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2009-10 Athletic Year-in-Review

July 6, 2010

Program Overview • Clemson was one of eight schools in the nation to be selected for a bowl game, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, and the NCAA baseball tournament. • Clemson also received team NCAA bids in golf, rowing, volleyball and women’s tennis. • Clemson became the first school in the ACC to capture a divisional title in both baseball and football in the same athletic season. The football team defeated Virginia at home on Nov. 21 to clinch the Atlantic Division, while baseball completed a sweep of Florida State on May 22 to earn the title. • The Tiger program collected ACC Championships in women’s indoor and outdoor track & field. • The Tiger program produced one individual NCAA Champion in 2010 when Patricia Mamona of the track & field team won the outdoor triple jump. • Five of Clemson’s spring sports teams ranked in the final top 20 for only the second time in history. Baseball finished in the #4 position. Women’s tennis (No. 11), rowing (No. 15), golf (No. 16) and women’s outdoor track & field (No. 18) also finished among the top 20 in their sport. • Clemson was one of only two schools in the NCAA (Georgia Tech was the other) to produce a first-round draft selection in baseball, basketball and football in 2010. The only other time in Clemson history the Tigers had players drafted in the first round of all three sports was 1987. • Two former Clemson players, Oguchi Onyewu and Stuart Holden, played for the U.S. team in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. • From a national exposure standpoint, Clemson welcomed ESPN’s popular weekly show College GameDay to Littlejohn Coliseum for the Jan. 23 game versus Duke. It was the Tigers’ first-ever appearance on the basketball version of the broadcast.

Baseball(Final national rank: #4) • The Tigers advanced to Omaha and the College World Series for the 12th time in school history after defeating Alabama in three games in the super regional round at Doug Kingsmore Stadium. • Clemson was one of the last four teams standing at the CWS after defeating top-seeded Arizona State and sixth-ranked Oklahoma in its first two games in Omaha. The Tigers finished the season with a 45-25 record. • The Tigers defeated 13 nationally-ranked opponents during the 2010 season. Clemson’s win over the No. 1 Sun Devils marked the 11th time in school history the Tiger program defeated the nation’s top-ranked team. • Clemson compiled a 3-1 record and won the Auburn Regional after winning 13-7 at Plainsman Park in a Super Regional advancement game. John Hinson was voted Regional MVP at the conclusion of the event. • Clemson clinched the ACC Atlantic Division championship by sweeping rival Florida State on the final weekend of the regular season. It was Clemson’s first division title since the 2006 season. • Kyle Parker was named first-team All-American by Ping! Baseball, second-team choice by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and third-team honoree by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA). • Parker was named first-team All-ACC for the second time in his career. Mike Freeman and Jeff Schaus were both second-team selections. It was Freeman’s first such honor. • Parker became the first NCAA athlete to throw for 20 touchdowns in football and hit 20 home runs in baseball in the same academic year. • Parker was selected with the 26th overall pick in the first round of the Major League Draft by the Colorado Rockies, becoming the first Tiger taken in the first round since Daniel Moskos in 2007. • In total, six Clemson players were selected in the 2010 Major League Draft.

Basketball, Men’s • The Tigers won 21 games during the 2009-10 season, giving Clemson a school record four consecutive seasons with 20 or more wins. • Clemson advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season, for only the second time in school history. • Clemson finished the ACC regular season with a 9-7 record, the program’s third straight winning season in conference play. It marked the first time in school history the Tigers put together three straight winning ACC seasons. • The Tigers knocked off a pair of nationally-ranked teams during the 2009-10 season, including NCAA runner-up Butler. Clemson defeated the No. 10 Bulldogs by a score of 70-69 at the 76 Classic in Anaheim, CA after Demontez Stitt knocked down a pair of free throws, and Trevor Booker sealed the victory with a blocked shot in the final seconds. • Clemson was one of only five schools to defeat the national runner-up Bulldogs during the 2009-10 season. • The Tigers broke a 10-game losing streak to North Carolina in emphatic fashion, dominating the Tar Heels by an 83-64 score on Jan. 13 when UNC was ranked as high as No. 12 in the national polls. • Booker was the No. 23 overall selection of the first round of the NBA Draft. He was chosen by the Minnesota Timberwolves and then traded to the Washington Wizards. He was the seventh first-round pick in Clemson history, but first since Sharone Wright in 1994. • The senior class of Booker and David Potter finished their four-year run with a school record 93 victories. The total included 35 regular season ACC wins, also a school record for a senior class. • Clemson finished eighth in the NCAA in steals per game, making it six consecutive years the Tiger program ranked inside the nation’s top 15 in the statistical category. • Booker was a first-team All-ACC selection in 2010, the first Clemson player named to the first team since Ed Scott in 2003. He was the first Tiger post player named to the first team since Elden Campbell and Dale Davis both made it in 1990. • Starting guard Tanner Smith and classmate Andre Young were named to the All-ACC Academic Team.

Basketball, Women’s • The Lady Tigers ranked 40th or better in the NCAA in both blocks per game (5.0) and steals per game (10.2). Clemson was 28th in blocks per game, and 40th in steals per game. • Lele Hardy concluded her career with 398 steals, fifth-best in ACC history and a top-25 figure in NCAA history. • Hardy was named second-team All-ACC at the conclusion of the season and was also named to the league’s All-Defensive Team for the second straight season. • Hardy finished the season ranked third in the NCAA with 3.6 steals per game. She also led the Lady Tigers in scoring (14.4 ppg) and rebounding (7.9 rpg). • Hardy participated in training camp for the WNBA’s Washington Mystics after the season, prior to earning her undergraduate degree. She was one of three Lady Tiger seniors to graduate at the May commencement ceremony, joining April Parker.

Football(Final National Rank: #24) • Clemson finished the season with a 9-5 overall record and No. 24 final ranking in the Associated Press poll. • The Tigers won the school’s first-ever Atlantic Division championship and competed against Georgia Tech in the conference championship game in Tampa, FL. • Clemson won the division with a 6-2 record, the program’s best ACC mark since the 1991 season. • Clemson ended the year on a high note with a 21-13 win over Kentucky in the Music City Bowl in Nashville, TN. It was the 16th bowl win in school history, one of the top 20 totals in college football history. • The Tigers knocked off a top-10 Miami team on the road when Kyle Parker found Jacoby Ford for the game-winning touchdown pass in overtime. It tied for the highest-ranked team Clemson has ever defeated on the road. • Clemson became the first team to ever defeat Florida State and Miami in the same season. The Tigers scored at least 40 points against each team. • C.J. Spiller finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy balloting, tied for the highest finish by a Clemson player. He was also named ACC Player-of-the-Year and ACC Championship Game Most Valuable Player after rushing for 233 yards against Georgia Tech. • Spiller was a unanimous first-team All-American, only the third player in Clemson history to achieve that status. He finished his career with over 30 game, season and career records as a Tiger. • Spiller was the only player in the nation to score at least one touchdown in every game during the 2009 season. • Spiller and Ford combined for 11,671 career all-purpose yards, more than any other duo in college football history. • Spiller was taken with the No. 9 overall selection in the first round of the NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. • DeAndre McDaniel was named a first-team All-American by the Football Writers Association, and was also a first-team All-ACC safety after leading the conference with eight interceptions. • Dabo Swinney was named ACC Coach-of-the-Year by the Sporting News and was one of 10 finalists for the Liberty Mutual National Coach-of-the-Year Award.

Golf(Final National Rank: #16) • The Tigers advanced to the NCAA National for the 26th time in the last 29 years. Clemson finished 16th as a team at the NCAA Tournament, held at the Honors Course in Chattanooga, TN. • Clemson was runner-up at the Southeast Regional, behind only the nation’s No. 1 team Oklahoma State. The Tigers shot three-over par 843 over the 54-hole event, just two shots off the Cowboys’ pace. • Clemson senior Ben Martin played in the Masters and U.S. Open in 2010 as a result of his runner-up finish at last summer’s U.S. Amateur. Martin was also the third-place finisher at the Southeast Regional in May and ninth individually at the NCAA Tournament. • Martin was named first-team All-ACC for the second straight season and third time in his career. He is the 14th player in Clemson history to be named to the All-ACC team three times. • Martin earned honorable mention All-America status at the conclusion of the season. • Martin was also named to the All-ACC Academic Team for the fourth straight season, and was an honorary Weaver-James-Corrigan postgraduate scholarship winner from the ACC. • Martin won co-medalist honors at the Furman Invitational, where Clemson won the team championship with a six-under par 282. It was the 60th coaching victory for Hall of Fame Coach Larry Penley. • Four players were named to the Ping All-Region Team: Martin, Luke Hopkins and Corbin Mills.

Rowing(Final National Rank: #15) • The Tiger program earned a second straight team bid to the NCAA Championships and returned with a 15th-place finish. Clemson’s top boat was the varsity 4+, which placed 10th overall at the national regatta. • Clemson finished runner-up at the ACC Championships, which were held at Lake Hartwell. The Tigers placed second in each of the four races: varsity 8+, second varsity 8+, varsity 4+ and novice 8+. • The Tigers finished fifth at the Aramark Central/South Regionals in May, second in the South Region alone. Clemson’s best individual boat finish was third place by both the varsity 8+ and open 4+. • Brittany Cummings was named a Pocock First-Team All-American after the season by the CRCA. • Three student-athletes were named to the All-ACC team after the conclusion of the conference regatta. Cummings and Grace Wolff received her first All-ACC honor. • Five rowers were named to the CRCA All-South Region Team. Cummings and Nance were named to the first team, while Zsofia Bende, Becca Brown and Katie Bruggeling were all second-team choices. • Nance was one of 36 scholar-athletes in the ACC to receive a Weaver-James-Corrigan postgraduate scholarship. • Clemson had nine rowers named CRCA National Scholar-Athletes in 2010, including three-time honorees Allison Colberg, Nance and Mairi Trimboli. • Colberg was the Division I rowing recipient of the inaugural NCAA Elite 88 award, which is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA participating in the sport’s championship finals.

Soccer, Men’s • Clemson was one of only three schools to defeat NCAA Champion Virginia during the 2009 season. The Tigers knocked off the Cavaliers by a score of 1-0 in Charlottesville on Sept. 26 after a goal by Mike Mattson. • Mattson was named to Soccer America’s Team-of-the-Week on Sept. 30 after scoring the game-winning goal in Clemson’s upset of top-ranked Virginia. • The Tigers also upset nationally-ranked foe NC State on the road. Clemson again won by a 1-0 score, this time on a goal by Austin Savage late in the contest. The Wolfpack were No. 11 in the Soccer America poll at the time of the defeat to Clemson. • Nathan Thornton was named to the ACC’s All-Tournament Team after scoring both of Clemson’s goals in a 2-0 opening round win over Virginia Tech. • Five players were named to the All-ACC Academic Team: Mike Mattson, Nathan Thornton. • Eckhardt was one of 36 scholar-athletes in the ACC to receive a Weaver-James-Corrigan postgraduate scholarship.

Soccer, Women’s • Maddy Elder, a freshman from Roanoke, VA, led the Tigers in both goals scored (10) and points (21) in 2009. • Elder was named to the 2009 All-ACC Academic Women’s Soccer Team at the conclusion of the season. • Former ACC Rookie-of-the-Year and two-time first-team All-ACC selection Lindsay Browne (2000-04) was selected in the fifth round of the 2010 women’s professional soccer draft by the Los Angeles Sol.

Swimming & Diving • The Tigers established school records in four individual events during the 2009-10 season: Heather Savage in the 100 fly (54.70), David Giambra on the one-meter board (357.75). • The 800 freestyle relay team of David Gordon, Chris Reinke and Chris Dart broke the school record with a time of 6:33.37. • Kelli Kyle competed at the NCAA Championships in March in the 100 back and 200 back. • Eric Bruck was named All-ACC after a third-place finish in the 50 freestyle at the conference meet. • Seth Broster was named ACC Performer-of-the-Week on Feb. 2 after winning the 100 free and leading a pair of relays to victory against Duke. • The women’s 200 medley relay of Kelli Kyle, Katrina Obas, Maddie Tarantolo and Meg Anderson established a McHugh Natatorium record with a time of 1:43.21. • Obas was one of 36 scholar-athletes in the ACC to receive a Weaver-James-Corrigan postgraduate scholarship. • Five swimmers were named to the All-ACC Academic Team at the conclusion of the season. Anderson earned the nod for the women’s team, while Broster, Bruck, Dart and Reinke were selected from the men’s roster.

Tennis, Men’s • The men’s tennis team showed improvement in Chuck McCuen’s second year at the helm of the program. Clemson went from 11 wins in 2009 to 17 in 2010. • Clemson began the season with 14 straight wins and rose to as high as No. 29 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll on Mar. 17. It was Clemson’s best start to a season since the 1969 team finished with a perfect 16-0 record. • The Tigers finished the season at the No. 55 position in the ITA poll. • Derek DiFazio finished first in the mixed doubles competition at the USTA National Men’s Open in January at Flushing, NY.

Tennis, Women’s(Final National Rank: #11) • Clemson finished the season with a 24-6 record and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in the last seven seasons. The Tigers rallied to defeat Georgia, 4-2, in the regional final at Hoke Sloan Tennis Center. Clemson lost in the Sweet 16 to eventual NCAA champion Stanford. • The Tigers posted a 9-2 record during the regular season of the ACC race and a stellar 16-6 mark against teams ranked in the top 75 of the ITA poll at the time of the match. • Ina Hadziselimovic were doubles All-Americans after advancing to the Round of 16 at the NCAA Tournament. It was the second straight year the duo earned All-America recognition. Hadziselimovic concluded her career with the most doubles wins (105) in Clemson history. • Bek, Hadziselimovic and Keri Wong were all named to the All-ACC team at the conclusion of the regular season. It was Bek’s second such honor, and the first for both Hadziselimovic and Wong. • Nelly Ciolkowski was named the ITA Carolina Region Rookie-of-the-Year after finishing her freshman campaign with a 29-7 record. Her .806 winning percentage is tied for sixth-best in Clemson history for a single season.

Track & Field(Final Women’s Indoor Rank: T-7th; Final Women’s Outdoor Rank: 18th) • The Clemson women produced a pair of top-20 team finishes, highlighted by a tie for seventh indoors. The outdoor team was 18th at the NCAA Championships, giving Clemson a top-20 spot in the same year (both seasons) for only the third time in school history. • The women’s team became the first in Clemson history to earn both the ACC Indoor and Outdoor Championships in the same season. It was Clemson’s first indoor league crown since 1992, and first outdoor title since the 1999 season. • Patricia Mamona won the NCAA outdoor triple jump championship, the eighth in Clemson women’s history. She hit a school record 45’11.75″ on her final attempt, becoming Clemson’s first female national champion since 2005. • Mamona won a pair of All-America awards in 2010, one of 17 earned between both seasons by the Tiger women’s program. April Sinkler led the way with four All-America honors, while Jasmine Edgerson and Brianna Rollins both earned a pair of accolades. Sonni Austin, Michaylin Golladay, Stormy Kendrick, Brittany Pringley, Kim Ruck, Kristine Scott and Liane Weber all earned an All-America honor in 2010 as well. • Mamona was named the ACC’s Outdoor Field Event Athlete-of-the-Year. She was also a third-team Academic All-American. • Gisele Oliveira in 2005. • Clemson produced eight individual ACC champions and two relay crowns in 2010. Sinkler led the way with four individual titles, while Weber won the pentathlon and heptathlon. • The women’s team won the indoor 4x400m relay and outdoor 4x100m relay. The all-freshman 4×4 went on to an All-America fifth-place showing at indoor nationals. The 4×1 – which featured a senior, a junior and two freshmen – did even better after placing fourth at the NCAA outdoor meet. • Sinkler was named Most Valuable Field Event Athlete at both the ACC Indoor and Outdoor Championships. She now has three career ACC MVP honors, one shy of tying Kim Graham as Clemson’s all-time leader. • Brianna Rollins was named ACC Indoor Freshman-of-the-Year after winning the league’s 200m dash and helping the 4×4 to victory as well. She went on to earn All-America honors in the 60 hurdles and as part of the 4×4. • Kendrick was ACC Outdoor Freshman-of-the-Year after helping the 4x100m relay to an All-America performance. She was also runner-up in the ACC in the 100m dash and 200m dash. • Spencer Adams and Miller Moss were named indoor All-Americans for the men’s team. Adams was eighth in the 60m hurdles, while Moss finished in the same position for the heptathlon. • Lawrence Johnson was named ACC Coach-of-the-Year for women’s track & field both indoor and outdoor, becoming the first coach in Clemson history to win both in the same year.

Volleyball • Clemson finished the season with a 23-10 overall record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for a third straight season. It marked only the second time in school history the Tigers have earned bids to the national event three straight years. • The Tigers finished fourth in the ACC with a 13-7 record, which included an impressive 6-3 mark on the road. • Clemson won its 700th victory as a program on Oct. 2 in a come-from-behind, 3-2 win over Miami in Coral Gables, FL. The Tigers became the first ACC program to reach the 700-win milestone. • Didem Ege was named ACC Defensive Player-of-the-Year after establishing a conference record for defensive saves. She was also named to the All-ACC team, one of four selections to the squad for Clemson. • Kelsey Murphy was named All-ACC for the third consecutive season from her setter position. She is the only player in ACC history to record at least 5,000 assists, 1,000 digs and 400 blocks in a career. • Murphy was named Most Valuable Player at the DePaul Challenge in September after leading Clemson to a 3-0 record in the event. • Lia Proctor, a senior, and Sandra Adeleye, a freshman, were also included on the All-ACC team. Proctor led the Tigers in kills and was second on the squad in digs. Adeleye was second on the team with a .386 hitting percentage, while accumulating 297 kills, second-best on the team. • Adeleye and Alexa Rand were both named to the ACC’s All-Freshman Team. Rand was the top hitter on the squad with a .391 figure, and also led the team with 157 total blocks. • Adeleye was named the East Region Freshman-of-the-Year by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). She is the third Tiger in history to win the award. • Ege, Murphy and Proctor were all named to the AVCA All-East Region Team. • Freshman Natalie Patzin was named to the All-ACC Academic Team at the conclusion of the season.

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