COLUMBIA, S.C. - An army of Spartans made the trip to Columbia for the Gamecock Opener after a break in action for the holidays and returned with a collection of top five and top ten finishes. 

The highlight of the day belongs to Kevon Chapman, who earned Upstate's sole event win on the day after a 55' 9.25"/17.0M attempt in the Men's Weight Throw. Chapman's throw earned him the win in the event and a fourth-place spot in school history. Chapman also earned a top-ten finish in the Men's Shot Put, as his attempt of 43' 2.25"/13.16M secured the seventh-place spot in the event.  

The men's team earned eight top-five finishes on the day and twelve total top-ten finishes. Channing Ferguson took second in both the Men's Long and High Jumps, while Bryce Ravenell took third in the Long Jump. It was a good day to throw as Keyandre Davis earned top-five finishes in both the Weight Throw and Shot Put, taking fourth in both events. The Spartans earned another fourth-place finish as the quartet of Adrian Wilmot, Trevon Campbell, Sam Shimanskiy, and Dion Livingstone finished the Men's 4x400M. Cameron Smith earned the final top-five finish for the men's team, with a fifth-place finish in the 60M Hurdles.  

The women's team earned twelve total top-ten finishes, six in the top five. Amber Ferguson had the highest finish of the day, taking second in the Women's High Jump after clearing 5' 5"/1.65M. The Spartans earned a trio of third place finishes as Brooke Ferguson, Rachel Davis, and Allie Leavitt earned their positions in the High Jump, Shot Put, and 3000M. Davis was not done for the day though as she took fourth in the Women's Weight Throw after a 52' 11.5"/16.14M toss. 

In all, it was a successful day for the Spartans. One outright event win, 14 top-five finishes, and 26 top-ten finishes to go along with 27 Spartans hitting new personal bests in their events. 

Top Performances 

Men 

Kevon Chapman- Weight throw- 55' 9.25"- 1st place overall, 4th all time in school history 

                                Shot Put- 43' 2.25"- 7th place overall, 9th all time in school history 

Channing Ferguson- High Jump- 6' 8.75" – 2nd place overall 

                                    Long Jump- 23'4" – 2nd place overall 

Bryce Ravenell- Long Jump- 23'0" – 3rd place overall  

Keyandre Davis- Shot Put – 45' 9.25"- 4th place overall, 5th all time in school history 

                              Weight throw- 49' 6.25"- 4th place overall, 9th all time in school history 

Cameron Smith- 60m Hurdles-8.40- 5th place overall 

Jamikal Pena- 60m Hurdles- 8.74- 6th place overall 

DeQuon Henderson- Weight throw- 47' 10.5"- 7th place overall 

Wilmot, Campbell, Shimanskiy, Livingstone- 4x400m- 3:26.86- 4th overall 

Trevon Campbell- 400m- 50.74 - 8th all time in school history 

Monroe Thompkins- 3000m- 8:53.86- 8th all time in school history 

Nigel Dos Santos- 3000m- 8:54.56-  9th all time in school history 

Personal Best 

JerVaris Rice- 60m & 200m 

Shunkevius Brown- 60m & Long Jump 

Trevon Campbell- 400m 

Adrian Wilmot- 400m 

Sam Shimanskiy- Mile 

Mason Parish- Mile 

Monroe Thompkins- 3000m 

Nigel Dos Santos- 3000m 

Jared Keklak- 3000m 

Chris Post- 3000m 

Carter Sexton- 3000m 

Jamikal Pena- 60m Hurdles 

Kevon Chapman- Weight & Shot 

Keyandre Davis- Weight & Shot 

DeQuon Henderson- Weight & shot 

Women 

Brianna Clayton- 200m- 25.09- 4th place overall- 4th all time in school history 

Amber Ferguson- High Jump- 5' 5" – 2nd place overall 

                                60m Hurdles- 9.25- 7th place overall- 9th all time in school history 

Brooke Ferguson- High Jump- 5' 3" – 3rd place overall- 5th all time in school history 

Rachel Davis- Shot Put- 41' 9.75" – 3rd place overall- 3rd all time in school history  

                         Weight Throw- 52' 11.5" – 4th place overall 

Allie Leavitt- 3000m- 10:20.96- 3rd place overall- 6th all time in school history 

Kyonna Nixon- 60m Hurdles- 6th place overall- 7th all time in school history 

Dannielle Brown- Shot Put- 39' 10.5"- 6th place overall, 7th all time in school history 

Jessa Beach- Weight throw- 45-10" – 7th place overall 

Sierra St. John- Shot Put- 34' 5.5"- 8th place overall, 

                           Weight Throw- 45' 0.25"- 8th place overall, 9th all time in school history 

Personal Best 

Brianna Clayton- 200m 

Karisma Pollnitz- 200m 

Allie Leavitt- 3000m 

Grace Miller- 3000m 

Kyonna Nixon- 60m Hurdles 

Amber Ferguson- 60m Hurdles 

Brooke Ferguson- 60m Hurdles & High Jump 

DeAshja Franklin- 60m Hurdles 

Rachel Davis- Shot Put 

Sierra St. John- Weight 

Sommer Goodman- Shot Put & Weight 

Dannielle Brown- Shot Put & Weight 

Up Next For The Spartans 

Another trip to Winston-Salem is in store as the Spartans head to the JDL Flat is Fast Invitational next Sunday, January 22.  

JOIN UP  
Make a difference in the lives of USC Upstate student-athletes! Donate to the USC Upstate U Club today!  
 
Keep UP with the Spartans  
Facebook.com/UpstateAthletics  
Twitter | @UpstateXCTrack @UpstateSpartans  
Instagram | @UpstateXCTrack @UpstateSpartans  
YouTube.com/UpstateSpartans