Men’s Track And Field Set For NCAA Outdoor Championships

May 29, 2001

Eugene, OR – Six Tigers qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships to be held in Eugene, OR, May 30-June 2.

Todd Matthews and Sultan Tucker are qualified in the 110m high hurdles. Matthews qualified for the NCAA Championships with an automatic qualifying time of 13.65 set at the Clemson Invitational on April 7 and is seeded 10th. Tucker also automatically qualified for the Championships with a time of 13.69 set at the Orange and Purple Classic on May 13 and is seeded 15th. Clemson’s last 110m hurdle champion was Duane Ross in 1995.

Ato Modibo holds the second-best time in the nation with a mark of 44.87 in the 400m dash. He posted the automatic time at the Atlantic Coast Conference Championships on April 21. Modibo won the NCAA 400m Indoor Championship with a time of 46.11 in 1999. Should Modibo win the event, he would be Clemson’s first outdoor 400m champion.

Jacey Harper qualified in the 100m and 200m dashes. His provisional time of 10.25 in the 100m dash, as well as his time of 20.71 in the 200m, were set at the ACC Championships. He is seeded 21st in the 100m and 20th in the 200m dash.

Malcolm Reynolds’ mark of 7’2 1/2″ or 2.19m in the high jump qualified him for the NCAA Championships. He set the mark at the Florida Relays on March 31 and is seeded 20th.

Andy Giesler is currently ranked sixth in the nation in the decathlon. Giesler won the ACC Championships and set a school- and personal-best record with his automatic qualifying mark of 7,619 points.

Clemson Wins ACC Outdoor Championships

The Tigers claimed their 10th overall and second consecutive ACC outdoor title in 2001. Clemson tallied 189 total points to defeat Florida State, who was the runnerup with 183 points.

Nine Tigers received All-ACC accolades this year. Andy Giesler, Larry Griffin, Jacey Harper, Todd Matthews, Kai Maull, Jason Meany, Ato Modibo, Otto Spain and Sultan Tucker were all-conference honorees after finishing in the top three in their respective events.

Clemson won its first outdoor title in 1980 under Sam Colson. The Tigers claimed their second championship in 1982 with 144 points, but shared that title with NC State. Clemson did not win another Championship until 1989, when it scored 148 points to edge NC State who finished with 146 points. In 1990 and 1991, the Tigers claimed their second and third consecutive titles. Clemson lost the 1992 Championships by half a point but rebounded to claim the 1993 title. The Tigers won the ACCs in 1997 with a school and conference-best 216 points. Clemson also won the Championships in 1998, 2000 and 2001.

Tigers At The 2000 Meet

Clemson finished 10th at the 2000 NCAA Outdoor meet with 24 points. Shawn Crawford won the 200m dash in 20.09, becoming the Tigers’ most decorated track and field athlete ever. Crawford also finished fourth in the 100m dash with a time of 10.26, earning All-American honors in that event as well.

Todd Matthews finished third in the 110m hurdles with a time of 13.57. Matthews earned All-American honors for his performance. Fred Sharpe placed seventh in the 400m hurdles with a time of 51.06. Andy Giesler also competed for the Tigers, finishing 12th in the decathlon with 7, 219 points.

Tigers In The Record Books

Five Tigers have either moved up in or entered Clemson’s all-time best list this season. Ato Modibo, Andy Giesler, Malcolm Reynolds, David Schenek and Brett Varner all rank among the Tigers’ all-time leaders. Modibo’s time of 44.87 in the 400m dash at the ACC Outdoor Championships moved him into the top spot on Clemson’s all-time best list. His time is 35/100 of a second faster than the second place time on the list.

Andy Giesler also set a school record at the ACC Championships, recording 7,619 points in the decathlon. Geisler set the record by four points, breaking Eric Lander’s record of 7,615 points set in 1996.

Malcolm Reynolds moved into fourth on the all-time best list in the high jump as he cleared 7’2 1/2″ (2.20m) at the Florida Relays. Brett Varner and David Schenek both moved into the top five in the hammer throw. Varner ranks third all-time with a mark of 178’11” (54.54m) set at the Clemson Relays, while Schenek is fourth with his mark of 174’11” (53.32) set at the Clemson Invitational.

Clemson In The Rankings

The Tigers have fallen in and out of the Trackwire rankings this season. They were unranked to begin the season, despite finishing 10th last year. Clemson was tied for 19th in the most recent (May 15) poll. The Tigers share that spot with the Texas Longhorns.

Pollock Named Southeast Region Indoor Coach Of The Year

Clemson men’s track and field coach Bob Pollock was named the Southeast Region Men’s Indoor Coach of the Year.

Pollock, in his 13th season at the helm of the Clemson program, earned his fifth-straight Southeast Region and ACC Coach of the Year awards after the Tigers won their fifth consecutive ACC Indoor Championship with a school-record 181 points. Pollock has won 10 ACC Indoor titles during his tenure at Clemson, and this season coached the league’s Most Valuable Performer and Rookie of the Year. He has received 12 Region Coach of the Year honors in the last 13 years.

Clemson Under Pollock

Under head coach Bob Pollock, the Tigers have won 10 of their 11 ACC Indoor Championships and have claimed 57 individual or relay conference championships. Pollock has received nine Coach of the Year honors, including this year’s, more than any other ACC coach since 1987.

In his first season with the Tigers, Pollock’s team claimed the 1989 ACC indoor title. Clemson won four more consecutive titles from 1990-1993 until Florida State ended the streak in 1994. The Tiger track and field team has won the last five ACC Indoor Championships (1997-2001).

Pollock has coached 60 indoor All-Americans. The Tigers have finished in the top ten in the nation six times in the last 13 years.

The Tigers have won eight of their 10 ACC Outdoor Championships and have claimed 76 individual or relay conference championships under Pollock. He has received eight outdoor Coach of the Year honors, more than any other ACC coach since 1987.

In his first season with the Tigers, Pollock’s team claimed the 1989 ACC outdoor title. Clemson won two more consecutive titles (1990, 1991) before losing the 1992 Championship to North Carolina. The Tiger track and field team rebounded to win the 1993 title over North Carolina. Clemson finished third in 1994-1996 before the team claimed the 1997 and 1998 Championships. Last year, Clemson won its ninth title in Durham, NC, with 179.33 points.

Pollock has coached 81 outdoor All Americans and the Tigers have finished in the top 20 in the nation every year since 1990.