Spartan Track & Field Teams Set for New Season with New Faces
11/30/2012 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Katie Parker, kparker@uscupstate.edu
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The USC Upstate men's and women's track & field programs open the indoor season Saturday, traveling to Clemson for the annual Orange & Purple Winter Classic as the Spartans welcome many new faces to both the men's and women's squads.
The Spartan men return two champions from the 2012 Atlantic Sun Indoor Championship in seniors Gilbert Kemboi (Eldoret, Kenya) and Kenny Sugishita (Arroyo Grande, Calif.). Kemboi was named the A-Sun Outstanding Indoor Track Athlete of the Year after, claiming the 3,000-meter and 5,000-meter titles. Sugishita picked up gold medals in the shot put and the weight throw, earning A-Sun Outstanding Indoor Field Performer of the Year honors.
At Clemson this weekend, Upstate will focus mainly on the sprints, jumps and throws as the team will not compete in distance events. This meet will help gauge how the team is doing after its fall training.
"After a few months of training you are always curious in December to see where your athletes are after their fall training," said Upstate head coach Natalie Smith. "With our men's cross country team coming off of its second A-Sun Championship win, we are hoping that the men can take that momentum into the 2012-13 track season. This weekend we are looking for 2012 Regional Qualifier senior Kenny Sugishita in the throws to have a good start along with senior Brandon Curry in the 60-meter hurdles and junior Matt Johnson in the 500-meter."
The Spartans added five newcomers to the men's solid group of returners in Tracy Fisher, Jacob Ivester, Jacob McKown, Zack Resop and Carlton White. Three of the new faces bring high school state championship meet experience with them to Upstate.
Fisher lettered in cross country and track & field at Central Gwinnett High School in Lawrenceville, Ga. As a senior he placed fifth in the high jump at the Georgia 5A Regionals and fifth in the prelims of the 4x400-meter relay and fourth in the finals. Fisher was also a Georgia 5A State Championships high jump qualifier.
McKown hails from nearby Greer, S.C., where he was a member of the wrestling, football and track & field teams at Greer High School. In track, he was an all-region, all-area and all-state selection. McKown claimed third-place in the 400-meter hurdles his senior season at the South Carolina State meet. The junior transferred to Upstate after spending time at Coastal Carolina.
A Crawford, Ga., native, Resop was a four-sport athlete at Athens Christian School, competing in track & field, football, baseball and basketball. He earned third-place in the long jump at the Georgia 1A State Championships.
On the women's side, Upstate rebuilt after graduating some depth in three A-Sun All-Conference selections. The Spartan women welcome 12 new faces to the 2012-13 squad, not including the seven new distance runners from the women's cross country program.
"With this year being so different for us, having over 60 percent of our women's team being freshmen, we are more than excited to see what they are able to do on the track and in the field," Smith said.
The newcomers include seven with high school state championship experience from Georgia and South Carolina in Heaven Briggs, Brenicke Johnson, Savannah Nichols, Dominique Nock, Sarah Thomas, Semaj Tolliver and Kierstin Williams.
As a senior at Northside High School in Columbus, Ga., Briggs qualified for the Georgia 4A Regionals, placing first in the 100-meter prelims, 200-meter prelims and the 4x100-meter relay prelims. She went on to qualify for the Georgia Girls State meet in the 100-meter, 200-meter and 4x100-meter relay.
Johnson earned first-place in the 100-meter dash at the South Carolina 2A Lower State Regional and qualified for the long jump, during her senior year at Loris High School in Loris, S.C. At the South Carolina 2A State Championships, she came in first in the 100-meter and second in the 4x100-meter relay.
Nichols, a Palmetto High School product in Williamston, S.C., placed first in the shot put and third in the discus at the South Carolina 1A Regionals as a junior and went on to place third at the South Carolina 1A State Championships. During her senior season, Nichols qualified for the regional meet again in the shot put and came in first in the discus. She went on to qualify in the discus for the South Carolina State meet.
As a member of the Spalding County High School team in Griffin, Ga., Nock earned first-place in the 100-meter dash, second-place in the 200-meter, second in the long jump, third in the 4x100-meter relay and third in the 4x400-meter relay at the Georgia High School 3A Regionals. She qualified for the Georgia Girls State Championship in the 4x100-meter relay and the 4x400-meter relay and placed third in the 100-meter, third in the 200-meter and third in the long jump.
Thomas was a three-time letter winner at Hardaway High School in Columbus, Ga. She ran the anchor leg in the 4x400-mter relay that placed fourth at the Georgia 4A State Championships. She was the runner-up in the 100-meter and a member of the runner-up 4x100-meter relay team at the regional meet. Thomas was a part of the 4x400-meter regional championships winning relay team.
As a senior at Cane Bay High School in Summerville, S.C., Tolliver qualified for the South Carolina 3A State Championships, finishing fifth in the 100-meter and competing in the 4x400-meter relay. In 2011, she qualified for the state championship meet, placing fifth in the 100-meter, third in the 200-meter and fifth in the 4x100-meter relay.
Williams lettered in both cheerleading and track & field at Stratford High School in Goose Creek, S.C. During her senior season, she qualified for the South Carolina 2A State Championships, where she placed fifth in the discus.
The Spartans also added dual-sport athlete Simmie Bray (Woodstock, Ga.), who played on the Upstate volleyball team, Sierra White (Bristol, Tenn.) and a trio of local products in Diamond Duckett (Taylor, S.C.), Kristan Sellars (Spartanburg, S.C.) and Ericka West (Spartanburg, S.C.). While at Etowah High School, Bray qualified for the Georgia 5A Regionals in the 100-meter dash, 100-meter, 4x100-meter relay and the 4x400-meter relay. White earned all-conference honors at Bristol Tennessee High School.
"Overall as we look across our men's and women's teams we are excited about the possibilities of the season," Smith said. "Of course not all of our athletes will compete this weekend; however we are looking forward to seeing some good start-up performances. With this being a one day meet we will see some individuals run some non-traditional events this weekend so we will get some insight on the team and will be able to gauge areas where we will need more work."
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