Morris Impresses in Clemson Debut

CLEMSON, S.C. — Freshman runner Logan Morris placed fifth in her Clemson debut to lead all Tigers on Friday in the season-starting Eye Opener Invitational. She led the Tiger women to a runner-up team finish, despite the absence of senior Grace Barnett from the lineup. The Clemson men, who opened without top performer James Quattlebaum, also finished second as a team. Furman won the team competitions for both genders.

“We looked good and strong across the board,” said cross country coach Michael Porter. “The kids had part of a workout before the competition and then ran in controlled groups for 75 percent of the race. We got what we wanted out of the day.”

Morris put together a time of 18:02.43 and was two positions ahead of another freshman, Jenna Gearing, in the final order. Gearing crossed the 5K finish line in seventh at 18:37.85, a little over five seconds ahead of veteran Katie Fortner in ninth place. Evie Tate (11th) and Alexa Womack (12th) rounded out Clemson’s scoring group.

The men’s team was led by Micah Williams and Justin Lippert, who finished eighth and ninth respectively. Williams put together an opening 8K time of 26:13.58, while Lippert ran a time of 26:25.20. The final three scorers for the Tiger men were Clayton Wilson (11th), Andrew Emery (13th) and Danny Shaughnessy (17th).

Clemson returns to action on Saturday, September 10 at the Furman Classic in Greenville, S.C.