Hester, Lewis Punch Tickets to NCAA Outdoor Championships

CLEMSON, S.C. – Tevin Hester and Reggie Lewis qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 100-meter dash for a second consecutive season to highlight day two of action for the Tigers at the East Preliminary Round in Jacksonville, Fla. Both sprinters are bound for Eugene, Ore., on June 11-14 to compete for a national title. They join Whitney Fountain (long jump) as national championship qualifiers with one day of competition remaining.

Lewis automatically qualified by virtue of his third-place finish in his quarterfinal. The 2013 first-team All-American posted a time of 10.25 on Friday, with a slight wind at his back. Hester posted a wind-aided 10.28, but was the fastest of the non-automatic qualifiers. He is now 4-4 in qualifying for national indoor and outdoor championship meets through two collegiate seasons.

Marlena Wesh was 13th in the women’s 400 dash, the first athlete to miss qualifying for the NCAA Outdoor Championships. She posted a time of 53.15 in Friday’s quarterfinal. Shai Carpenter suffered a similar fate, finishing 17th in the men’s triple jump. He was one spot shy of qualifying for the final, where he would have earned three additional attempts. Carpenter’s best effort was his initial leap of 50-5.25.

NCAA East action concludes Saturday. The Tigers’ first action is the men’s discus at noon. Three additional events are scheduled for Clemson, the men’s high jump, women’s triple jump and women’s 4×400 relay.