April Sinkler Named ACC Most Valuable Women’s Field Event Athlete

March 6, 2009

Clemson, SC – Sophomore track & field sensation April Sinkler was named the ACC’s Most Valuable Women’s Field Event Athlete on Friday, as determined by a vote of the league’s head coaches. Sinkler won two events and set personal bests in three last weekend in leading Clemson to a third-place finish in the women’s team standings.

Sinkler, a native of Stafford, VA, had a breakout performance last weekend on the Virginia Tech campus. She won the high jump and long jump competitions, setting indoor school records in both events. Sinkler cleared 5’11.5″ in the high jump, a solid NCAA provisional qualifying mark. She became the first women’s track & field athlete from Clemson to win the high jump at the ACC Championships.

She then won the long jump with a mark of 21’4.25″, which earned her an automatic invitation to next week’s NCAA Indoor Championships. In fact, her long jump mark is ranked #4 nationally in the NCAA this season.

Sinkler just missed earning a third all-conference honor after she placed fourth in the triple jump. However, she set a personal best in that event as well after a mark of 42’8.75″. Her distance is third-best in school history, behind only former NCAA champion Gisele Oliveira and current teammate Patricia Mamona.