Berg, Tromp Lead Tiger Track & Field at Yellow Jacket Invitational

March 27, 2010

ATLANTA – Xavier Tromp and Zach Berg picked up event victories and Clemson records over the weekend as the Tiger track & field teams took part in the 2010 Yellow Jacket Invitational at Georgia Tech’s Griffin Track Complex. A few student-athletes did not make their outdoor season debuts Saturday, as anticipated. Most are expected to compete next weekend when the two teams travel to Gainesville, FL for the Pepsi Florida Relays.

One student-athlete that did compete for the first time since the ACC Indoor Championships was Tromp, who eclipsed former Clemson All-American Mitch Greeley’s school record in the pole vault. He cleared 17’11” on his first attempt, a mark which will surely stand as one of the nation’s best throughout outdoor season.

Berg won the men’s hammer throw competition, which was held Friday evening. He did so by recording just one official mark. However, he hit on a throw of 204’1″ to match the Clemson record set by Matt Helinski in 1997. Also in the throws, senior Linda Buchholz competed in the javelin for the first time this season and did not disappoint. She won the event with a throw of 147’6″, holding off teammate Bethanie Wachna (141’5″).

Clemson focused its short sprinting on the 200m dash Saturday. The result was runner-up performances in both the men’s and women’s races. In the men’s race, sophomore Justin Murdock had a time of 21.42, while freshman Warren Fraser was fourth at 21.59. In the women’s competition, Stormy Kendrick ran a time of 23.63 – tied for ninth-best in Clemson women’s history – to place second, while senior Kristine Scott (23.78) was fourth.

Michaylin Golladay was impressive in the 100m hurdles, finishing runner-up to recently crowned NCAA Indoor high hurdles champion Queen Harrison of Virginia Tech. Golladay posted a time of 13.66, good enough for the No. 4 position in Clemson’s outdoor record books. Patricia Mamona (13.96) was fourth. In the men’s 110 hurdles, freshman Marcus Maxey (14.57) was third.

Jordan Rispress was best among three Clemson entries in the 400 hurdles with a time of 55.17. In the open 400, Brittany Pringley was fifth in the women’s race (56.22).

The men’s 800m run was a strong area on Saturday for the Tiger program. Will Noble, a senior from Gray Court, SC, finished second after producing a time of 1:53.76. Jasen Turnbull was fourth at 1:54.22. In the longer distance events, Blake Kennedy was runner-up in the men’s steeplechase (9:33.73) while Stephanie Buffo did the same in the women’s 5K (17:38.63).

The men’s 4x100m relay team took first place (41.16) on Saturday afternoon. It was a completely different unit than the one that took third place at the 2009 NCAA Outdoor Championships. Only Murdock returned from that All-America relay team. He was joined by first-year freshmen La’Mont Jackson and Fraser, and junior transfer Charlton Rolle from Tennessee.

The women’s 4×1 also featured several new faces, including freshmen Jasmine Edgerson and Kendrick. Coupled with Golladay and Scott, the team put together a time of 46.04 and a fourth-place finish overall.

Clemson took first place in both the men’s and women’s mile relay. The women were up first, and the team of Austin, Golladay, Pringley and Edgerson combined to record a time of 3:41.68 in their first outdoor relay of the 2010 season. In the men’s race, the group of Murdock, Miller Moss, Fraser and Rispress took first with a time of 3:13.06.

In other field action Saturday, multi-event star Liane Weber finished runner-up in the women’s long jump. She had a top mark of 19’4.75″ into a slight headwind, while teammate Jasmine Brunson was third at 19’3.25″. Josh Fowler competed in both horizontal jumps for the men’s team, placing third in the long jump (23’8″) and sixth in the triple.

In the women’s pole vault, senior Kat Majester, now a postgraduate competitor at the University of Georgia.