Thirteen Tigers To Represent Clemson Men’s Track And Field At NCAA Championships

June 3, 2003

CLEMSON, SC – Thirteen members of the Clemson men’s track and field team have been accepted into the 2003 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Michael Bolling, Roy Cheney, Airese Currie, Warren Eure, Tye Hill, George Kitchens, Itay Magidi, Ronald Richards and Otto Spain will compete for the Tigers at this year’s meet, scheduled for June 11-14 on the campus of Sacramento State University. The Tigers will compete in nine events, including the 100m, 200m, 400m, 3000m steeplechase, 4x100m relay, 4x400m relay, long jump, pole vault and decathlon.

Currie will compete in the 100m and 200m, and also as a member of the Tigers’ 4x100m relay team. The sophomore from Columbia, SC, was the East Region Champion in the 100m dash with a personal-best time of 10.29. Currie also automatically advanced to the NCAA Championships in the 200m dash, clocking a lifetime-best of 20.65 to place third at the region meet. He was also a member of Clemson’s 400m relay team that posted a time of 39.73 to place fourth at the East Region Championships. Entering the NCAA Championships, Currie is ranked 19th in the 100m and 12th in the 200m. The 4x100m relay team of Griffin, Harper, Currie and Tye Hill is 15th with its time of 39.73.

Rick Hill will compete in the decathlon at this year’s Championships. The junior from Chapel Hill, NC, provisionally qualified for the national meet with a career-best 7,327 points tallied at the Orange & Purple Classic. Hill was the 2003 ACC Champion in the decathlon, and also won the Orange & Purple meet. He is ranked 21st entering the NCAA Championships, and is fourth on Clemson’s all-time decathlon list.

Kitchens was an East Region Champion, winning the long jump to automatically advance to the NCAA Championships. The sophomore from Hephzibah, GA, has a season-best leap of 25’10.75″, recorded at the Georgia Tech Invitational. Kitchens is Clemson’s all-time leader in the long jump outdoor, and he was the 2003 Penn Relays collegiate champion in the event.

Lewis received an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships, placing fourth in the pole vault at the East Region Championships. The senior from Roswell, GA, cleared 16’7.25″ at the region meet, and has a lifetime best effort of 16’10.75″ to rank third on Clemson’s career list. He was the 2000 ACC Champion, and also earned all-conference honors in 2002 and 2003.

Magidi was also an East Region Champion, claiming the 3,000m steeplechase with a lifetime-best 8:40.80. Earlier in the season, the freshman from Yavne, Israel, placed second at the ACC Championships to earn all-conference honors. He is ranked eighth in the nation entering the national meet, and is third on Clemson’s all-time list.

Spain will compete in the 400m after earning an at-large bid with his season-best time of 45.57 set at the Orange & Purple Classic. The senior from Columbia, SC, is ranked seventh on the national list entering the NCAA Championships, and ranks fourth on Clemson’s career list. Spain was the 2003 ACC Champion in the 400m, and is also a member of the Tigers’ 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams. The Tigers’ 1600m relay team is comprised of Bolling, Cheney, Eure and Spain and is ranked tied for 15th with a time of 3:07.23 set at the Georgia Tech Invitational. Richards will travel to Sacramento as the Tigers’ alternate for the relay team.