1999-2000 Clemson Athletic Year In Review

1999-2000 Clemson Athletic Program Accomplishments June 3, 2000 will be remembered as a remarkable day in Clemson sports history for some time to come. That day saw Clemson clinch three national top 10 finishes in three different sports.

In the afternoon, Larry Penley’s golf team finished seventh at the NCAA Tournament with a 19-under-par total, its second best score versus par in 20 appearances in the event. It marked the fourth straight year that Clemson has finished in the top 10 at the NCAA Tournament, the first Clemson sports program to do that since the 1980-83 era when both the men’s and women’s cross country programs had four straight top 10s.

Later that night, Clemson’s baseball team won the Clemson Super Regional with a 9-4 triumph over Mississippi State. That gave the Tigers their ninth berth in the College World Series, assuring Jack Leggett’s team of a top eight national finish. The victory over Mississippi State also gave Clemson 50 victories for the 2000 season.

Finally, late Saturday night, or early Sunday morning, the final team results were released at the NCAA Men’s track and field meet at Durham, NC. Bob Pollock’s team ranked 10th in the final scoring at the meet. Shawn Crawford won the 200 meters and finished sixth in the 100 meters to lead the way for Clemson.

Clemson and Stanford were the only schools in the nation to have three top 10 men’s spring sports programs.

• Clemson finished the year with five different teams ranked in the top 10 in the nation, the most top 10s in one academic year for the Tiger program in nine years. A sixth sport, women’s volleyball, was 22nd in its final coaches poll, but ninth in the final RPI index. Earlier in the year, the women’s soccer team was ranked eighth in the final poll, while the men’s indoor track team finished 10th at its national meet in Indianapolis. That gave Clemson five top 10 teams for the academic year, most since the 1990-91 academic year when Clemson also had five. Overall, this year’s top 10 team total ties for third highest in an academic year in Clemson history. The record is eight, set in 1982-83, while the 1981-82 Clemson athletic teams had six. Clemson also had five top 10 finishes in 1980-81 and 1988-89, in addition to 1990-91 and this year.
• Clemson showed success against top flight competition. Nine different programs recorded wins over top 25 teams, including a department best 14 by the Tiger baseball team.
• The Clemson program had 10 All-Americans and two Academic All-Americans in 1999-00. Shawn Crawford was Clemson’s most decorated All-American as he was an NCAA Champion at the indoor and outdoor track meets. He was the 200 meter champion at each meet He became the first Clemson athlete to be a NCAA Champion in the same event indoors and outdoors in the same year. Crawford concluded his career as Clemson’s all-time leader in All-America certificates with 11.
• The Clemson program also boasted 60 first-team All-ACC selections, the highest total for one academic yeare since 1991-92.
• Eleven Clemson programs were selected for team bids to NCAA Tournaments. Clemson won three ACC Championships and a fourth sport (volleyball) won the conference regular season with a 15-1 record.
• It was also a record setting year for Clemson coaches. Bob Pollock led the way with a pair of top 10 finishes, just the second time in history that the Clemson program has had two top 10s in the same academic year. The other time was 1992-93. Pollock now has eight ACC Outdoor team titles and nine indoor championships, in adddition to a combined nine top 10 finishes. He was named ACC Coach of the Year both indoors and outdoors and now has a Clemson record 17 ACC Coach of the Year awards. Clemson football Coach Tommy Bowden was also named ACC Coach of the Year, the first Tiger grid coach to win that award since 1981. Jack Leggett led the Clemson baseball team to the College World Series for the third time in his seven years at the helm and now has over 700 victories as a college coach. He led Clemson to 14 wins over top 25 teams in 2000. Head Coach Larry Penley took the Clemson golf program to the NCAAs for the 19th straight year, the 17th straight year under Penley. That is the second longest streak by a college golf coach in the nation. He also led the Tigers to their third ACC championship in the last four years and the fourth regional title since 1993. Jim Davis brought Clemson’s Lady Tigers to the NCAA Tournament for the 12th time in the last 13 years, while Tracey Leone continued her perfect streak of taking Clemson’s women’s soccer program to the NCAAs and a top 20 finish for he sixth straight year. Jolene Hoover’s women’s volleyball team set a record for winning percentage in a season and that club’s .912 percentage was best among the Clemson programs that have dual matches/games.
• It was another banner year for former Clemson athletes at the professional level. Former Tiger football players Tony Horne and Dexter McCleon won Super Bowl Championship rings with the St. Louis Rams. They were two of 22 former Tigers in the NFL last year. That list also included Pro Bowl players Brian Dawkins and Trevor Pryce. Dale Davis helped the Indiana Pacers to the NBA Championship finals. The 1999 Clemson Ring of Honor inductee was one of a record seven former Tigers who played in the NBA in 2000. There were five former Clemson baseball players in the Major Leagues, including rising pitching stars Kris Benson and Billy Koch. Two former Tiger golfers played in the US Open for the first time, Charles Warren and Kevin Johnson.
• Clemson again had an outstanding year in head to head competition with rival South Carolina. Clemson had an 8-4 overall record against the Gamecocks, including a perfect 8-0 mark through the fall and winter sports. The 8-4 record does not include a 6-1 record posted by the Clemson golf team in common tournaments against South Carolina.
• Many of the success stories at Clemson in 1999-00 were recorded by young teams. The Clemson football team reached a bowl game by starting 17 under classmen. Four first or second-team All-ACC players return for 2001. The Tigers baseball team started just two seniors in its starting nine, while the Clemson basketball team will return four starters next year. Clemson’s golf team, ranked third in the final MasterCard poll, will return four of its five starters next year.

  Academic Notes

• Jonathan Byrd concluded his career as perhaps the top all-around student-athlete in Clemson history. One fact makes him stand alone. He became the first athlete in school history to be chosen an academic All-American and an on the course All-American in the same year, twice. In 1999-00 Byrd, a senior marketing major with a 3.6 career grade point, concluded his career as a third-team All-American on the course. He finished his career as Clemson’s all-time leader in rounds under par and tied the school record for rounds in the 60s. He became Clemson’s first four-time All-ACC selection. At the conclusion of the year he was named a first-team Academic All-American for the second straight year.
• The spring semester saw more records broken in the classroom for the Clemson program. Every athletic team had at least a 2.45 GPA, the first time that has happened, and the overall GPA for the student-athletes was 2.76, highest on record.
• A record six Clemson athletic teams posted a team GPA of over 3.0 in the spring semester of 2000 . For the third straight semester the overall GPA for the student-athletes was at an all-time high, reaching 2.76. That is just .02 below the average for the overall student body, the closest differential on record.
• Three Clemson teams posted all-time high team GPAs for a semester. That list included the Clemson football team, which had a 2.49 team GPA, far ahead of the previous high of 2.38. Tommy Bowden has been the head coach at Clemson for three semesters and his team has broken the previous semester GPA record twice. An all-time record 39 Clemson football players were on the academic honor roll, including seven members of the freshman signee class of 1999. Trevor Adair’s soccer program had a 3.12 team GPA for the semester, far ahead of the previous best of 3.01. Suzie Lueck’s rowing team had a 3.27 GPA for the semester, the highest in its four semester old program and the second highest by any Clemson program in the spring.
• Ninety-two student-athletes were named to the Dean’s List, 20 more than any other semester in Clemson history. A total of 217 student-athletes were on the academic honor roll, second highest figure in history. Almost 46 percent of Clemson’s student-athletes are on the academic honor roll. A total of 24 student-athletes had a perfect 4.0, second highest semester figure in Clemson history.
• The list of President’s List student-athletes includes first-team Academic All-American Kyle Young, the starting center on the Tiger football team, and second-team Academic All-American Chad Carson, the second leading tackler on the 1999 Tigers. Women’s swimming All-American Virginia Kirouac also was on the President’s List.

Team Accomplishments

Football Clemson had a resurgent season on the gridiron, finishing in the top 25 in the final Sagarin computer poll and gaining a bid to the Peach Bowl. Clemson finished tied for second in the ACC standings after concluding the previous season in eighth place. It was the greatest one-season ACC standing improvement in ACC football history. Head Coach Tommy Bowden was named ACC Coach of the Year, Clemson’s first selection for that honor since 1981. Keith Adams earned first-team All-America honors at linebacker and led the nation in tackles (186) and tackles for loss (35). Brandon Streeter and Woodrow Dantzler quarterbacked the Clemson offense to an average of over 400 yards per game, third best in school history. Clemson was the only team in the nation to play all three of the undefeated regular season teams. The Tigers lost to National Champion Florida State 17-14 in a titanic game in Death Valley before a record crowd of over 86,000.

Women’s SoccerClemson’s women’s soccer team finished ranked eighth in the final college soccer poll. The Lady Tigers advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament and the semifinals of the ACC Tournament. Clemson was eliminated by eventual National Champion North Carolina in both tournaments. The Tar Heels defeated Clemson by just 1-0 in overtime in the ACC Tournament. Clemson recorded four wins over top 25 teams in 1999 among its 14 for the season. Beth Keller and Nancy Augustyniak were first-team All-ACC selections.

Men’s SoccerClemson recorded another winning season under Head Coach Trevor Adair. The Tigers suffered many injuries during the year, but recovered at the close of the season to defeat a third-ranked Wake Forest team and a 14th ranked Virginia squad. Clemson had two first-team All-ACC players in Mark Lisi and Alan Woods and a second-team selection in Captain Mike Potempa. Woods and former Tiger John Wilson were first round draft picks at the professional level.

VolleyballThe volleyball team posted a 31-3 record and was ranked among the nation’s top 20 for the first time in history. Clemson won its first ACC regular season championship and earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in seven years. Cindy Stern became Clemson’s first American in volleyball, earning second-team honors. She was also chosen ACC Player of the Year, Clemson’s first recipient of that honor. She is currently playing in the United States Professional Volleyball League. Jessi Betcher was named the ACC and the AVCA District III Rookie of the Year after leading the league in assists.

Cross CountryThe men’s cross country team placed fifth at the ACC meet and eighth in the Southeast Regional, while the women were sixth in the ACC and ninth in the region. Sophomore Jason Meany earned All-ACC honors, while senior Beth Ahern led the women’s team in each meet.

Men’s BasketballWill Solomon had a landmark season for the Clemson basketball team. The sophomore guard was chosen first-team All-ACC after leading the league in scoring with a 21-point average, the 16th highest figure in the nation. Solomon was the first Clemson guard chosen first-team All-ACC in 20 years, the first freshman or sophomore from Clemson to make the team in 25 years. Senior Andrius Jurkunas concluded his career as Clemson’s career leader in three-point goals among frontcourt players. Clemson’s season included a sweep of NC State’s nationally ranked program and a sixth consecutive win over rival South Carolina.

Women’s BasketballClemson’s women’s basketball program reached the NCAA Tournament for the 12th time in the last 13 years. The season ended with a defeat at eventual national champion UCONN after Jim Davis’s team had reached the final 32 of the NCAA Tournament. The season included victories over a #15 North Carolina team that reached the NCAA Regional Finals and a third ranked NC State team by 15 points at Littlejohn Coliseum. Freshman Chrissy Floyd earned second-team All-ACC honors, while Angie Cossey was a third-team selection.

SwimmingThe women’s swimming and diving team posted an 8-3 record and placed third at the ACC Championships, while the men’s team was 7-2 overall and finished seventh in the ACC. The records included a sweep of rival South Carolina. The two programs combined for 15 wins and a 75 percent winning percentage, the best by the two programs combined since 1988-89. Sophomore Ginny Kirouac placed 14th in the 400 IM at the NCAA Championships and earned honorable mention All-America honors, while freshman Mandy Commons finished 22nd in the 100 breaststroke at the same meet. Kirouac was a second-team Academic All-American. Junior Will Rogers led the men’s team, earning All-ACC accolades in the 50 free.

Men’s Indoor TrackIn a photo finish, senior Shawn Crawford broke the American record and won the National Championship in the 200 meters to lead Clemson to a 10th place finish at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Indianapolis. Crawford led the Tigers to a fourth straight ACC Championship and was chosen ACC Performer of the Year, winning the 60 and the 200 meters at the conference meet. He was an All-American in both events, while junior Sultan Tucker was an All-American in the 60 meter hurdles.

Women’s Indoor TrackFreshman Joana Costa won the ACC Championship in the pole vault with a mark of 11′ 11 3/4″, earning All-ACC honors in her rookie season. Her mark broke the conference record of 11′ 6 1/4″, established by former Tiger Erin Nett last season. Costa was one of three All-ACC performers for the Lady Tiger track program.

BaseballThe Clemson baseball team advanced to the College World Series for the ninth time in school history. Jack Leggett’s program was ranked in the top 10 in the nation for most of the year, finishing with a #5 national ranking by USA Today after winning its first game at the College World Series for the first time since 1976. The Tigers won six straight NCAA Tournament games for the first time in school history, including a sweep of Mississippi State in the first Super Regional held at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. The Tigers collected 14 wins over Top 25 teams, third highest total in school history. Casey Stone was named MVP of the Clemson Regional and Nick Glaser was a third-team All-America relief pitcher.

GolfThe Clemson golf team finished seventh at the NCAA Championships, the fourth straight year Clemson has finished in the top 10 in the nation. It marked the first time since the 1980-83 era (cross country) that a Clemson program had recorded four straight top 10 finishes. Larry Penley’s team won the ACC Championship and the East Regional Championship in the same year for the first time in school history. The program featured four All-Americans and four first-team All-ACC performers. Lucas Glover was a first-team All-America selection, while John Engler made the second team and Jonathan Byrd the third team. D.J. Trahan, Clemson’s top player at the NCAAs with a 15th place individual finish, was an honorable mention All-American, a freshman All-American and the ACC Rookie of the Year.

Men’s TrackClemson finished the outdoor track season with an ACC Championship and another top 10 national ranking. Shawn Crawford completed a dream senior year by winning the NCAA Championship in the 200 meters. He was also an All-American in the 100 meters. Clemson had 17 different athletes named All-ACC, the most All-ACC athletes in Clemson history for one sport. Clemson won eight individual championships at the ACC meet.

Women’s TrackThe women’s track team was led by pole vaulter Joanna Costa, who captured the ACC Championship. The Lady Tigers had five athletes overall named to the All-ACC team, including Keke Elder, who was all conference in the 100 meters and the 100 meter hurdles.

Men’s TennisChuck Kriese’s team advanced to the NCAA Tournament’s second round. The Tigers defeated Miami (FL) in the first round before losing to homestanding LSU. Clemson finished with a #31 ranking while playing one of the toughest schedules in the nation. Two Tigers were ranked in the final top 100 in college tennis, as junior Josh Goffi was 49th and Tomas Boniecki was 69th. Golf was also a top 25 player in doubles with Darren Knight.

Women’s TennisClemson’s women’s tennis team was the top turnaround program on the Tiger athletic landscape. The Lady Tigers transposed the won-loss record, going from a 7-15 record in 1999 to a 15-7 mark in 2000. The Lady Tigers were led by ACC #1 singles champion Carmina Giraldo, who posted a 28-8 overall record, including 18-4 in dual meets. Giraldo was ranked 28th in the final poll, matching her victory total and Clemson’s final team ranking by the ITCA. The women’s tennis team finished the year in the top 30 for the first time in five years and included a victory over a nationally ranked Miami (FL) team. Clemson advanced to the NCAA Tournament before it lost to Fresno State.

RowingClemson’s second-year program recorded a second-place finish at the inaugural ACC Regata at Virginia. The Lady Tigers finished fourth at the regional regata, narrowly missing a berth in the NCAA national event. Lauren Henne and Katherine Sloan were both chosen first-team All-ACC, Clemson’s first all-conference rowers in history. Lucy Doolittle was a second-team All-Region selection.

Note: All-ACC is first team only (except for basketball, which also counts 2nd team) All-American is first, second or third team All-Americans in track count different people who earned the honor, not number of events.

Individual Award Winners

National Champion Shawn Crawford, Men’s Indoor Track, 200 meters Shawn Crawford, Men’s Outdoor Track, 200 meters

ACC MVP Cindy Stern, volleyball Shawn Crawford, men’s Indoor track Men’s Outdoor Track

ACC Rookie of the Year D.J. Trahan–Golf Jessi Betcher–Volleyball

All-Americans (10) Football–Keith Adams, LB (1st) Baseball–Nick Glaser, P, (3rd) Golf–Lucas Glover (1st), John Engler (2nd), Jonathan Byrd (3rd) Men’s Indoor Track–Shawn Crawford, (60 M, 200 M), Sultan Tucker (60 H) Men’s Outdoor Track–Shawn Crawford (100m, 200m), Todd Matthews (110 HH), Fred Sharpe (400IH)

Academic All-Americans (2) Jonathan Byrd–Golf (1st) Ginny Kirouac–Women’s Swimming (2nd)

Drafted Athletes (5)Baseball Patrick Boyd, 4th, Pittsburgh Ryan Mottl, 6th, Cincinnati Scott Berny, 18th, Colorado

Men’s Soccer Alan Woods, 1st, Colorado John Wilson, 1st, Kansas City

ACC Champions (15)

Men’s Indoor Track Shawn Crawford–60m, 200M Sultan Tucker–100M hurdles

Men’s Outdoor Track Shawn Crawford–100m, 200m Todd Matthews–110 Hurdles Fred Sharpe–400 hurdles, 4X100 Relay Malcolm Reynolds–High Jump Ryan Lewis–Pole Vault Decathlon–Andy Geisler

Women’s Indoor Track Joana Costa–Pole Vault

Women’s Tennis Carmina Giraldo–#1 Singles Renato Brito–#2 Doubles Laurence Jayet–#2 Doubles

Men’s Tennis Tomas Boniecki–#2 singles Sandon Barth–#3 Doubles Eric Cohn–#3 Doubles

ACC Coach of the Year (3) Tommy Bowden, Football Bob Pollock, Men’s Indoor Track Bob Pollock, Men’s Outdoor Track

All-District III (7) Volleyball–Cindy Stern Men’s Basketball–Will Solomon Men’s Soccer–Mark Lisi, Alan Woods, Mike Potempa Women’s Soccer–Beth Keller Rowing–Lucy Doolittle

First-team All-ACC (60)Football (2) Robert Carswell, FS Keith Adams, LB

Women’s Soccer (2) Nancy Augustyniak,M/B Beth Keller, M/F

Men’s Soccer (2) Mark Lisi, M Alan Woods, B

Volleyball (2) Cindy Stern, MH Allison Coday, OH

Men’s Cross Country (1) Jason Meany

Men’s Swimming (1) Will Rogers

Men’s Indoor Track (11) Charles Allen, 60 H Doug Amigh, High Jump David Collins, 60M Mike Connelly, 800M Shawn Crawford, 60M, 200 M Kai Maull, Long Jump Ato Modibo, 200M, 400M Keith Rzewuski, Shot Fred Sharpe, 800M Sultan Tucker, 60MH Bryan Williams, Triple Jump

Women’s Indoor Track (3) Joanna Costa, Pole Vault Marcia Smith, 400M

Women’s Basketball (1) Chrissy Floyd, G (2nd)

Men’s Basketball (1) Will Solomon, G, (1st)

Golf (4) Lucas Glover John Engler Jonathan Byrd D.J. Trahan

Women’s Tennis (3) Carmina Giraldo, #1 Singles Renata Brito, #2 doubles Laurence Jayet, #2 Doubles

Men’s Tennis (3) Tomasz Boniecki, #2 Singles Sandon Barth, #3 Doubles Eric Cohn, #3 Doubles

Women’s Outdoor Track (5) Kammie Blount, Javelin Joanna Costa, Pole Vault LaShonda Crutchin, 400M Keke Elder, 100M, 100H Nyjla Littlejohn, 400H

Men’s Outdoor Track (17) Charles Allen, 4X100 Relay Doug Ameigh, High Jump Mike Connelly, 800M Shawn Crawford, 100M, 200M, 4X100 Andy Geisler, Decathlon Jacey Harper, 100M, 4X100 Mark Jellison, Decathlon Ryan Lewis, Pole Vault Todd Matthews, 110 H Kai Maull, Long Jump Jason Meany, 10,000M Mark Mirabito, High Jump Ato Modibo, 400M Anthony Moorman, 4X100 Malcolm Reynolds, High Jump Fred Sharpe, 400H Sultan Tucker, 110 H

Rowing (2) Lauren Henne, Katherine Sloan

Top 100 Rated Individual Rankings

Golf Lucas Glover, 7th, MasterCard John Engler, 9th MasterCard Jonathan Byrd, 14th, MasterCard D.J. Trahan, 22nd, MasterCard

Men’s Tennis Josh Goffi, 49th, Singles 21st, doubles Darren Knight, 21st, doubles Tomas Boniecki, 69th, singles

Women’s Tennis Carmina Giraldo, 28th, singles 49th, doubles Catherine Galvin, 49th, doubles

Miscellaneous

All NCAA Regional Baseball–Casey Stone (MVP), Ryan Riley, Justin Singleton, Brian Ellis, Henri Stanley, Ryan Mottl

AFCA Good Works Team Robert Carswell, Football

National Player of the Week Keith Adams, Football, Duke Game Brandon Streeter, Football, Virginia Game