June 24, 2002
Clemson boasted some of its greatest athletes in history in 2001-02. Clemson became the second school in history to have the National Player of the Year in golf and baseball in the same academic year. D.J. Trahan won the Jack Nicklaus Award as the top player in college golf, while baseball shortstop Khalil Greene was national player of the year honors according to the Baseball Coaches Association, Collegiate Baseball, Baseball America and many other services.
Clemson won an individual NCAA Champion when Jamine Moton won the NCAA Outdoor championship in the hammer throw. She completed her career with 13 ACC Championships, more than any other women’s athlete in ACC Track history.
Nine Clemson athletic teams posted top 25 finishes, contributing to Clemson’s #26 finish in the Sears Director’s Cup. Clemson set a school record for points scored in that national ranking and the finish was its best in four years. Clemson had 25 All-Americans during the year, eighth highest total on record.
Clemson had a spring to remember as the Clemson golf, men’s track and baseball teams all finished in the top four in the nation. It marked the first time in school history that three different sports finished in the “Final Four” in the same spring. Clemson was the only school in the nation to finish in the top four in all three of those men’s spring sports. The women’s track and rowing teams also finished in the final top 25 during the spring.
The Clemson soccer program had another banner year as the men’s team reached the Final Eight of the NCAA Tournament and the women’s team reached the Sweet 16. They combined to win 11 matches against top 25 teams in 2001. Both were ranked in the top 12 in the nation in their respective final polls.
The Clemson track program also had considerable success. The men’s program finished in the top 10 in both the indoor and outdoor NCAA meets, while the women were in the top 25 in both competitions. It marked the second straight year the women finished in the top 25 in both NCAA Championships, and it marked the third time the men finished in the top 10 in both NCAA Championships in the same year.
Clemson won in football, men’s basketball and baseball at Georgia Tech in the same year for the first time in history. The football and baseball victories were over top 10 Georgia Tech teams.
It was a big night in New York for the Clemson football program on December 11, 2001. That evening former Clemson football great Terry Kinard was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and Kyle Young was named one of 11 National Football Foundation Scholar Athletes. Clemson was the only school in the nation with a Hall of Fame inductee and a Foundation Scholar Athlete for 2001.
Former Clemson athletes excelled on the professional level. Seven former Tigers played in the NBA during 2001-02, tied for the 10th most among all schools nationally and the most in one year in Clemson history. Four former Tigers, Dale Davis, Horace Grant, Elden Campbell and Greg Bucker, played in the NBA Playoffs. Clemson had 21 former players in the NFL, including All-Pro performers Trevor Pryce and Brian Dawkins. Five former baseball Tigers were in the Major Leagues, six played professional men’s soccer and four played women’s pro soccer, while 12 played in professional golf events, including six on the PGA Tour.
Academic Notes Clemson student-athletes posted an overall GPA of 2.85, the highest on record, for the spring semester of 2002. A record 37 student-athletes earned selection to the President’s List with a perfect 4.0 for the semester, while 104 made the Dean’s List, just one off the all-time semester record.
Two-hundred-and-twenty-one Clemson student-athletes earned at least a 3.0 or better for the semester, meaning nearly 50 percent of all Clemson student-athletes were on the academic honor roll.
Seven of the 15 programs had a semester GPA of at least 3.0. The list included the Clemson rowing program, which has had a semester GPA of at least 3.0 for all eight of the semesters it has had a team. The women’s tennis team, who won an NCAA Tournament match for the first time in six years, had a 3.22 GPA, the eighth straight semester it has been at 3.0 or better. Larry Penley’s third-ranked Clemson golf program had at least a 3.0 GPA for the fifth straight semester and six of its 10 players were on the academic honor roll.
Four programs, baseball (2.82), women’s soccer (3.17), women’s swimming (3.42) and volleyball (3.22) had their highest semester GPA on record, contributing to the record-breaking semester. The baseball team (20), women’s swimming (26) and volleyball (11) teams had their top semester on record in terms of academic honor roll recipients.
The Clemson football team had a 2.56 team GPA for the semester, second best on record behind the 2.58 achieved in the spring of 2001. Each of the top five semester GPAs achieved by the Clemson football program have taken place within the seven semesters Tommy Bowden has served as head coach. Eighteen of the 22 seniors on the 2001 team earned their degrees.
Clemson was the only school in the nation with two first-team Academic All-Americans on its football team. Kyle Young (C) and Chad Carson (LB) were both first-team selections and both earned ACC Postgraduate scholarships. Young was named the top student-athlete among football players in the ACC, while Carson won the Clemson Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, an award presented to any Clemson student for unselfish service to others.
As noted above, the Clemson baseball team had a landmark semester in the classroom and on the field. The team ranked number-one in the nation for eight weeks during the season had 20 student-athletes on the academic honor roll, including Jeff Baker and Khalil Greene, two of the five finalists for the Golden Spikes Award, the honor presented to the top player in college baseball. Eight of the 10 Clemson everyday players (including #1 pitcher Steve Reba) made the honor roll for the spring semester.
The Clemson women’s swimming and volleyball teams had standout numbers in the classroom. Eighteen of the women’s swimmers made the Dean’s List, while 11 of the 15 student-athletes on the volleyball roster made the academic honor roll.
Team Accomplishments
The 2001 Clemson football team completed the season with seven victories, including a 47-44 overtime victory at ninth-ranked Georgia Tech, Clemson’s highest ranked road win since 1981. It was one of five wins over teams with winning records in 2001, the most by a Clemson team since 1990. Tommy Bowden became the first Clemson coach to lead the Tigers to a bowl game in each of his first three years. The team also finished the season second in Clemson history, in points scored (369), touchdowns (49), yards per play (5.68), and completions (226). Woodrow Dantzler led the Tiger attack by gaining 2360 yards passing and 1004 yards rushing during the regular season, the first time in history any Division I player had over 2000 yards passing and 1000 yards rushing in the same season. Dantzler finished his Clemson career with over 50 school records, including the ACC career record for rushing yards by a quarterback. Center Kyle Young was named a third-team All-American on the field and a first-team Academic All-American off the field. It was the third straight year Young was named a first-team Academic All-American, just the second offensive lineman in college football history to be a three-time first-team selection. He was also named a National Football Foundation Scholar Athlete, Clemson’s first since 1978. Classmate Chad Carson was a first-team Academic All-American for the second straight year.
The women’s soccer team finished the season ranked 11th in the nation according to the final Coaches poll, and was 15th by Soccer America. The Lady Tigers under first-year coach Todd Bramble reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament with victories over Kentucky and Florida State and completed the season with a 15-5-1 record. The team advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the eighth straight year, every year the program has been in existence. The team recorded four wins over top 25 teams. Katie Carson, a senior All-American, set the Clemson career record for most saves, and solo shutouts. Lindsey Browne and Dee Arrington were named first-team All-ACC and now rank in the top 10 in Clemson history in scoring. Paige Ledford was name to the All-Freshman ACC team and was also selected for the All-ACC second team.
The men’s soccer team won the ACC Tournament with victories over Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia. The Cavaliers were the top seed and ranked second in the nation entering the event. It marked the 13th time in history Clemson had been proclaimed ACC Champion, more than any other school. That was one of seven top 25 wins for the season, the most in Clemson history. Clemson played the nation’s top schedule in running up a 19-5 record, and the club was ranked seventh in the nation in the final Coach’s poll, fourth according to Soccer America.The top individual honors went to defender Oguchi Onyewu, who was named a second-team All-American and first-team All-ACC. Doug Warren and leading scorer Ian fuller were also named a first-team All-ACC player, while Osker Bringsved and Fabio Tambosi were second-team selections.
The women’s volleyball team was led by Jodi Steffes, who was named to the 2001 AVCA Division I All-East Region team, becoming the first Tiger to earn the honor four times in the same career. Steffes, the first four-team All-Region selection in Clemson history, had a hitting percentage of .296, 385 kills, and 3.63 kills per game. Lori Ashton was named to the ACC All-Freshman team. She led the team in block solos, block assists, blocks per game and total blocks. Ashton made her name in the Clemson record books as the 5th all-time in block per game and 10th in hitting percentage.
Clemson gained a pair of thrilling victories over top 20 teams in 2001-02 in men’s basketball. The Tigers defeated a fifth-ranked Virginia team and a 17th- ranked Wake Forest team at Littlejohn Coliseum. It marked the first time since 1997-98 that Clemson defeated two top 25 teams in the same year. The victory over Wake Forest was one of the great triumphs in Clemson history, a 118-115 double overtime victory. Clemson led the ACC in rebound margin with a +5.1 figure, third best in school history. Edward Scott led the Tigers from the point guard position and was a third-team All-ACC choice. He ranked third in the nation in assists per game, the highest individual ranking by any Clemson player since 1993-94. Scott had 30 points and 16 assists in the 118-115 win over Wake Forest, just the second ACC player in history to have 30 points and at least 15 assists in the same game.
The Clemson women’s basketball team advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 14th time in the last 15 years under Coach Jim Davis. Clemson is now tied for sixth in the nation in NCAA Tournament appearances since 1988, Davis’s first year with the program. When Clemson defeated East Carolina in the season opener it marked the 300th Clemson win of Davis’s career. The Lady Tigers won 17 contests and finished second in the ACC during the regular season. Among the victories were triumphs over top 25 teams from South Carolina and Penn State. Clemson was led by in scoring by junior Chrissy Floyd, a first-team All-ACC player who also made the first-team on defense this year. She averaged 18.2 points per game and now has 1,432 career points, eighth best in school history heading into her senior year. She was also named to the Kodak All-District III team. Teammate Marci Glenney was named third-team All-ACC in 2001-02.
The women’s swimming team ended the season 41st overall at the NCAA championship. The team also set two new school records. The Lady Tigers’ freestyle team of Christine Woodruff, Jenna Burtch, Elise Thieler, and Patty Hider recorded a season-best and school-record time. Six Lady Tigers were named All-Americans. That list included Mandy Commons, Lindsey Kroeger, Jenna Burtch, Elise Thieler, Patty Hider and Christine Woodruff. Kate Walker won ACC swimmer of the week on January 7th.
The men’s swimming and diving team was led by Craig Thomas and Rob Kummer. Both were named to the All-ACC team. Thomas competed in the NCAA Zone B Diving Competition in Lexington, Kentucky. Three different swimmers, Drew Scheerhorn Gregor Govse and Craig Thomas, were named ACC Swimmers of the Week during the year. Thomas and Rob Kummer were named All-ACC.
The Tiger baseball team qualified for the College World Series, finishing in a tie for third at the event in Omaha, NB. Clemson won 54 games, its third highest victory total in history. The victory total included 19 wins over top 25 teams, tied for the most in school history. Ten of the wins were against top 10 teams, the second highest victory total over top 10 teams in school history. Clemson won the Clemson Regional and the Clemson Super Regional on the way to the CWS, the school’s 10th College World Series appearance in history. Senior shortstop Khalil Greene had arguably the greatest individual season in any sport in Clemson history. He was the consensus National Player of the Year, just the second baseball player in history to be named national player of the year. He hit a Clemson record .470 for the season and left Clemson as the ACC’s career leader in hits, RBIs and doubles. He finished his career second in NCAA history in hits (403) and first in doubles (95). Greene was one of five Clemson baseball players named to an All-America team this year. The others were Jeff Baker, Michael Johnson, Steve Reba and Matt Henrie.
The men’s golf team made it’s 21st straight national NCAA tournament this year, including 19 under Head Coach Larry Penley. The Tigers finished third at the NCAAs at the Scarlet Course at Ohio State and finished second in the final team poll according to Golfweek/Sagarin. Clemson tied for the NCAA East Regional Championship, the school’s fifth under Larry Penley. In the fall, the team won the Ping Preview, also played at Ohio State. Clemson was ranked in the top five in the nation in every poll during the regular season and has now been in the top five in 74 of the last 75 polls. Clemson was led by junior D.J. Trahan, who finished the season with a 70.33 stroke average, an all-time Clemson single season record and the eighth lowest stroke average in NCAA history. Trahan was the winner of the Jack Nicklaus Award and the Ben Hogan Award for the 2002 year as the top college golfer in the nation. Sophomore, Gregg Jones, finished the season with a 71.81 stroke average, and was a second-team All-American.
The Clemson rowing team completed the season ranked 22nd according to the 2002 USRowing/CRCA NCAA Women’s Rowing Poll, the highest final ranking in the program’s brief history. Clemson was one of three Atlantic Coast Conference teams ranked in the final poll. The Clemson rowing team completed the season after winning the South Region title in the 2002 Lexus South/Central Sprints held on Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge, TN. The Tigers’ novice 8+, second varsity 4+ and second varsity 8+ boats claimed titles as well. Clemson had four athletes named to the All-Region team. Aimee Fox, Lucy Doolittle and Emily Kuivila were first-team selections, while Sall Kukla was a second-team selection. Fox and Doolittle were named All-ACC.
Women’s track and field recorded a top 25 national finish indoors and outdoors in 2001-02. The team tied for 20th at the 2002 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships and finished 21st indoors. This was the first time in school history that Clemson posted top 25 finishes indoors and outdoors in consecutive years, quite an accomplishment for second year head coach Marcia Noad. The Lady Tiger’s were led by senior Jamine Moton who finished the season with six All-America honors, including the 2002 NCAA Outdoor Champion in the hammer throw. She was the runner-up in the weight throw indoors. Earlier in her career in 2001 she also finished second in the shot put both indoor and outdoor. Moton accumulated an all-time conference record with 13 individual ACC titles, and was named the 2002 ACC Women’s Track and Field Performer of the Year. Clemson had two All-America triple jumpers. Gisele Oliveira earned All-America honors outdoors, while Sheri Smith was an All-American indoors.
Men’s track and field team merited its highest finish in school history as it tied for fourth at the 2002 NCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships. The team finished seventh at the indoor national championships. Clemson also won the ACC Indoor Championship, the 20th ACC title for head coach Bob Pollock. Dwight Thomas obtained three second-place finishes, one in the 100m dash, one in the 200m dash and one as a member of the 4X100 relay team to lead Clemson scorers. Thomas finished his rookie season with four All-America honors. He was All-American in indoor 60m dash, and had three honors outdoor as a member of the 4x100m relay, as well as in the 100m and 200m dashes. Thomas was named the ACC Outdoor Performer of the Year in 2002 after winning the 100m, 200m, and 110m hurdles at the conference meet. Todd Matthews recorded another second-place finish for the Tigers at the NCAAs in the 110 hurdles, his fifth All-America honor. High jumper Doug Ameigh was named a third-team Academic All-American and earned All-America honors indoors on the track.
The men’s tennis team was led by freshman Sander Koning with a 23-10 record overall in singles. He also led the team with a 9-7 mark in dual matches. The double duo Damiisa Robinson and Goran Sterijovski let the team with a 14-6 record overall and a 4-3 mark in ACC play.
The Clemson women’s tennis team concluded its season with a 14-11 record and reached the second round finish at the NCAA Tournament. It marked the first time since 1996 that Clemson had won an NCAA Tournament match. The Lady Tigers gained top 25 victories over Georgia Tech and William & Mary along the way. The triumph over William & Mary took place on the road in the NCAA Tournament. The team was led by freshman Alix Lacelarie, who made the 2002 All-Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Tennis Team. The freshman competed in the NCAA singles tournament and ranked #32 in the final singles poll. She had a 28-13 overall singles record and a 19-7 record in dual matches. The Lady Tigers’ doubles team Lacelarie and Laurence Jayet ranked 39th in the country in the final poll. The duo defeated Old Dominion’s 10th ranked team and Georgia’s 13th ranked team.
All-Americans 2001-02 (28)
Football-(1)-Kyle Young (C, 3rd) Men’s Soccer-(1)-Oguchi Onyewu(B, 2nd) Women’s Soccer-(1) Katie Carson (G, 2nd) Women’s Swimming- (6) – Mandy Commons, Lindsey Kroeger, Jenna Burtch, EliseThieler, Christine Woodruff, Patty Hider Golf-(2)-D.J. Trahan(1st), Gregg Jones (2nd) Baseball-(5)-Khalil Greene (SS, 1st), JeffBaker (3B, 1st), Steve Reba (P, 2nd), Michael Johnson (1B, 2nd),Matt Henrie (P, 3rd) Men’s Indoor Track – (4) – Doug Ameigh, ToddMatthews, Ato Modibo, Dwight Thomas Women’s Indoor Track – (2) -Jamine Moton, Sheri Smith Men’s Outdoor Track – (5) – AireseCurrie, Jacey Harper, Todd Matthews, Otto Spain, Dwight ThomasWomen’s Outdoor Track – (2) – Jamine Moton, Gisele Oliveira
Academic All-Americans (4)
Golf-(1)-D.J. Trahan (3rd) Football-(2)-Kyle Young (1st), ChadCarson (1st) Men’s Track (1)-Doug Ameigh (3rd) ***Rowing, Men’sSwimming, Women’s Swimming, Women’s Tennis, Men’s Track, Women’sTrack pending.
All-ACC 2001-02 (53 first team, 12 second team, 2 third team)
Football-(6)–Woodrow Dantzler (QB, 1st), Kyle Young (C, 2nd),Chad Carson (LB, 2nd), Will Merritt (OG, 2nd), Charles Hafley (DB,2nd), Akil Smith (OT, 2nd) Men’s Soccer-(4)–Oguchi Onyewu (1st),Doug Warren (1st), Osker Bringsved (2nd), Fabio Tambosi (2nd)Women’s Soccer-(3)-Lindsey Browne (1st), Dee Arrington (1st), PaigeLedford (2nd) Volleyball – (1) – Jodi Steffes (2nd) Men’sBasketball-(1)-Edward Scott (G, 3rd) Women’s Basketball-(2)-Chrissy Floyd (G, 1st), Marci Glenney (G, 3rd) Men’s Swimming- (2) – Craig Thomas, Rob Kummer Women’s Swimming – (6) – MandyCommons, Lindsey Kroeger, Jenna Burtch, Elise Thieler, ChristineWoodruff, Patty Hider Men’s Indoor Track – (8) – Doug Ameigh, LarryGriffin, Jacey Harper, Marcus Hodge, Todd Matthews, Jason Meany,Ato Modibo, Dwight Thomas Women’s Indoor Track – (4) – JamineMoton, Terri Robinson, Sheri Smith, Silja UlfarsdottirBaseball-(6)-Khalil Greene (SS, 1st), Michael Johnson (1B, 1st),Steve Reba (P, 1st), Matt Henrie (P, 2nd), Russell Triplett (Inf,2nd), Jeff Baker (3B, 2nd), Golf-(2)-D.J. Trahan, Gregg JonesRowing – (2) – Lucy Doolittle, Aimee Fox Men’s Outdoor Track – (13)- Doug Ameigh, Brit Barrow, Airese Currie, Larry Griffin, JaceyHarper, Rick Hill, George Kitchens, Ryan Lewis, Todd Matthews,Terrance McDaniel, Ato Modibo, Otto Spain, Dwight Thomas Women’sOutdoor Track – (6) – Antisha Anderson, Jamine Moton, GiseleOliveira, Marcia Smith, Sheri Smith, Silja Ulfarsdottir Women’sTennis – (2) – Alix Lacelarie, Milena Stanoycheva
April 18, 2024
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