Clemson Qualifies Three for NCAA Championships on Day One of East Preliminary Round

May 26, 2011

BLOOMINGTON, IN – Three members of the No. 4 ranked Clemson women’s track & field team earned berths to the NCAA Outdoor Championships on a cold and wet Thursday, the opening day of action for the East Preliminary Round at Indiana’s Robert C. Haugh Complex. April Sinkler and Jasmine Brunson both earned spots in the long jump, while Lauren Terstappen will be headed to her first NCAA national championship meet in the pole vault.

Sinkler will be making her fifth trip to an NCAA national meet, her second outdoor qualification in the long jump. The Stafford, VA native hit a mark of 20’9.25″ during the prelims, then passed on her final two attempts as she was safely headed to Des Moines by that point. Brunson’s jump of 19’9.75″ on her opening attempt proved to be just enough to get her into the field, as she held the final transfer spot for the NCAA Championships by just a quarter of an inch.

It marked the first NCAA qualification for Brunson, a sophomore out of Southampton, Bermuda. It also marked the first time in Clemson history that two females qualified for the outdoor national meet in the long jump in the same season.

Terstappen cleared 12’7.5″ on her first try, which was enough to outlast several other competitors that also eventually went over the bar on that height. Terstappen is the second female in Clemson history to qualify for the NCAA Championships in the pole vault, joining 2003 participant Joana Costa.

Justin Murdock and Warren Fraser both moved on to Friday’s 6:15 PM quarterfinal round in the men’s 100 dash. Murdock, fresh off a personal best at the Tiger Qualifier, ran 10.34 in the qualifying round while Fraser was right behind at 10.35. Murdock had the eighth-best time on Thursday. Both will also run the 200 qualifying round on Friday as well.

Sonni Austin advanced to the quarterfinals in the women’s 400 hurdles. The sophomore out of the Atlanta area clocked a time of 58.01 and was second in her heat to national leader Ellen Wortham of Tennessee. Austin will compete Friday at 7 PM for the right to advance to Des Moines for the June 8-11 NCAA Championships.

Both of Clemson’s entries in the men’s 800 qualified for the quarterfinal round. Nathan Hendershot earned an automatic spot in the quarters by finishing third in his heat (1:51.41). Hendershot was running in front of his home crowd, as he is a native of Pendleton, IN. Slate had a time of 1:50.15 and was fourth in his heat, but he had the best at-large qualifying time Thursday. Those two will compete to get into the top 12 at 6:45 PM Friday.

Jordan Rispress ran in the men’s 400 hurdles and was a mere one spot away from qualifying for the quarterfinal round. He ran a time of 52.60, but will have another chance to go to nationals with the 4x400m relay on Saturday. La’Mont Jackson was 30th overall in the men’s 400 dash. He posted a time of 48.24 and will also run a leg with Clemson’s 4×400 meter relay to conclude the meet Saturday.

Stormy Kendrick did not finish the qualifying round of the women’s 100 dash. She pulled up very quickly with a hamstring injury just after coming out of the blocks. Kendrick’s status for the rest of the weekend is uncertain.

Kim Ruck led the first 15 laps of the women’s 10K race, but she was unable to break up the large pack sitting close behind. After that point, several runners took turns jumping up into the lead position and Ruck was quickly relegated to a 25th-place finish in a time of 34:27.61. Ruck had the top seed time in the East coming into the meet.

Alex Padgett competed in the men’s shot put Thursday but fouled on three attempts. He will have one final shot to advance to the NCAA national meet when he competes in the hammer throw at 11 AM Friday. Brittney Waller struggled in the hammer throw, but has the discus on Saturday.

The Tigers return to action Friday in Bloomington. The women’s javelin (12 PM), women’s high jump (1 PM), women’s triple jump (1 PM), and women’s shot put (1 PM) take place early Friday. The first track event will be the qualifying round of the women’s 100 hurdles at 4:30 PM.

Clemson’s NCAA Qualifiers – ThursdayLauren Terstappen – Pole VaultJasmine Brunson – Long JumpApril Sinkler – Long Jump