Meet Central
CLEMSON, S.C. — The Clemson track and field program is set to compete at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore., from June 9-12. The championships in Eugene feature the top 24 individuals and relay teams for each event so that national champions may be crowned. The four-day meet will conclude the Tigers’ slate of collegiate track and field competition during the 2020-21 season.
All athletes and relay teams competing in their event’s semifinal round on Wednesday and Thursday will look to advance to the final of their respective event by finishing in the top 2 of their heat or being one of the three fastest time qualifiers in the event. Athletes who finish in the top-8 during their final will garner first-team All-American status, while athletes who finish 9th-16th will receive second-team All-American honors.
Clemson’s action will begin on Wednesday at 5:02 p.m. Pacific Time (PT) as the men’s 4×100-meter relay takes to the track during the third heat of the event’s semifinal round. The quartet of Giano Roberts, Marcus Parker, Alex Sands, and Terryon Conwell qualified for the championships after running 39.15 seconds at the NCAA East Region Prelims in Jacksonville, Fla., on May 28.
The fantastic hurdling trio of Lafranz Campbell, Devon Brooks and Roberts will take to the track later on in the evening during the first two heats of the men’s 110m hurdles. Campbell will be Clemson’s lone athlete in the event’s opening heat, while Brooks and Roberts will respectively occupy lanes 3 and 7 during the second heat. During the event’s quarterfinal round at the NCAA East Region Prelims, the three hurdlers qualified for Eugene after recording three of the fastest all-conditions times in Clemson history.
Kameron Jones will take to the track to start his pursuit for a national title in the men’s 800m at 6:44 p.m., with Jones set to occupy lane 4 in the first heat. Jones enters the championships as the East Region’s second-overall seed having run 1:47.39 in Jacksonville. After a world-class performance earlier this season at the 2021 ACC Outdoor Championships, Jones has the second-fastest time in the nation for the men’s 800m after capturing the ACC title in a school-record time of 1:45.47.
Parker will conclude a busy day of action on Wednesday by contesting the semifinal of the men’s 200m at 7:14 p.m. and then returning for the 4x400m relay an hour later. Parker is no stranger to the spotlight when it comes to the 200m, as the native of Phoenix, Ariz., is contesting the event at the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the second time during his Clemson career. The men’s 4x400m relay arrived in Oregon after Keco Morrison, Jones, Parker, and Conwell earned the final qualifying position during the East Region Prelims.
Roje Stona will wait until Friday at 4:35 p.m. to contest the men’s discus. The sophomore from Montego Bay, Jamaica, enters as one of the favorites to capture the national title after being one of the nation’s most consistent performers throughout 2021. Stona has eclipsed 60 meters in three of his six meets this season while also earning four event victories.
Thursday’s 4x100m relay at 3:32 p.m. PT will be the first event to feature Clemson as the women’s schedule of competition gets underway. Serena Clark, Rebekah Smith, Antoinette van der Merwe, and Trishauna Hemmings look to advance to the event’s final on Saturday after producing a historic performance at the NCAA East Region Prelims. The relay team punched their ticket to Eugene after running 43.46 in Jacksonville, which stands as the third-fastest time in program history. Smith is contesting the relay event at NCAA’s for the fourth time in her career, making her just the second woman in Clemson history to accomplish the feat.
Hemmings will return to the track shortly after running the relay as she competes in the second semifinal heat of the women’s 100m hurdles. Hemmings, a 2021 first-team All-American in the women’s 60m hurdles, became No. 4 all-time at Clemson for the 100m hurdles after running a wind-legal time of 12.94 in Jacksonville on May 29. The sub-13 mark made Hemmings just the fifth woman in Clemson history to eclipse the 13-second barrier.
Laurie Barton will follow Hemmings on the track as the native of Clemson, S.C. will start her effort towards earning an 800m title by contesting the event’s semifinal round at 5:14 p.m. Barton enters the national championships as one of the event’s top seeds after finishing second overall in the event at the East Prelims. Lakeisha Warner will immediately follow Barton on the track, as Warner is slated to contest the 400m hurdles as a part of the event’s third heat at 5:30 p.m. Warner is competing in the 400m hurdles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the third time in her career, a feat that no other Clemson athlete has ever accomplished.
In the field events, Veronica Fraley will contest the shot put on Thursday at 5:40 p.m. PT. Fraley currently holds the No. 2 all-time mark at Clemson in the event after having thrown 16.59 meters (54 feet, 5.25 inches) in Jacksonville two weeks ago. Fraley will return to action on Saturday during the women’s discus competition, an event in which she holds Clemson’s school record, and will look to secure the first All-American honor of her career. Joining Fraley in field event action on Saturday will be Harleigh White, with White slated to contest the triple jump at 3:20 p.m. White has been in excellent form as the season winds down, having placed fourth in the event at ACC Outdoor Championships and qualifying as the tenth-best athlete from the East Region.
Live results for all events can be accessed here, while specific information pertaining to Clemson’s participation this week can be found in our Meet Central.
For all of the most up-to-date information regarding Clemson’s Track & Field program, be sure to reference clemsontigers.com and follow @ClemsonTrackXC on Twitter.
