Photos by Carly Gough and Kim Montuoro, Clemson Athletic Communications
Results
CLEMSON, S.C. – Freshman Kenya Livingston registered Clemson’s best high jump mark for the first time in five years Saturday afternoon at the Tiger Paw Invite, which was held at the Clemson Indoor Track & Field Complex. Livingston cleared a height of 1.79m (5-10.5) to move from tied at No. 7 to No. 3 all-time in Clemson history. The last Tiger to clear the bar at 1.79 meters was Mimi Land (1.84m) in 2014. Livingston’s mark is good for No. 16 in the NCAA entering this weekend’s meet.
“She’s hitting her peak at the right time, and I’m couldn’t be happier for her,” said Clemson head coach Mark Elliott. “We haven’t had anyone in the high jump since Mimi [Land], so this is huge for us to have the potential to score big in that area. She’s only a freshman and she’s only going to get better from here on out. Coach Bostwick did a great job recruiting her out of high school and we’re happy to have her.”
Clemson flexed its depth in both the men’s and women’s 800m races.
Junior Malik Epps (1:49.75) stood out among the group after running his first career sub-1:50.00 effort. Epps, who ranks second on the team, was the top Tiger in today’s event. Epps placed fifth among a field of 41 competitors.
The women, which opened things on the track Saturday, saw junior Andrea Foster post the Tigers’ fastest time of 2:08.93, just one second shy of her PR. Foster placed in fifth overall. Additionally, sophomore Logan Morris, a standout distance runner who is beginning to show her strength in middle distance events this season, ran 2:10.97 to place 11th overall. Morris was also just one second shy of her PR in the event.
The meet came to a close as both Clemson 4x400m relay teams clocked season bests. On the women’s side, Kendra Clarke, Ebony Williams, Lakeisha Warner and Kamryn McIntosh completed the eight-lap race in 3:37.37, nearly five seconds faster than the Tigers’ previous season best of 3:42.15. Williams led, whose primary event is the high hurdles, led the Tiger women with a split of 53.91 seconds. In the men’s race, which was highlighted by Houston setting a world record – pending ratification – as the last Cougar crossed the finish line at 3:01.51, which was also a Clemson Indoor Track & Field Complex facility record. For the Tigers, Deonte Tolbert registered the fastest 400m split – 46.66 seconds – in the opening leg for Clemson. Tolbert was joined by newcomers Fabian Hewitt and Marcus Parker, while Epps anchored.
“I can say that collectively that as a team, these are the best across-the-board performances we’ve had all year. That’s good for us as we head into the conference meet with our team getting better each day. We also have two more weeks to prepare. Of course, some more people have to step up to make an impact at the conference level. But again, I’m really excited from what I saw both sides. Our depth is starting to show”.
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Photos by Kim Montuoro, Clemson Athletic Communications
