Ruck, Wachna Lead Tiger Track & Field Teams on Day One at ACC Championships

April 15, 2010

ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships Site | Live Results

The Clemson women received a pair of runner-up individual finishes Thursday to highlight the opening day of action at the ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships. In total, three Tiger females earned spots on the All-ACC Team as Clemson took an eight -point lead after three championship events.

Clemson finished the first day of competition with 29 points, while Virginia had 21 on Thursday. On the men’s side, Virginia leads with 25 points while Duke had a total of 16.

“Day one was pretty solid, but tomorrow is a huge day for us,” said Lawrence Johnson, Clemson’s Director of Track & Field. “We’ve got to get some people in the finals. Our women have gone from the hunter to the hunted. Other teams will be bringing their `A’ game, so we have to bring our `A+’ game.”

Kim Ruck ended the night by finishing runner-up for Clemson. She ran a personal best time of 34:20.28 in the 10K on Thursday, the No. 2 time in Clemson history. Ruck led throughout much of the race, but Wake Forest’s Anna Nosenko put on an impressive sprint with two laps to go to take control.

Two student-athletes earned All-ACC status in the women’s javelin throw Thursday. Bethanie Wachna, just one year removed from surgery to repair a torn ACL, broke the school record with a mark of 160’8″ on her second attempt of the day. It was her second career all-conference honor in the event, and the fourth straight year the Clemson women had at least one All-ACC performer in the javelin.

“The javelin was a great way to start the day for us,” Johnson said. “Day one was pretty solid; we just have to follow up on day two. It’s amazing for Bethanie to perform the way she did, considering all the blood, sweat and tears she had to get back to this point. To go out there and hit a school record was absolutely amazing for her.”

Linda Buchholz was third place in the javelin. She neared her personal best in the event with a throw of 152 feet. Buchholz concludes her career as a three-time all-conference performer in the javelin, as she also earned the honor in 2007 and 2009. Liane Weber finished fourth on Thursday with a personal best 149’5″, third-best in Clemson history.

Brittney Waller put together a scoring performance in the women’s discus. The freshman from Greenville, SC finished seventh with a season-best mark of 150’6″. Her mark actually ranks fifth-best in Clemson history. Alex Padgett placed 10th in the men’s discus.

Xavier Tromp contributed a scoring effort on Thursday, but not in his natural event, the pole vault. He competed in the javelin throw for the first time in roughly four years and produced a seventh-place finish after a throw of 186’8″. Tromp will return to action Saturday in the vault at 3:00 PM.

Clemson athletes lead after day one in both the decathlon and heptathlon. Johnson has been impressed with their approach heading into the championship meet.

“Our multis have been really focused over the last few weeks,” Johnson said. “They want to really do well, especially in front of the home crowd. I’m ecstatic about their first day; I hope they can carry it over to day two.”

Liane Weber sits in first place in the heptathlon after the four of seven events, with a total of 3,498 points. Patricia Mamona, Clemson’s most versatile athlete, is third in the standings with 3,304 points after day one. The final three events will be contested Friday, beginning at 10:30 AM.

Mamona came out on fire in the first event, clocking a personal best 13.65 in the 100m hurdles. Her time ranks fifth-best in school history. Weber also produced a personal best, running a time of 13.94. She then won the high jump portion of the heptathlon in dramatic fashion, clearing a personal best 5’9.25″, the second-best clearance in Clemson’s outdoor history. Buchholz was runner-up in the high jump at 5’8″.

Weber had the top shot put of the afternoon, putting together a throw of 40’2.75″. Buchholz also had a solid outing in the event, posting a mark of 38’0.25″. In the 200 meters, Mamona closed a lot of ground with a time of 24.42. Weber was also solid in the event, clocking a time of 24.80.

Miller Moss has the lead in decathlon through half of the events. The red-shirt junior from Sumter, SC has a total of 4,080 points after five events, 156 more than his next closest competitor, North Carolina’s Mateo Sossah. Moss is a former ACC runner-up in the decathlon. The final five events will be contested Friday, starting at 10:00 AM.

Moss had an outstanding start to his afternoon as well, shaving nearly three tenths off his personal best in the 100m dash to run away from the field with a time of 10.70. He followed with a mark of 22’11.25″ in the long jump, despite a slight headwind. After a shot put of 42’8″, he cleared 6’4″ in the high jump. He ended the day strong with the best quarter mile out of the nine competitors, a time of 47.51.

Clemson’s All-ACC PerformersKim Ruck (2nd) – Women’s 10KBethanie Wachna (2nd) – Women’s JavelinLinda Buchholz (3rd) – Women’s Javelin