couple of bars that I didn’t expect. It was just a tough
meet to get through, but finally I made it. I’m happy to compete at my
last NCAA this year as a senior and hope that I do well.”
The
Gamecocks ran the men’s 4x100-meter relay combination of Andre Carter,
Chris Royster, Clayton Gravesande and Eric Winfrey for the first time
since April 14 due to the unavailability of freshman Damiere Byrd, and
the foursome responded by running a season best 39.67 to earn an
automatic berth to Des Moines. It was a tense moment after the race
when the referee pulled a caution flag out on the track after the
fourth handoff, but it was ruled that Pittsburgh from lane seven was
DQ’d and not the Gamecocks in lane eight.
The women’s
4x100-meter relay team took a different route to qualification, but it
was one that was just as thrilling. The quartet of Asia Delaney, Kelsey
McCorkle, Vashti Bandy and Amber Allen took fifth overall in the second
heat at a season best 45.06, but that heat proved to be the most
competitive as the Gamecocks were the 12th and final qualifier for
national’s at that time.
The Gamecocks also advanced the
women’s 4x400-meter relay team of Erika Rucker, Nadonnia Rodriques,
Amber Allen and Christal Green that took fifth overall at a season best
time of 3:33.91. The quartet took third in the final heat to
automatically earn a berth to Des Moines. In the men’s relay, Clayton
Gravesande, Andre Carter, Chris Royster and Eric Winfrey teamed up for
the first time this season and finished 19th overall at 3:08.67.
Freshman Juan Stenner – the normal anchor leg for the relay – was not
able to compete today or in the 400-meter hurdles yesterday due to
medical reasons.
Kelsey McCorkle took 24th overall in the
women’s 200-meter quarterfinal at 23.94. Senior Radiance Basden
competed in the women’s triple jump and took 19th overall at 41’2 ¼
(12.55m), and classmate Louis Day competed in the men’s shot put and
placed 34th at 55’5 ½ (16.90m).
The NCAA Outdoor Championships will be held at Drake Stadium from June 6-9 in Des Moines, Iowa.
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