Clemson Men’s Track & Field Finishes Fourth at NCAA East Regional

May 27, 2006

Greensboro, NC – Clemson freshman sprinter Roy Cheney, Itay Magidi and Adam Linkenauger both earned All-Region honors Saturday, thus advancing both to the NCAA Championships as well.

Florida State won the team title with 97 points, finishing ahead of in-state rival Florida with 64. South Carolina was third with 51 points, while Clemson finished with 42.5 points in fourth. In fifth place Saturday were two teams tied with 33 points, North Carolina and Virginia Tech.

“It was a good showing by all our guys this weekend,” said Bob Pollock, 18th year head coach at Clemson. “It’s nice to know that young people can come together like these guys did and put together some great performances.”

Padgett used an incredible jump out of the blocks to run away from the field en route to breaking the school record in the 100m with a time of 10 seconds flat. It also was an NCAA East Region record, which he shared with Walter Dix of Florida State at 10.06. Padgett’s time topped Michael Green’s wind-aided time of 10.01, which was set in 1993. His closest competitor on Saturday was Dix at 10.16. Padgett became the second Tiger ever to win the 100m at the East Regional, as Airese Currie did so in 2003.

“Travis has gotten better with every outing,” Pollock said. “He’s undefeated this season, but he does it with such class. His tremendous character is a credit to him.”

The Tigers’ 4x100m relay team was the eighth and final squad to qualify for Saturday’s final, yet finished runner-up with a season-best time of 39.76. Thanks in large part to its flawless handoffs, Clemson was able to put together its best run of the season and will advance to the NCAA Championships for the 13th time under head coach Bob Pollock and 14th time in school history. The last time Clemson qualified for the 4x100m relay was in 2004.

In the 3000m steeplechase, Magidi was runner-up with a season-best time of 8:48.37. His All-Region performance was the third of his career, as he achieved the honors in both 2003 and 2005. He is headed to the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the third time in his career.

Jason Bell, a junior from Warner Robins, GA, set the school’s outdoor triple jump record on Saturday. Bell’s new mark in the triple jump was a leap of 51’10”, which broke the previous record by Larry Armstead (51’9″) that stood since the 1992 season. He was in fourth after the initial round of jumps, but finished in sixth place as he did not improve on his mark. He will await a potential at-large bid to the NCAA Championships.

Linkenauger finished in a tie for fourth place in the high jump. The junior from Fincastle, VA cleared 6’11” in just his second competition of the season due to an injury-plagued outdoor season. It marked the second All-Region honor for Linkenauger, as he also hit 6’11” and finished in the top five at the 2004 meet.

The NCAA Championships will take place June 7-10 in Sacramento, CA on the campus of Sacramento State. Ryan Koontz has qualified in the decathlon, while Mitch Greeley also will await a potential at-large bid in the pole vault.

East Region ChampionTravis Padgett – 100m

Clemson’s All-Region Performers Itay Magidi – 3000m Steeplechase Adam Linkenauger – High Jump