Meet Recap
EUGENE, Ore. — The opening day of the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships saw Clemson advance its men’s 4×100-meter relay and Giano Roberts in the 110-meter hurdles to the NCAA final fior each event. Both finals will take place on Friday, June 11, under the lights of Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon during the third day of competition.
The men’s 4x100m relay was Clemson’s first action at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, as Roberts, Marcus Parker, Alex Sands, and Terryon Conwell took to the track to contest the event. Roberts fired out of the blocks and handed off to Parker with ease before Parker raced down the backstretch to give Clemson a commanding presence midway through the race. Sands got the baton from Parker and ran the final curve aggressively before Conwell took over the last 100m to stop the clock at 38.94 seconds for the Tigers. Clemson’s time was good enough for second in its heat and fourth overall, which has secured the Tigers a spot in the event’s final on Friday at 5:02 p.m. (PT).
Less than an hour after the 4x100m relay was contested, Roberts secured his spot in the final of the 110-meter hurdles by executing an excellent race plan during his semifinal heat and crossing the line in a wind-legal time of 13.59 seconds. Roberts’ time served as a wind-legal personal best and made him the seventh-fastest performer in Clemson history. Lafranz Campbell (13.90) and Devon Brooks (13.96) joined Roberts during the semifinal heats, with the two respectively finished 17th and 18th overall on Wednesday.
In the 800m, Kameron Jones finished fourth in his heat and eleventh overall by running 1:48.14 during the event’s first semifinal heat. Following Wednesday’s result, Jones has earned second-team All-American honors by finishing within the top-16 for the event. Jones is just the sixth man in Clemson history to contest the 800m at an NCAA Outdoor Championships.
After an excellent effort as a part of the Tigers’ 4x100m relay, Parker returned to the track later on in the evening to contest the semifinal round of the 200m. In lane two, Parker charged hard while coming out of the curve and powered down the homestretch at Hayward Field before crossing the line with a wind-legal time of 20.79. Parker’s time saw him finish sixth in his heat and 17th overall. Parker’s result on Wednesday saw him equal his lifetime best finish in the event at an NCAA Outdoor Championship, as Parker also finished 17th during the 2019 championships.
The men’s 4x400m relay came together for a strong effort to close out Wednesday night, running 3:09.23 to finish sixth in their heat. The quartet of Keco Morrison, Jones, Parker, and Conwell represented the Tigers during the relay, with Conwell recording a split of 46.26 to close out the race. Clemson finished 17th overall this evening following the completion of all three heats of the event.
Clemson will see its action at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships resume tomorrow at 3:32 p.m. (PT) as the women’s 4x100m relay gets underway. Thursday’s schedule features entries in one relay event, three individual track events, and one individual field event for the Tigers. Veronica Fraley will be Clemson’s lone field event athlete in action tomorrow afternoon, as the native of Raleigh, N.C., contests the shot put at 5:40 p.m. (PT).
For all of the most up-to-date information regarding Clemson’s Track & Field program, be sure to reference clemsontigers.com and follow @ClemsonTrackXC on Twitter.
