Richards Advances To Finals Of 100m Dash; Magidi Sets Israeli Record In The Steeplechase

June 8, 2005

SACRAMENTO, CA – Two Clemson men’s track and field standouts qualified for the finals of their respective events on Wednesday night at Hornet Stadium in the A.G. Spanos Sports Complex on the campus of Sacramento State University. Ronald Richards will compete in the finals of the 100m dash on Friday, while Itay Magidi is set to represent the Tigers in the finals of the 3000m steeplechase also slated for Friday. In action on Thursday, Scott Kautz will compete in the preliminaries of the 400m hurdles, while Richards looks to earn a berth in the finals of the 200m dash as he takes to the track in the event preliminaries and semi-finals.

Late Wednesday evening, Richards turned in a time of 10.41 in the 100m dash semifinals to secure a spot in Friday’s finals. The senior from Alexandria, VA, posted a time of 10.42 in the preliminaries, then improved upon that time to record the fifth-fastest time in the semi-finals. Should Richards finish among the top eight, he will become the 12th Tiger to earn All-America honors in the 100m dash, and the first since Dwight Thomas was the NCAA runner-up in 2002. This is the first appearance for Richards in the finals of an individual event at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. On Thursday, he will compete in the preliminaries and semi-finals of the 200m dash, slated for 8:50 PM ET and 10:05 ET, respectively.

In the 3000m steeplechase preliminaries held on Wednesday night, Magidi crossed the finish line in an Israeli and personal-record time of 8:35.05. The sophomore from Yavne, Israel, registered the eighth-fastest time of the preliminaries and is set to earn his second All-America honor in the event. If he finishes among the top eight in the event, he will become the first Tiger to earn multiple All-America accolades in the steeplechase. Magidi currently ranks second on Clemson’s all-time list with that time. The Tigers’ all-time leader is Julius Ogaro, who set the Clemson standard of 8:32.75 in 1981 at the NCAA Championships.

Also in action on Wednesday, George Kitchens, a senior from Hephzibah, GA, concluded his Clemson career in the qualifying round of the long jump. He posted a mark of 24’1.5″ but will not advance to the finals. Kitchens is the most decorated long jumper in Clemson men’s track and field history, as he was the first Tiger to advance to the NCAA Indoor Championships in the event. Over the last four years, he has captured three All-America honors, including two outdoor accolades. Kitchens is also Clemson’s all-time leader in the long jump both indoor and outdoor.

Kautz, a junior from Charleston, WV, will begin competition in the 400m hurdles on Thursday at 8:50 PM. He is the first Tiger to advance to the NCAA Championships in the intermediate hurdles since 2000, and this is his first appearance at the outdoor national meet. Kautz owns a season-best time of 50.82.