Fountain Surprises With Triple Jump Win at Seminole Twilight Invitational

CLEMSON, S.C. – With just one week of practice under her belt in a new event, Whitney Fountain posted a top-10 mark in the East Region and in Clemson track & field history in the triple jump to highlight action Friday at the Seminole Twilight Invitational in Tallahassee, Fla. Fountain’s victory led a sweep of the top four positions in the event Friday afternoon.

A sprinter and long jumper by trade, Fountain’s first action in the triple jump was nothing short of sensational. She produced a best of 42-9 on her sixth and final jump, posting the No. 7 mark in school history. Mimi Land was on her heels in second, one inch shy of matching Fountain. Iana Amsterdam was third with a leap of 41-7, while Anasterasia Terrell took fourth in 41-3.75.

In the men’s horizontals, Shai Carpenter won the triple jump with a solid effort of 50-2.5. Jameel Abdul-Mateen snuck into the top 48 of the East with a long jump of 23-11.5 on Friday, and he did it with a consistent series.

Michael Smith was runner-up in the men’s 400 hurdles with a personal best 52.25, all but solidifying his spot in the NCAA East Preliminary Round later this month. Another runner-up finish was recorded by Marlena Wesh, who had a season-best 52.44 in the women’s 400 dash. Olivia James recorded a third-place effort with a season-best 53.02 – a top-10 time in school history.

Other noteworthy top-five finishes from Friday’s Seminole Twilight Invitational were posted by Reggie Lewis in the 100 (10.42), Daniel Dey in the 800 (1:52.53), Aaron Gambrell in the 1500 (3:58.03), Torian Ware in the high jump (6-10.75), James Plummer (165-7) in the discus, and Jordan Pickerel (163-10) in the hammer throw.

At the Virginia Challenge in Charlottesville, Lindsey Bellaran took fourth in the women’s 800 with a personal best 2:08.36 – the fourth-best time in school history.

Saturday Action* Marcus Brown, who graduated Friday in the 6:30 commencement ceremony, finished fifth at the Georgia Invitational on Saturday in the men’s shot put (17.23m).* Roland Hakes was Clemson’s top performer at the Virginia Challenge, finishing 16th out of 27 in the men’s 5000 invitational.