February 11, 2012

Upstate Track & Field Sets Two School Records at Final Day of Tiger Paw Invite

CLEMSON, S.C. – The USC Upstate men's and women's track and field teams closed out the Tiger Paw Invitational today, setting two school records en route to strong finishes.

Program records fell today on both the men's and women's sides. Junior Gilbert Kemboi (Eldoret, Kenya) posed a school-best time of 8:20.36 in the men's 3,000-meter, passing his previous record of 8.23.37 set at the Atlantic Sun Indoor Championships in 2010. The Spartan quartet of senior Carolyne Chelulei (Eldoret, Kenya), sophomore Ashley Edmond (Hopkins, S.C.), senior Joan Tangwar (Eldoret, Kenya) and senior Jemeli Sang (Eldoret, Kenya) set a school record in the women's distance medley relay with a first-place time of 12:08.59, shaving nearly 1:26 off of the school record. The previous school-best was 13:34.16 set at the conference championships in 2010.

Upstate junior Christian Ritacco (Niceville, Fla.) also competed in the men's 3,000-meter along with freshman Kenneth Human (Campobello, S.C.). Ritacco came in ninth with a time of 9:11.17, while Human crossed the line 14^th with a time of 9:23.78. Sophomore Matt Johnson (Elgin, S.C.) posted a top-five finish for the Spartans in the men's 400-meter dash. He snagged fourth-place, clocking in at 50.01.

In the men's 800-meter, freshman Evan Woodruff (Sebastian, Fla.) recorded a time of 2:00.01 for the Spartans, taking 19^th. Sophomores Michael Johnson (Elgin, S.C.) and Andrew Kipchumba (Eldoret, Kenya) also participated in the 800-meter, posting times of 2:00.57 and 2:01.15, respectively. Upstate junior Kenneth Sugishita (Arroyo Grande, Calif.) earned seventh-place in the men's shot put with a distance of 15.53-meters.

On the women's side, junior Laura Transue (Anderson, S.C.) recorded a time of 11:19.15 in the 3,000-meter, coming in 26^th. In the women's 800-meter, freshman Jasmine Polite (Goose Creek, S.C.) crossed the line 22^nd with a time of 2:25.34. Freshman Breana Kwasnik (Greenville, S.C.) came in ninth in the women's pole vault for the Spartans with a mark of 3.31-meters.

Upstate returns to action next weekend, traveling to Johnson City, Tenn., for the A-Sun Indoor Championships Feb. 17-18. Follow the Spartans this season on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.