Clemson Women Second, Men Third at Armory Collegiate Invitational

CLEMSON, SC – Brianna Rollins won her second event of the weekend to lead the Clemson women to a runner-up finish at the Armory Collegiate Invitational on Saturday in New York City.  The women finished just four points behind LSU (73) in their bid for a second straight team title at the Armory.  The Clemson men continued its improvement by finishing third place, trailing only national powers Texas A&M and LSU in the team standings. With a 60 hurdles meet record already in the bag, Rollins claimed a second gold medal of the weekend when she raced to a personal best time of 23.22 in the 200-meter dash Saturday afternoon.  Rollins was awarded Armory Collegiate MVP honors at the conclusion of the event.  Her time in the 200 ranks second-best in school history. The women’s team, ranked No. 1 in the latest USTFCCCA calculations, received several additional outstanding performances Saturday.  Brittney Waller improved on her school record in the weight throw and finished third overall with a mark of 69’9”.  Marlena Wesh took bronze in the 400 dash with a time of 53.36 – her season debut in her trademark event. The 4×400 relay team of Nnenya Hailey, Keni Harrison, Keisha Richburg and Marlena Wesh ran to its best time of the young indoor season after crossing the finish line in 3:38.06.  Clemson finished runner-up to Arkansas in that event.   Also among the Tiger women, Dezerea Bryant took fourth in the 200 dash with a time of 23.52, while senior Jasmine Brunson placed fifth in the triple jump with a mark of 41’0.25”. The Clemson men trailed only Texas A&M (62) and LSU (53.5) in the standings with its cumulative total of 48 points.  On Saturday, the Tiger men’s program also had several top performances. Torian Ware followed up a school record two weeks ago in the high jump with a 7’2.25” clearance Saturday and runner-up showing.  Tevin Hester, a dynamic freshman sprinter, took third place in the 200 final with a time of 21.25.  Teammate Reggie Lewis was ninth in the 200. In the 400, newcomer Brunson Miller clocked a second straight Clemson best with a time of 47.33, topping his preliminary time by .12 seconds and earning a sixth-place finish.  A final men’s athlete earning points for the team on Saturday was sophomore Shai Carpenter, sixth in the triple jump.  He hit a mark of 49’5”. The teams return to action next weekend in two meets.  Clemson will host the Tiger Paw Invitational on Feb. 8-9 at the school’s indoor track, while selected athletes will make the trek north to compete at the Virginia Tech Elite Meet in Blacksburg, VA.