SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- With the national championships now over, let's take a look back at a season that saw both the men's and women's track and field teams achieve record-breaking success to go along with the first national championship contender in school history.
Meet One: 49er Classic
To open the outdoor slate, the Spartans made their first of two trips to Charlotte, N.C. on the season. The season started in a similar fashion to the first meet of the indoor season as a standout performance from Channing Ferguson led him to being named the Big South Co-Men's Field Athlete of the Week. Kaleb Sok and Rachel Davis moved up the leaderboard to second place in the standings for the school records in the men's javelin and women's hammer throw.
Personal Record: 17
Top 10's: 9
Top Fives: 2
Podium Finishes: 2
Event Wins: 1
Meet Two: Winthrop/Adidas Invitational
The Winthrop/Adidas Invitational proved to be a sign of what would come as the Spartans made the trip to Rock Hill, S.C. for the first time in the 2023 season. As a team, the Spartans put together their best performance of the year. Brooke Ferguson highlighted the competition by taking home event wins in the 100M hurdles and the high jump. Davis and Sok both set new school records in the women's discus and men's javelin after nearly doing so the week before.
School Records: 2
PR's: 24
Top 10's: 37
Top Fives: 26
Podium Finishes: 16
Event Wins: 4
Meets Three: Newberry Hub City Invite
Adverse weather conditions did nothing to slow the Spartans down as the two groups saw simultaneous success both home and away. The Newberry Hub City invite saw four members of the track and field team take home five total first place finishes as Noah White, Carter Sexton, and Jordan Givens won the 3000m, the 1500m, and the 400m, respectively. Jessa Beach took both the discus and hammer throw to become the season's second athlete on the women's team to win two events during the same meet.
PR's: 5
Top 10's: 9
Top Fives: 20
Podium Finishes: 15
Event Wins: 5
Meet Four: Duke Invite
Meanwhile, Upstate took three second-place finishes during the Duke Invitational as Channing Ferguson, Hayden Cobbs and the women's 4x100m team consisting of Myra Smith, Sharetha Odom, Brianna Clayton, and Kyonna Nixon showed out in the rain. C. Ferguson earned his second Big South Field Athlete of the Week after his performance in a rainy high jump.
PR's: 2
Top 10's: 3
Top Fives: 3
Podium Finishes: 3
Meet Five: USC Open
The penultimate meet of the regular season saw the Spartans head to Columbia, S.C. for the USC Open. Continuing his incredible season, Ferguson stole the show during the meet as he set a new school record in the high jump, clearing 2.16m, while on his way to taking first in the event. This mark would eventually be what secured Ferguson a spot in the NCAA East Prelims for the second year in a row. Hayden Cobbs also broke the school record in the 100m with a time of 10.45 sec.
SR's: 2
PR's: 22
Top 10's: 4
Top Fives: 2
Podium Finishes: 2
Event Wins: 1
Meet Six: Charlotte Invite
Several standout Spartans took advantage of the Charlotte Invite to make a statement before the Big South Outdoor Championships. Rachel Davis and Jessa Beach took turns breaking the women's hammer throw record before it was eventually set in stone by a 53.29m toss from Davis. The women's 4x100m team continued their run of success, taking a first-place finish on the day while Sam Shimanskiy erupted onto the Big South scene in the 800m, taking a top-ten finish in the event and being named Big South Freshman of the Week for his performance.
SR's: 3
PR's: 20
Top 10's: 12
Top Fives: 6
Podium Finishes: 4
Event Wins: 1
Big South Outdoor Championships
The Spartans rolled into the conference championships with plenty of momentum. , Channing Ferguson continued his incredible season and swept the long jump, taking a gold medal in the event to go along with his indoor championship. Rachel Davis took a break from smashing records to earn a second-place finish in the hammer throw as well that day.
Day two was quieter in terms of medalists, but Hayden Cobbs set another school record in the 100M with a blisteringly fast time of 10.41sec, breaking his own record he had set just a few weeks earlier.
Day three saw the Spartans claim four more medals to end the season. Isabella Geraci and Channing Ferguson took silver medals in their respective high jumps while the 4x100m team earned bronze to put a bow on their year. Brianna Clayton took the final medal of the championships for the Spartans as she took silver with her time of 23.58sec in the 200m, which set a new school record in the event. To round out the accolades, Jared Keklak and Heaven Allen were named to the All-academic teams for their efforts in the classroom.
Both the men's and women's teams finished fifth in their standings. The men earned 54 points while the women earned 57, their second-largest total since joining the Big South.
SR's: 2
PR's 34
Top 10's: 30
Top Fives: 13
Podium Finishes: 6
Event Wins: 1
East Prelims and Nationals
Thanks to his impressive clear of 2.16m, Channing Ferguson earned a spot in the East Prelims which were held in Jacksonville, Fla. The sophomore from Rock Hill, S.C. made the most of his opportunity as he cleared 2.14m and earned the right to compete for a national championship in Austin, Texas.
As the first Spartan to make it to the national championships in track and field, Ferguson made quite a first impression on the nation. The Spartan standout cleared 2.06m and 2.11m on his first attempts which had him in a four-way tie for fourteenth. His placement in the standings led to him being named the first-ever Second Team All-American in school history.
Connect with the Spartans
Facebook.com/UpstateAthletics
Twitter | @UpstateXCTrack @UpstateSpartans
Instagram | @UpstateXCTrack @UpstateSpartans
YouTube.com/UpstateSpartans
Make a difference in the lives of USC Upstate student-athletes! Donate to the USC Upstate U Club today!
