South Carolina Football: Nyck Harbor scores at SEC Championships as Gamecocks set program records

South Carolina football's Nyck Harbor has been running with Gamecock track and field this spring and will qualify for the NCAA Tournament East Regional.

South Carolina football wide receiver Nyck Harbor
South Carolina football wide receiver Nyck Harbor | Dustin Safranek-USA TODAY Sports

South Carolina football fans have been paying closer attention than usual this spring to the Gamecock track and field squad. Former 5-star wide receiver Nyck Harbor has been running with the track team during both the winter indoor season and the outdoor spring campaign, and the rising sophomore has had a nice showing as a freshman track athlete.

The 6'5" and 240-pound Harbor stands out on the track thanks to his size, but he is also one of the fastest sprinters in the SEC despite being bigger than everyone else running.

This weekend, South Carolina track and field traveled to Gainesville, Florida for the SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, and the Gamecocks broke all-time program records on both the men's and women's side of the competition. The 10th-place men's finish is the best since 2019, while the 10th-place women's finish is the best since 2021. The USC men scored 41 points, while the women scored 40.

Harbor picked up one of those scores for the Gamecocks as he was the only Carolina men's sprinter to finish with a point in an individual event. He managed a 20.55 in the 200-meter sprint, a number that was good enough for an 8th-place result. Harbor would have ended up with another point as part of the 4x100-meter relay team, but the Gamecocks were handed a "DNF."

Harbor's 200-meter time in the qualifying prelims (20.47) is good for the 67th-best time in the world and the second-best time for anyone his age or younger.

As part of the two Gamecock teams' 81 total points at the SEC Outdoor Track and Field Championships, fellow star freshman JaMeesia Ford finished with a 7th-place finish in the women's 100-meter final and a 2nd-place result in the women's 200-meter final. Ford, Zaya Akins, Sylvia Chelangat, Jayla Jamison, Judy Kosgei, Anass Essayi, CJ Licata, and Dylan Targgart all finished as part of the All-SEC team.

Schedule

Schedule