Mamona Qualifies for NCAAs, Leads Clemson at East Region Championships

May 26, 2007

Gainesville, FL – Patricia Mamona of Clemson’s women’s track & field team earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships next month after finishing in the top five of the triple jump Saturday at the East Region Championships. It will mark the first-ever NCAA national competition for the freshman from Lisbon, Portugal.

Clemson finished 21st in the team standings. Virginia Tech won the event with a total of 85 points. South Carolina (57) and Florida (49) rounded out the top three in the team race.

Mamona advanced to the finals of the triple jump and was in sixth position heading into her final jump of the evening. She came through in the clutch by posting a season-best mark of 43’2.5″ on that final attempt, which propelled her to a third-place showing. She will be the first Lady Tiger to compete at NCAAs since Gisele Oliveira in 2005. Mamona is the fourth triple jumper in Clemson history to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Nakeisha Wineglass also participated in the triple jump Saturday. The freshman from Alexandria, VA was 22nd overall with a jump of 39’10.5″. Her mark came via her second attempt.

Kennedy cleared a personal best 12’6″ in the pole vault Saturday. The freshman from Orlando, FL finished in sixth place. She came up one spot short of an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships. She showed tremendous toughness by clearing the opening height on her final attempt. She then cleared 12’6″ on the first attempt, giving her the tiebreaker over three competitors who failed to reach that height in only one vault. Kennedy ranks fourth in school history in the event.

Della Clark and Rochelle Kokayko competed in the hammer throw, but did not advance from the preliminary round. Clark was guilty of a foot fault on her final throw, which was far enough to advance her to the final round. She was credited with a mark of 158’2″ on her first attempt. She finished 20th overall, while Kokayko (158’4″) finished one spot ahead in 19th.

The NCAA Championships will be held in Sacramento, CA from June 6-9.