Five Clemson Student-Athletes Named Strength and Conditioning All-Americans

April 30, 2008

Clemson, SC — Five Clemson Student-Athletes were named Strength and Conditioning All-Americans by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). Second team All-ACC Quarterback Cullen Harper, second team All-ACC Volleyball player Meghan Steiner, baseball catcher Doug Hogan, and school-record holding swimmers Rachel Regone and Matt Balderston comprised the Clemson contingent. The NSCA, which is in hits 29th year, honored 239 collegiate athletes in various sports from 165 schools.

Harper, a red-shirt junior quarterback, will again be at the helm of the Tiger offense in 2008. The student-athlete who will graduate on May 9, set numerous records during the 2007 season, including most touchdown passes in a season, with 25. He also led Tigers to a 9-4 season and a final top-25 ranking. Harper is second Clemson quarterback to win the award, with the other being Woody Dantzler in 2001. He will play the 2008 season as a graduate student.

Hogan, a catcher from Columbia, SC, is in his final season with the Tiger baseball team. Hogan has started at catcher for each of the past two seasons. Hogan is currently second in the team with 10 homeruns and leads the squad with 43 RBI.

Senior Meghan Steiner was a key part of the 2007 ACC Champion volleyball team that posted a 29-4 overall mark and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament. She was named to the All-ACC second team for her efforts during the season, joining five other Tigers who were honored by the ACC.

Junior Rachel Regone was the ACC silver medalist in the 50 free this season. She currently holds the school record in the 50 free and is second in the 100 free. She also led off the 2008 ACC Champion 200 free relay, which set and ACC record during the meet. Regone was also named an Academic All-American and currently boasts a 4.00 GPA in Health Science.

Senior Matt Balderston, a Phi Beta Kappa member and NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient, set several personal bests in the 2007-08 season. A former walk-on, Balderston made his way to sixth on Clemson’s all-time 50 free list and led off the Tigers’ school-record 200 free relay during the 2007-08 season. The team finished with 12 dual meet wins, second in history.