t-and-f: Incredible!

[Dgs1170]

Curtis Frye has pulled off a major coup.  His new signings are simply
staggering.  If these young ladies can continue to develop SC will be
unbeatable for the next 4 to 5 years.  
Good job Curtis!!!

12.5.2000
Carolina Track and Field Women's Signing Class Already Hailed as the Best in
the Country by Many


Columbia, SC (Dec. 5, 2000) -- With four of the six ranked in the top five
nationally by Track and Field News, the South Carolina women's track and
field team has signed six outstanding females to national letter of intents
for 2001. The class is already being hailed around the country by many as one
of the best
ever. The Carolina women's team begins competition in New York City on
January 12 and has already been deemed the preseason No. 1 nationally. The
2001 class includes: Khalilah Carpenter (Columbus, OH), Lashinda Demus
(Palmdale, CA), Alexis Joyce (Denver, CO), Tiffany Ross (Miami, FL), Shevon
Stoddart (Uniondale, NY) and Erica Whipple (West Palm Beach, FL)."This is the
best signing class I have ever been associated with. That includes classes at
North
Carolina that had Marion Jones and then another class that included Monique
Hennagan and LaTosha Collander. This class is equal or better," said Carolina
Head Coach Curtis Frye, the women's outdoor national coach of the year in
1999. "I can't imagine anyone in the country having a better women's class
than this one of US athletes. They are calling this class the Fab Five on the
internet. We call them the Sensational Six. They are just a fabulous
group of young ladies. We are excited more than ever about our possibilities
for a national championship. They will make their mark on the NCAA and
hopefully in 2004 will make an impact on the world level."Khalilah Carpenter
was the national high school champion in the 100 and 200m. A six-time Ohio
state champion, she has competed all over the US and in Chile and Poland. She
won the National Outdoor title in the 200 m and was the runner-up in the
100 m. She is ranked No. 1 in the 100 m and No. 2 in the 200 m by Track and
Field News. Her personal bests are 11.37 in the 100 m and 23.13 in the
200m."Khaliah is outstanding. She has represented the US all over the world.
She has the experience to be a phenomenal athlete," said Frye. "She has not
run indoor track."Lashinda Demus, the 1999 Track and Field News Female
Athlete of the Year, is the national champion in the 400 m hurdles and the
indoor 400 m.
She is on the record-holding 4x400m relay. She has won five national age
group titles in the 800 m. Her best times include 400 m hurdles: 57.10, 100 m
hurdles: 13.60, 200 m: 24.10 and 400 m: 52.97. She is ranked No. 2 in the
300/400m hurdles by Track and Field News."She represented the US at the Pan
American games and won two titles. She is one of the top 400 m runners in the
country right now. Her goal this year is to break the national record in the
300 m
hurdles," said Frye.Alexis Joyce is the individual national champion in the
60 m and was second at Junior Nationals in the 100 m. She ran the lead-off
leg on the Pan American Junior champion 4x100m that set the world junior
record in 1999. Her personal bests include 11.41 in the 100m and 23.54 in the
200m."She is the leader of the fastest 4x100m relay run at the junior level
in the world. She is one of the best young sprinters at her age ever. We are
looking for some big things out of her," said Frye. "She is a dynamo at 5' 1
and very powerful."Frye calls Tiffany Ross the most unsung athlete of the
class. She is ranked No. 3 in the 300/400m hurdles by Track and Field News.
Ross has the third fastest time in the country in the 300 m hurdles at 41.41,
ran a 13.85 in the 100m hurdles and a 58.85 in the 400 m hurdles. She was the
Golden South champion in the 100m hurdles."She has the third fastest time
ever in the 400 m hurdles, having run the race just once. She is versatile as
a triple jumper and will make an immediate impact," said Frye. Shevon
Stoddart is the junior national champion in the 400 m hurdles and was fourth
at the US Championships. She has a personal best of 58.10 in the 400 m
hurdles, 24.20 in the 200 m and 54.40 in the 400m."One of the best athletes
in the state of New York last year and was one of the top athletes
nationally. She has
the speed to be an NCAA top-level intermediate hurdler immediately and should
be competing for the SEC title her freshman year," said Frye. Erica Whipple
was the first Flo Jo Award winner for the nation's top youth track and field
athlete. She is ranked No. 3 in the 100m, No. 5 in the 200 m and No. 5 with
the 4x100m relay by Track and Field News. She is a Junior Olympic national
record holder. She has already won seven Florida state titles and is a
five-time high school All-American. Her bests include a 11.30 in the 100m and
23.30 in the 200 m. She set state records at 13 and 14 and national records
at 15 and 16 in the 100m and 200m."She won the Flo Jo award and everybody in
America realizes she has the potential to be one of our top sprinters in the
future. We are hoping we can monitor her and keep her on the path. She is
already establishing herself as one of the best high school sprinters in
the country," said Frye.


DGS
The G.O.A.T.