Ahead of the 2021 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Fayetteville, Ark., we’ll highlight each of Clemson’s six entries by recapping their spectacular indoor seasons thus far!
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Fabian Hewitt has been a pillar of consistency throughout the 2021 campaign for the Clemson track and field program, having steadily contributed across various events. A top-class performance by Hewitt during the final of the 60 meters at the ACC Championships saw the senior from St. Catherine, Jamaica, capture his first ACC title and set a dazzling new personal best while punching his ticket to the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. But before competing against the conference’s finest, Hewitt began by competing on Jan. 9.
The first meet of the season saw Hewitt contest the 300m at Clemson’s Orange & Purple Elite, offering a unique test of fitness for the short-sprint specialist. Hewitt’s effort would be the lone time this season that he would contest the 300m, as he would go on to run the 60m and 200m throughout the remainder of his individual appearances
Hewitt made his season debuts in both events during the Clemson Invitational, the program’s second meet of the season. A time of 6.84 seconds in the prelims of the straight-away sprint served as his best mark on the day, while also running 21.76 later in the 200m.
In the lead-up to ACC’s, Hewitt competed well while consistently lowering his season-best marks in each event, ultimately entering the conference championships with bests on the year of 6.82 and 21.45.
When it came time to compete at ACC’s, Hewitt showed his veteran prowess in both prelims of his individual events, advancing to both finals by running 6.78 and 21.16 in the 60m and 200m, respectively. Hewitt’s time of 6.78 served as a sizable season’s best, while his result in the 200m signified an indoor personal best by eleven-hundredths of a second. Hewitt’s great performance during the preliminary rounds would soon be upstaged, however, by his excellent efforts on the final day of competition.
On Saturday, Feb. 27, the men’s 60m finals were the first event on the straightaway, and Hewitt made sure to provide thrilling action for those tuning in. Thanks to a perfectly timed start and strong mechanics, Hewitt sprinted to victory in commanding fashion, setting a new personal best of 6.65 and becoming tied as the eighth-fastest athlete in Clemson’s history of the event. Emotions of joy and celebration filled Hewitt as he made his way onto the podium to receive his medal. Hewitt’s success the previous day made it so that he had to cut the moment of celebration short to prepare for the final of the 200m properly.
Hewitt went on to cross the line in a time of 21.33 during the 200m final, contributing three valuable points to his team’s overall effort. To conclude the day, Hewitt served as the third leg on the Tigers’ 4x400m relay and helped the squad capture second-team All-ACC honors.
With just the 60m to focus on this weekend, it’ll be another opportunity for Hewitt to showcase his prowess at a national level.
