CLEMSON, S.C. – The Clemson track and field program will welcome its ACC competitors to the Clemson Indoor Track & Field Complex for the 2021 ACC Indoor Championships from Feb. 25-27. Action is slated to get underway at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 25, as the 60 meters will be contested as part of the men’s heptathlon.
The meet will be broadcast live on ACCNX from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Fans can find all of the relevant information for this weekend’s conference championships in our Meet Central.
Clemson arrives at the ACC Indoor Championships after setting two school records, 11 top-10 all-time program marks, and 118 lifetime personal bests across the season’s first six meets.
“This season shows how resilient our athletes are,” said Clemson’s Director of Track & Field, Mark Elliott. “I think we’re at a point where both teams are as ready as they can be for the championships, so I’m excited about it.”
Thursday’s action on the track will get underway at 5 p.m., with the men’s 800m serving as the first prelim of the day. The men’s half-mile will feature Clemson freshmen Cole Myers and Carson Tillman. Following the men’s preliminary heats, the women will take to the track for their heats in what is sure to be some of the weekend’s best action. Defending champion Laurie Barton, and Andrea Foster, last year’s runner-up, will toe the starting line alongside Leah Disher and Olivia Cooney.
The qualifying heats of the men’s and women’s 200m on Thursday are sure to be fast, as Terryon Conwell and Trishauna Hemmings attempt to advance into their respective final. Conwell enters this weekend’s meet with a personal best of 20.75, good enough for No. 7 on the Tigers’ all-time list, while Hemmings touts a mark of 23.28, earned during her debut in the event and consequently making her No. 5 all-time at Clemson.
In Thursday’s field event action, Anthony Hamilton and Sofia De Coteau will contest the men’s and women’s high jump, respectively, while carrying a personal best into the meet that ranks each at No. 10 on their event’s respective all-time lists.
Friday’s flurry of action begins in the field, with D.J. Ledell contesting the men’s long jump at 11 a.m. Action will resume on the track at 4 p.m. as the qualifying heats of the men’s mile get underway. Qualifying for the mile, 60m, 400m, and 60mH will all take place on Friday, while the lone final on the track is scheduled to be the women’s 5,000m at 7 p.m.
Entering as the top seed in the women’s 60m hurdles will be Trishauna Hemmings, with the senior hurdler currently holding Clemson’s No. 3 all-time mark and No. 8 time in the NCAA this season following her world-class performance of 8.12 during the final of the event at the Bob Pollock Invitational.
Saturday is slated to be a day full of finals, with athletes vying to capture the conference’s coveted All-ACC honors. The top three finishers in each individual event will receive first-team distinction, while fourth through sixth will be awarded second-team honors. Only the winning team will be named first-team All-ACC in the relay events, while second-team honors will be bestowed to those teams who finish second and third.
“On the women’s side, we have a legitimate shot [to win]. We have a well-balanced team, as you can see from how we’re getting performances from all areas of the team,” added Elliott. “On the men’s side, we have performances coming from all areas, so both teams are prepared.”
This weekend’s conference championships are the first meet of the program’s postseason endeavors, with the NCAA Div. I Indoor Nationals slated to be contested on March 11-13 in Fayetteville, Ark. The top 16 individuals in each event, along with top 12 relay teams, will qualify for the national championships. USTFCCCA will announce championship qualifiers following the conclusion of all conference meets.
For all of the most up-to-date information regarding Clemson’s Track & Field programs, be sure to reference clemsontigers.com and follow @ClemsonTrackXC on Twitter!
