Clemson Men’s Cross Country To Open Season At Appalachian State

Aug. 29, 2002

The Clemson men’s cross country team will open its 2002 campaign at the Appalachian State Invitational on Friday, Aug. 30 in Boone, NC. The 2002 Clemson men’s cross country team returns senior All-ACC honoree Jason Meany and junior all-region runner Scott Shaw, who will lead a cast of five returning harriers. Meany and Shaw will lend their leadership and experience to a team that will depend on a very young supporting cast of one junior, four sophomores and two freshmen.

David Adams, Ryan Fenton, Matt Pimentel, David Smith and Derrick Wyatt each have a year of intercollegiate competition under their belt, and will continue to improve as they gain valuable collegiate running experience.

Freshman Clay Pendleton will have an opportunity to contribute as early as the Tigers’ first meet on Friday, Aug. 30 at the Appalachian State Invitational in Boone, NC. Fellow freshman Greg Isaacs will see action during the season as he progresses through training. The Tigers will compete at the Georgia Invitational on Sept. 14 in Athens, then travel to the Great American Cross Country Classic on Sept. 27 in Charlotte, NC.

“The Great American race will be the first time we have an opportunity to put everything together,” said head coach Bob Pollock. “We will have an opportunity to see the other ACC teams, as well as some of the nationally ranked teams. It will be a chance to get an idea of where we are in comparison to those teams.”

On Oct. 5, Clemson will play host to the Clemson Invitational and SC State Collegiate meet. The Tigers have won the last two state meets. The next weekend, Clemson will travel to the Auburn Invitational where the Tigers will face opponents from outside their region in a fast race on a flat course. The Tigers will wrap up their regular season with the ACC Championships on Nov. 2 in Atlanta, GA. Last season, Clemson finished seventh at the conference meet, but followed that performance with a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Regionals held in Greenville, SC. This season, the Tigers will travel to Greenville, NC, to compete at the Southeast Regionals. The 2002 NCAA Cross Country Championships will be held in Terre Haute, IN, Nov. 25.

“We have a young team with solid leadership in Shaw and Meany,” said Pollock. “The outcome of the season will depend on the leadership of our experienced runners and how the younger runners adapt to the collegiate races. I am looking forward to a competitive season.”

In 2001 at the Appalachian State Invitational…Clemson finished fourth overall. The Tigers were led by Scott Shaw, who finished fourth individually. Matt Pimentel and Ryan Fenton also finished in the top 20, placing 15th and 19th, respectively.