Tigers Head to Chapel Hill for ACC Outdoor Championships

CLEMSON, S.C. – For the first time since 2004, the ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships return to Chapel Hill, N.C. Clemson’s women are four-time defending team champions of the event, winning handily from 2010-12 before claiming a slim five-point margin over Florida State in 2013. The Tiger men’s team is coming off a third-place showing at last season’s meet, the program’s best finish in five years.

Below are a few notable items and storylines on Clemson’s two teams as they prepare for all the action at the #ACCOTF this week.

Clemson’s Outdoor Track & Field Performance Lists • Men’s Season Performances • Women’s Season Performances • Men’s All-Time Performances • Women’s All-Time Performances

#ACCOTF SETUPDates: Thursday, April 17 – Saturday, April 19Location: Belk Track Complex (Chapel Hill, N.C.)Web: ESPN3 (Thursday 5 p.m.; Friday 4:30; Saturday, 4)Live Results: FlashResults.com • Clemson travels to Chapel Hill, N.C., for the ACC Outdoor Championships for the first time since 2004. • Over the past four ACC Outdoor Championships, Clemson’s women have won the team title by an average of over 53 points. • Clemson’s men look to put together their first back-to-back top-three finishes at the ACC Outdoor meet since 2007 and 2008. • Historically, Clemson’s men own 11 ACC Outdoor Championship crowns and the Tiger women have accounted for six.

#TRENDING (CLEMSON’S LAST FIVE ACC OUTDOOR MEETS)2009: Men-6th, 69 pts; Women-8th, 44 pts2010: Men-5th, 75.5 pts; Women-1st, 177 pts2011: Men-4th, 89 pts; Women-1st, 202 pts2012: Men-5th, 78 pts; Women-1st, 185 pts2013: Men-3rd, 114 pts; Women-1st, 151 pts2013 ACC OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS IN REVIEW • The Clemson women claimed their fourth straight ACC Outdoor title, and eighth consecutive conference crown including indoor seasons. • The championship was the most difficult of Clemson’s historic run. Clemson was tied with Florida State entering the final event, the 4×400 relay, but the Tigers’ team won the event to claim the team trophy by a five-point margin. • Former Tiger Keni Harrison was named the ACC’s Most Valuable Track Athlete after winning the 400 hurdles and helping both relays to victory. Brianna Rollins won two individual events for Clemson, the 100 hurdles and 200 dash. In all, Clemson’s women won seven of 21 scored events. • The Tiger men’s team finished in third place, its highest finish since the 2008 championship meet. Spencer Adams led the way with a gold medal performance in the 110 hurdles.

QUICK HITS • Two of Clemson’s relays – the men’s 4×100 and women’s 4×400 – are atop the ACC performance charts this outdoor season entering championship weekend. The women’s 4×4 has won gold each of the last two ACC Outdoor meets. • Marlena Wesh is competing at her first ACC meet since the indoor conference meet in 2013. She sat out last outdoor season due to injury and this past indoor season due to expired eligibility. Wesh was the 2012 ACC Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year, and won the 400 gold medal in 2011 and 2012. • Whitney Fountain is the defending heptathlon champion, but is slated for a busy weekend in everything but the multi-events. Fountain is scheduled for both short sprints, the long jump and both relays. • Reggie Lewis and Tevin Hester rank 1-2 in the ACC in the men’s 100 dash entering this weekend’s competition. Lewis ran 10.15 and Hester 10.16 at the Texas Relays in the end of March. • Hester is slated for only relays this weekend, however, due to a minor injury. He should return to open sprints in a few weeks. • Several field event athletes rank among the top three in the ACC heading into the meet, including Torian Ware in the high jump and Marcus Brown in the shot put. Brown is coming off a personal best 58-11.25 at the Florida Relays. • Michael Smith returned to competition after nearly a year at the Florida Relays and posted the fourth-best time in the ACC (52.63) in the 400 hurdles.