Quick hits – Starke shoots 63 as Gamecocks finish third
South Carolina junior Will Starke matched the school record by firing an 8-under 63 in the final round of the Valspar Collegiate Invitational on Tuesday at Floridian National Golf Club to lead the seventh-ranked Gamecocks to a third-place finish.
USC earned its seventh straight top-five finish by shooting a final-round 7-under 277 to wrap the week with a 54-hole total of 11-under 841. The Gamecocks finished six strokes back of second-ranked Florida State, who won the title with a total of 835 (-17).
USC RESULTS: T6. Matt NeSmith (3) 70-71-69—210 (-3); T11. Will Starke (1) 70-78-63—211 (-2); T16. Will Murphy (5) 70-70-72—212 (-1); T25. Caleb Sturgeon (4) 75-67-73=215 (+2); T50. Sean Kelly (2) 77-71-76=224 (+11)
TEAMS: 1. Florida State 278-276-281—835 (-17); 2. LSU 273-280-287—840 (-12); 3. USC 285-279-277—841 (-11); 4. South Florida 855 (+3); 5. Texas A&M 856 (+4); 6. Oklahoma State 858 (+6); 7. Illinois 865 (+13); 8. UCLA 867 (+15); 9. Houston 868 (+16); 10. Georgia Tech 873 (+21); T11. Tennessee 879 (+27); T11. Kent State 879 (+27); 13. Memphis 885 (+33)
PRO SOCCER
Ex-USC player Troyer signs with USL team
— Former USC defender Braeden Troyer signed his first professional contract, joining the Richmond Kickers in the United Soccer League for the 2015-16 season. The Columbia native earned All-Conference USA accolades all four years at USC, where he started every match he played in his career.
NASCAR
Martinsville to erect tire barriers
— Martinsville Speedway will erect additional tire barriers in time for this weekend’s NASCAR races. International Speedway Corp. said the tire barriers will be installed at the end of the backstretch of the .526-mile oval. The barriers will be in place in time for Sprint Cup practice and qualifying on Friday. All tracks that host NASCAR events are studying safety measures following Kyle Busch’s crash last month at Daytona.
HONORS
Torian Ware, Clemson track and field, ACC Men’s Field Performer of the Week
Romy Koelzer, Clemson women’s tennis, ACC player of the week
Samantha Maddox, College of Charleston women’s tennis, Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week
Alejandro Bejar, Presbyterian men’s tennis, Big South Freshman of the Week
Jeannelle Scheper, South Carolina track and field, USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week; SEC Field Athlete of the Week
From Staff and Wire Reports
This story was originally published March 24, 2015 at 11:21 PM.