Freshmen Bulldogs Excel at Gamecock Invitational

Columbia, S.C. - The Citadel Track and Field teams concluded their final competition of the indoor season prior to the Southern Conference Indoor Championships when they traveled to the Gamecock Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 19 hosted by the University of South Carolina.

Leading the Bulldogs, freshman Andy Love finished the meet with a standout performance as she competed in the shot put, 55m high hurdles and the high jump. In the shot put, Love surpassed Stephanie McNeil's mark of 39' 11.5" from the 2006 season as the top freshman record. Her mark of 40' 02.00" earned Love a sixth place finish and moved her to third all-time on The Citadel's top-10 list. Love then competed in the 55m high hurdles where she broke the freshman record and also became third all-time with a mark of 9.30 in the preliminary round. Her next run of 9.76 in the semifinals was not enough to advance to the finals. In the high jump, Love finished tied for seventh with a mark of 4' 09.00"

Freshman Nicole Levermann also competed in the high jump and finished the event tied for second place with a mark of 5' 5.00", topping the school and freshman record. Levermann also participated in the shot put and became No. 10 all-time as she threw a mark of 33' 01.25".

Junior Kasandra Polson moved into The Citadel's No. 5 position on the top-10 list in the 20lb. weight throw with her mark of 43' 09.75". Polson finished in eighth place and junior Mia Trevino followed in ninth place as she threw a mark of 39' 10.75", becoming sixth all-time. In the same event, junior Whitney Nave earned her place as the No. 10 thrower all-time with her finishing mark of 34' 04.00".

Sophomore Chalita Johnson and freshman Christine Hinds both saw action in the 55m dash. Johnson ran a time of 7.44, becoming fifth on the all-time list, and qualified for the semifinals where she then posted a time of 7.49. Hinds became the ninth all-time runner in the event when she finished the race with a time of 7.78.

Along with Love, juniors Francesca McCrary and Erinn Carter and freshmen Taylor Viana and Vanessa Hope competed for the Bulldogs in the 55m high hurdles, each advancing to the semifinal round. McCrary ran a time of 9.54 in the preliminaries and then posted a time of 9.44 in the semifinals, making her the No. 4 runner all-time, while Viana ran a time of 10.04 in the prelims and then a 9.77 in the semifinals becoming seventh all-time. Hope posted a time of 10.44 in her initial run, but then ran faster in semifinals with a time of 10.38, becoming eighth all-time among The Citadel's top hurdlers. Carter's preliminary round run earned her a spot as the No. 9 all-time when she posted a time of 11.09. She finished the semifinals with a time of 11.13.

For the men, freshman Keith Cummings was the lone Bulldog to advance to the finals after qualifying for each round in the 55m dash. In the preliminary round, Cummings ran a time of 6.61 and then posted the same time in the semifinals. He finished the final round with at time of 6.68. Sophomore Daniel Till also competed in the same event. His time of 6.73 was enough to qualify for the semifinals where he finished the event with a time of 6.69.

In the 55m high hurdles, freshman Chris Sievert's run of 8.13 qualified him for the semifinals where he then posted a time of 8.15.

In the field events, senior Christopher Castagno earned a second-place finish in the 35lb. weight throw with a mark of 55' 06.25", while redshirt senior William Norris finished in fifth with a mark of 45' 10.50".

Freshman Dylan Gidado finished the meet with a pair of personal-best marks. He also competed in the 35lb. weight throw and finished with a mark of 42' 08.00", and best mark of the season came in the shot put after throw of 42' 00.50".

In other events, sophomore Parker Gaston and Ian Vandergulik finished first and second, respectively, in the high jump, while freshman Edward Jones saw action in the long jump and finished with a mark of 20' 05.25".

The Bulldogs will wrap up the indoor season on Saturday and Sunday, Feb 26-27 in Clemson, S.C., competing in the Southern Conference Indoor Championships, hosted on the campus of Clemson University. For more information on Bulldog Track and Field, visit the official website of The Citadel Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.