Notre Dame, Ind. – The Clemson Track & Field program is set to compete at the 2020 ACC Indoor Track & Field Championships, a three-day event set to run from Feb. 27-29, at the Loftus Sports Center on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. The Tigers enter the meet after a stellar regular season campaign, one which saw the program log 24 marks that landed on Clemson’s top-10 lists.
“Based on how our team and our individuals have been performing all year, our goal was to stay consistent and to build, so if everyone does their job, I think both teams are in a very good position to finish strong,” said Mark Elliott, who serves as the Director of Track & Field for Clemson. “Our kids are prepared and hopefully they go in with that attitude so they can go and get a championship.”
Competition will begin on Thursday, Jan. 27 with the women’s weight throw. The competition is set to begin at 3:30 p.m. Danielle Little will be the lone Tiger to take to the ring in the event, as Little will throw in the third position of the first flight. Track events begin with the men’s and women’s distance medley relays (DMR’s). The men will be the first on the track at 7 p.m., with the women set to follow at 7:30 p.m.
Friday is set to be the busiest day of action out of the three days, as all preliminary rounds will be held on the track, along with the finals of the men’s and women’s 5km. In the field, there will be five events competing for championship points, with the women’s high jump set to begin at noon.
Athletes partaking in the preliminary rounds of competition will have to adhere to specific qualifying protocol for each event to advance on to the finals of their respective events. For the men’s and women’s 60 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters and 60 meter hurdles, the top eight times will advance to the finals. For the 800 meter races, the top finisher in each heat, plus the next four fastest times will advance. In the mile races, the top two from each heat plus the next four best times will advance to the finals on Saturday.
Saturday will be the most rewarding day of competition, as all events being contested on the track and in the field will be scored. The day begins in the field with the men’s shot put and the men’s triple jump, with both set to begin at 11 a.m. Track events start at noon on Saturday with the finals of the men’s 60 meter hurdles.
“We’re looking for a huge return on points in areas where we have great depth, like the women’s 800 meters,” said Elliott. “Our DMR women can do well and each point counts. Everywhere and every position we can get a possible point, we’re gonna work to get it.”
Points at the championship competitions are awarded based upon the finishing position of each athlete. First place receives 10 points, second place receives eight points, third place receives six points, fourth place receives five points, fifth place receives four points, sixth place receives three points, seventh place receives two points and eighth place receives one point. If athletes tie for a finishing position, the points will be divided evenly amongst the number of competitors who are tied.
Within the ACC, Clemson’s individual and relay competitors currently occupy 28 positions on the conference’s top-10 performance list. 23 of the 28 competitors are ranked within the top-eight of the conference list. Marcus Parker and Andrea Foster are the two individuals who are the top-ranked competitors in the ACC for Clemson, leading the men’s 200 meters and women’s 800 meters, respectively.
Clemson currently has 10 athletes and one relay that rank amongst the top-30 in the NCAA. Parker and Foster are the highest-ranked individuals for their respective teams, with Parker serving as the sixth-ranked male in the country for the men’s 200 meter dash, while Foster is the 11th ranked woman in the women’s 800 meters. As a program, Clemson has four different event groups that are ranked within the top-10 of USTFCCCA’s #EventSquad rankings.
For complete coverage throughout the weekend of the Tiger Track & Field teams, follow @ClemsonTrackXC on Twitter and Instagram, and ‘Clemson University Track & Field’ on Facebook.
