Clemson Opens Outdoor Track and Field Season

March 31, 1998

CLEMSON, S.C. – The Tigers, who are the defending 1997 Outdoor ACC Champions, opened their outdoor season with the Clemson Relays at the Rock Norman Track Complex. The Tigers hosted 12 teams and unattached runners in the two day meet that was held on Friday, March 20th and Saturday, March 21st. The Clemson track and field team, who competed without their sprinters and hurdlers, came out of the meet with only one victory and that was in the 4x200m relay. The relay team ran to a first place finish with a time of 1:27.98. Freshman Sultan Tucker ran a time of 14.03 in the 110mhh to place first and teammate Tony Washington finished behind him with a time of 14.67. Another frosh Ben Hess vaulted to a mark of 15’03-50″ in the pole vault for second place. Junior Tom Hopkins threw 184’00” to place second in the javelin. Also in the field events, Greenville, SC native Tony Lloyd jumped a personal best of 23’4″ in the long jump and finished second.

Track Team Competes In Jamaica- The men’s sprinters and hurdlers ran in the Jamaican Relays over the weekend and brought back two NCAA qualifying times and three first place victories. The 4x100m relay team of Carlton Chambers, Charles Allen, Shawn Crawford, and Kenny Franklin ran an NCAA provisional mark of 39.94. The All-American Crawford also took first place in the 100m dash running a time of 10.35, which qualifies him for the NCAA Championships. Taking second and third was Allen and Chambers. Senior Greg Hines placed first in the 110m high hurdles running a time of 14.04. Hines was just .01 seconds from hurdling an NCAA qualifying time. Also competing in the event was senior Jeremichael Williams, who placed second. Williams was an All-American in the outdoor season last year in the hurdles.

Lady Tigers Run NCAA Qualfying Times- The Lady Tigers, who placed second last outdoor season at the ACC Championships, ended the weekend with six first place victories, one NCAA automatic and two provisional times. In the 100m dash senior Simone Tomlinson ran an NCAA automatic wind aided time of 11.28 to finish first. This is the fastest time in Clemson history and is a personal best for Tomlinson. She replaces All-American Treshell Mayo’s time of 11.34 that she set in 1996. Taking second and third in the event were teammates Terri Robinson and Shekera Weston. Robinson ran an NCAA qualifying time of 11.55 and Weston finished with a time of 11.72. Junior Nikkie Bouyer placed first with a time of 13.52 in the 100m high hurdles, which provisionally qualified her for the NCAA Championships. Bouyer is the Clemson record holder in the hurdles with a time of 13.34. The women also took first in four of the nine relays. In the 4x100m relay, 44.82, the 4x800m relay, 9:47.90, the 4x1500m relay, 19:16.17, and the distance medley relay, 12:26.33. In it’s first year as a Clemson event freshman Mandy McLane jumped 8’00-50″ to a first place finish in the pole vault. Freshman Jamine Moton placed first in the discus throwing 162’9″. She also becomes the Clemson record holder in the discus with her mark. She replaces Nancy Taliaferro’s old mark of 159’0″ which she threw in 1989. Hammer thrower Julie Polovick placed second when she threw 144’05”, she is the Clemson record holder in the hammer with a mark of 146’0″. Teammate Ann Marie McAuley threw a personal best, 144’03” , to finish third.

Next Meet- The Tigers and Lady Tigers will be at home on April 3rd and 4th with the Clemson Invitational.