Ruck Captures 10K Crown on Day One at ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships

April 21, 2011

DURHAM, NC – Clemson junior Kim Ruck won the women’s 10,000 meter run at Wallace Wade Stadium on Thursday, the first day of the 2011 ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Liane Weber was also runner-up in the women’s javelin, giving the Tigers a strong start to defense of their ACC outdoor team championship from a year ago.

Ruck led wire-to-wire in the 10K after jumping out to a fast start. She finished with a time of 33:47.85. She is the first Clemson female to win the 10K at the ACC Championships since Helen Rogers claimed the trophy in 1989. For Ruck, it was her second career individual ACC championship. She won the indoor 5K at the 2010 meet in Blacksburg, VA.

“I went out faster than I had planned because I wanted to try and hit 34 minutes,” Ruck said. “I was hitting my splits. Up front was definitely a good position to be in. About halfway through, I started lapping people, and that made a huge difference as it helped me stay focused.

“It feels great to know that my hard work is paying off. Our coaches are incredible, my teammates help push me to get better every day. Our entire team is getting better, so it’s good to see that accountability pay off. We’re only going to get better, and that is encouraging. I’m excited to see our distance events tomorrow; I think we will continue to do really well.”

Weber was strong in the women’s javelin, despite competing in four events of the heptathlon earlier in the day. The Wangen, Germany native put together her best performance ever in the event, placing second with a throw of 153’7″. It marked the fifth straight season the Clemson women’s program has had an all-conference javelin thrower. Karine Farias was eighth in the javelin, scoring a point for the Tigers.

Miller Moss and Patricia Mamona lead the decathlon and heptathlon for the Tigers, respectively. Moss totaled 4,123 points on day one, 58 ahead of Duke’s Curtis Beach. Mamona leads a group of 14 in the heptathlon with 3,335 points. An 11-time All-ACC performer, Mamona is seeking her elusive first individual ACC championship.

Moss led all competitors in the decathlon by opening with a 10.86 in the 100m dash. He followed with a long jump of 22’8.5″, third-best among the field. He had a quality mark in the shot put, a throw of 45’3.75″. After a high jump of 6’6.75″, Moss finished strong with the second-best time of the day in the 400m dash, 47.85.

In the heptathlon, Mamona came out with a season-best time of 13.60 in the 100m hurdles. Weber was second (14.14) in the field, followed by Briana Johnson (14.19), who was competing in her first-ever collegiate heptathlon. Mamona was tops among Clemson’s group in the high jump as well, clearing 5’6.5″. Weber responded in the shot put by putting together a personal best (40’7.75″), first among the competitors. Mamona closed the afternoon strong with the top time (25.00) in the 200m dash.

Weber, in her first full attempt at a heptathlon since winning the ACC championship a year ago, is second after day one with 3,236 points, less than 100 off the pace set by classmate Mamona. Farias is eighth overall with 2,848.

Brittney Waller scored in the women’s discus with a seventh-place finish. The Greenville, SC native posted a personal best, a throw of 154’9″ on her second attempt. She is fifth in school history with the mark. Cory Thalheimer was the best men’s performer on Thursday, finishing 10th with a mark of 151’6″.

The teams return to action Friday. The first event will be the completion of the heptathlon, which starts with the long jump at 10:00 AM. The decathlon will continue at 11 AM in the 110m hurdles. The women’s shot put is set for 1:00, while the running preliminaries begin at 4:20 PM for the Tigers. Fans can follow the action on TheACC.com via webcast or through live stats and FlashResults.com.