Clemson Men’s Track And Field Team Finishes Competition At East Region Championships

May 28, 2005

RANDALLS ISLAND, NY – The Clemson men’s track and field team finished fifth in this year’s 2005 NCAA East Region Championships team race. The Tigers tallied 35 points, to earn their third consecutive top-five team finish. In the inaugural region meet in 2003 as well as in 2004, Clemson brought home fourth-place finishes.

The Tigers were led by Jason Bell, Scott Kautz, George Kitchens, Itay Magidi, Ronald Richards and Clemson’s 4x100m relay team, who all scored to add to the Tigers’ final point tally. In Saturday’s finals, four Tigers posted top-five finishes, which assured each of them of a berth at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships to be held in Sacramento, CA, on June 8-11. That list of NCAA automatic qualifiers includes Jason Bell (triple jump), Scott Kautz (400m hurdles), George Kitchens (long jump) and Itay Magidi (3000m steeplechase).

Danny Alge opened day two of competition for the Tigers in the hammer throw. The sophomore from Summerville, SC placed 13th in the event with his mark of 178’8″ recorded on his first attempt of the day. Alge concludes his sophomore campaign with the third-best mark in Clemson history in the hammer throw, a toss of 191’6″ posted at the Orange & Purple Classic.

In the Tigers’ second event of the day and his first appearance at the NCAA East Region Championships, Mitch Greeley barely grazed the bar set at 16’1.25″ to conclude his competition at the meet.

In the first running event on the track, the Tigers’ 4x100m relay team of George Kitchens turned in a time of 40.36 to place sixth in the finals. Clemson’s top 4x100m relay time of the season (40.16) was recorded at the ACC Championships, in which Cheney, Richards, Robert Ibeh and Kitchens placed second.

Richards turned around to compete in his second event of the day, the 100m dash finals. The senior from Alexandria, VA, placed sixth in that final with a time of 10.48. Only five-hundredths of one second separated the third through eighth place finishers in this year’s 100m dash final. Richards owns a season-best time of 10.24 and will await news of an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships in the 100m dash.

In the finals of the 400m hurdles, junior Scott Kautz secured a berth at the NCAA Championships with his fifth-place finish. The native of Charleston, WV, will make his first appearance at the national meet as an individual. Kautz crossed the finish line in a career-best time of 50.71. He will become only the sixth Tiger to compete in the 400m hurdles at the national meet since 1990.

Richards, seeded third in the 200m entering the East Region Championships, turned in his second sixth-place finish of the day with a time of 20.86 in the finals of that event. His season and career-best time of 20.64 set earlier this season may give him an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships in Sacramento, CA.

Jason Bell advanced to the finals of the triple jump in his second appearance at the East Region meet. The sophomore from Warner Robbins, GA, recorded his best mark of the day, also a career-best effort of 51’6.25″, on his final jump in the preliminaries after fouling on his first two attempts. Bell is the first Tiger triple jumper to advance to compete at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Following a delay that lasted approximately one and one-half hours, the meet resumed with the next-to-last men’s running event. In the 3000m steeplechase, Itay Magidi earned his second trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championships with a career-best time of 8:35.96 and a second finish in the event. The sophomore from Yavne, Israel, took the lead with two and one half laps to go and held it until the final 200m. Magidi was the 2003 East Region champion in the steeplechase and went on to earn All-America honors in the event that year. In 2004, Magidi did not compete during the outdoor season due to injury.

The men’s 4x400m relay event concluded competition at the 2005 NCAA East Region Championships. Clemson’s 1600m relay team comprised of Ronald Richards, Roy Cheney, Michael Bolling and Rashad Gardner turned in a time of 3:10.83.

Clemson’s NCAA Qualifiers Scott Kautz (400m hurdles) Itay Magidi (3000m steeplechase) George Kitchens (long jump) Jason Bell (triple jump)

Complete Clemson Results 100m – Ronald Richards (6) – 10.48 200m – Ronald Richards (6) – 20.86 400m hurdles – Scott Kautz (5) – 50.71 3000m steeplechase – Itay Magidi (2) – 8:35.96 4x100m relay – George Kitchens (6) – 40.36 4x400m relay – Ronald Richards, Roy Cheney, Michael Bolling, Rashad Gardner – 3:10.83 Triple jump – Jason Bell (2) – 51’6.25″/15.71m Pole vault – Mitch Greeley – NH Hammer – Danny Alge (13) – 178’8″/54.47m