Over the weekend, senior sprinter Ncincilili Titi was the only first place finisher for the Gamecocks, winning the 200-meter dash at the Clemson Invitational. He's continuing to pick up recognition for the impressive finish.
With his time of 20.45, he currently holds the fastest indoor 200 meter time in the world this season. It was also announced that his time is the second-fastest indoor 200 meter time by an African sprinter in world history. He has a little bit of time to trim off if he wants to claim the top spot as the world record for the indoor 200 meter set in 1996 is 19.92.
He also now holds the second-fastest indoor mark in South Carolina track and field history, just behind the 20.38 time set by Rodney Martin in 2005. Titi's time also beat his previous personal record, which he set last season and put him in third all time in Gamecock history.
It was announced this week that Titi was named the SEC Co-Runner of the week. He shares the honor with Florida's Grant Holloway, who also made history of his own at the Clemson Invitational. This is the second time Titi has been named SEC Runner of the week, which he achieved late last season.
After the Clemson Invitational, head coach Curtis Frye recognized what Titi accomplished and how hard he's been working.
"Titi's run was a fantastic highlight. It was just a great run," Frye said. "I thought he would break his PR, but I had no idea he would be this fast. He set it up last night, so we knew he was going to have a big one. He's got to continue to do what he's doing; training is very important to him."
Besides grabbing this accomplishment, Titi also succeeded in his other event at Clemson. He ran his personal best in the 60-meter dash, and his 6.69 time is 19th this season.
Titi's early success is a continuation of what he was able to do last year, as he was South Carolina's top performer in the 60 meter and 200-meter dashes. Before this indoor season started, he was named the top 200 meter sprinter in all of NCAA track and field.