Tigers Open 2021-22 Indoor Season Strong

CLEMSON, S.C. – Clemson’s indoor track season got underway on Friday inside Clemson’s Indoor Track and Field Facility where 17 team competed, including two ACC opponents (GT and FSU). The Tigers boasted a strong showing and Program Director Mark Elliott was pleased with what he saw from the team, stating:

“Overall, it was a really good meet. We had a lot of top-10 marks. That’s what we want, to give us a good idea of what kind of shape they’re in going into the break, so when they return, they’re in even better shape. We’re all excited about that.”

The meet saw multiple highlights on the track and in the field events that included:

• In the first men’s event on the track (600m), junior Aman Thornton came out flying in the first of three heats setting the pace that no one was able to match. Thornton’s speed brought him a length ahead of the next closest competitor in the heat, teammate Carson Tillman. Thornton’s time (1:18.18) in the first heat ultimately won him the event. Tillman followed in second place (1:19.97) and freshman Darryl Burton’s time of 1:23.67 in the third heat finished fifth.
• Sophomore Marie Forbes inked her name in Clemson’s All-Time Top-10 list and finished first in the women’s weight throw after throwing 19.00m (62 ft, 4 in.), 0.70 meters farther than the second place competitor. Forbes held the lead after prelims where she threw 18.80m in her third throw to secure her place in finals. In her first throw of finals, she went through her windup and completed two turns before making the throw that soared out to 19.00m to clinch her position in Clemson history.
• Seniors Devon Brooks and Lafranz Campbell forged in front of the remainder of the field in the men’s 60m hurdles capturing the top-two spots in the event. The two raced ahead in the prelims to take a 0.20 second lead over the competition into finals. In the finals, both Brooks and Campbell got strong starts from the blocks to be able to tear down the straightaway stride for stride with one another. It came down to the final lean when Brooks (7.71) inched his way past Campbell (7.74) to take the top spot and tie his career personal record.
• The women’s 3000m allowed junior Josie Wirtz to showcase her experience on the track. With the crowd gathering around for one of the final events of the day, Wirtz jumped out to an early lead to set the pace for the first few laps inside the Clemson Indoor Track and Field Facility. Wirtz kept an even head and pace, despite dropping into second and third during the midway point. As the final lap bell rang, Wirtz was 50m behind the lead runner. She turned on the jets and not only caught up to but blew past the leader to finish with a final time of 10:12.41, three seconds ahead of the second-place runner.

Up next, Clemson has a month off from competition before returning to the Indoor Track and Field Facility for the Orange & Purple Elite Meet on Friday January 8, 2022. For all the most up-to-date information regarding Clemson Track & Field, please visit ClemsonTigers.com and follow @ClemsonTrackXC on Twitter and Instagram.

EVENT BY EVENT BREAKDOWN

Running Events

• Women’s 60m
  • Areya Campbell (Fr.) | 7.59 (4th)
  • Serena Clark (Fr.) | 7.45 (Prelims only – did not compete in finals)
• Women’s 60m Hurdles
  • Antoinette Van der Merwe (Fr.) | 8.53 (3rd)
  • Kori Carter (So.) | 9.03
• Men’s 60m Hurdles
  • Devon Brooks (Sr.) | 7.71 (1st – tied PR)
  • Lafranz Campbell (Sr.) | 7.74 (2nd)
• Women’s 200m
  • Areya Campbell (Fr.) | 24.93 (4th)
• Women’s 300m
  • Aliyah Mallard (Jr.) | 38.70 (2nd – PR)
  • Kenya Thompson (Fr.) | 40.00
  • Ken’naria Gadson (Fr.) | 40.01
  • Kori Carter (So.) | 40.03
  • Antoinette Van der Merwe (Fr.) | 40.11
  • Ariana Daley (Fr.) | 40.25
  • Mackenzie Osher (Fr.) | 40.43
  • Nicole Foster (Sr.) | 40.89
  • Anna Brewer (Sr.) | 42.30
  • Olivia Cooney (So.) | 44.17
• Men’s 300m
  • Cameron Rose (Fr.) | 32.90 (1st – 1st on Clemson’s All-Time List)
  • Jevon Williams (Fr.) | 33.80 (3rd)
  • Aman Thornton (Jr.) | 34.13 (4th)
  • Guinove Joanus (Jr.) | 34.25 (7th)
  • Fabian Hewitt (Sr.) | 34.56
  • Devon Brooks (Sr.) | 34.71
  • Lafranz Campbell (Sr.) | 35.17
  • Ethan Binnix (Sr.) | 35.51
  • Darryl Burton (Fr.) | 35.99
  • Carson Tillman (Fr.) | 36.47
  • Devin Johnson (Fr.) | 37.24
  • Patrick Driscoll (Fr.) | 38.62
• Women’s 400m
  • Andrea Foster (Sr.) | 55.71 (3rd)
• Women’s 600m
  • Ken’naria Gadson (Fr.) | 1:34.80 (1st)
  • Ariana Daley (Fr.) | 1:36.33 (6th)
  • Anna Brewer (Sr.) | 1:37.43 (PR)
  • Olivia Cooney (Fr.) | 1:38.92
  • Mackenzie Osher (Fr.) | 1:40.40
• Men’s 600m
  • Aman Thornton (Jr.) | 1:18.18 (1st)
  • Carson Tillman (Fr.) | 1:19.97 (2nd)
  • Darryl Burton (Fr.)| 1:23.67 (5th)
  • Patrick Driscoll (Fr.) | 1:27.46
• Men’s 1000m
  • Devin Johnson (Fr.) | 2:29.07 (2nd)
  • Colby Caviness (Sr.) | 2:30.63 (4th – PR)
• Women’s 1 Mile
  • Meredith Finley (Fr.) | 5:17.20 (1st)
• Men’s 1 Mile
  • Michael Smith (Jr.) | 4:20.71 (2nd)
  • Cole Myers (Fr.) | 4:23.98 (4th)
• Women’s 3000m
  • Josie Wirtz (Jr.) | 10:12.41 (1st)
  • Mackenzie Steele (Fr.) | 10:32. 91 (4th)
• Men’s 3000m
  • Samuel Garringer (Fr.) | 8:44.10 (3rd)
  • Sawyer Dagan (Fr.) | 8:46.17 (5th)
  • Jack McManus (Fr.) | 9:11.29 (7th)
• Women’s 4x400m Relay
  • Andrea Foster (Sr.), Courtney Williams (Fr.), Ken’naria Gadson (Fr.) and Kenya Thompson (Fr.) | 3:45.78 (2nd)
• Men’s 4x400m Relay
  • Patrick Driscoll (Fr.), Cole Myers (Fr.), Colby Caviness (Sr.) and Kevin Haley, Jr. (Fr.) | 3:25.00

Jumping Events

• Women’s Long Jump
  • Caroline Johnston (Jr.) | 5.29m
• Men’s Long Jump
  • Max Livesey (Fr.) | 6.15m
• Women’s Triple Jump
  • Harleigh White (Sr.) | 12.65m (2nd)
  • Nia Christie (Fr.) | 11.58 (7th)
  • Au’Yana Carson (So.) | 11.51 (8th)
• Men’s Triple Jump
  • DJ Ledell (Sr.) | 15.40 (2nd)
  • Andre Wright (Sr.) | 15.29 (3rd)
• Women’s High Jump
  • Kenya Livingston (Sr.) | 1.73 (2nd)
  • Jessica Johnson (So.) | 1.68 (5th – PR)
  • Sofia De Coteau (So.) | 1.63 (PR)
• Women’s Pole Vault
  • Jessica Brewer (Sr.) | 3.60m (1st)
  • Alison D’Alessandro (Sr.) | 3.45m (4th)

Throwing Events

• Women’s Weight
  • Marie Forbes (So.) | 19.00m (1st – 5th on Clemson’s All-Time List)
  • Danielle Sloley (So.) | 13.14m
• Men’s Weight
  • Cade Jones (Fr.) | 14.42m (7th)