Tigers to Hold Clemson Invitational Track Meet Saturday

March 31, 1999

CLEMSON, SC – The Clemson track and field teams will hold the Clemson Invitational Saturday at the Rock Norman Track Complex behind the Jervey Athletic Center. The meet is part of the United States Track Coaches Association Collegiate Meet Series. The series, which includes over 50 meets around the country this year, is focusing on bringing a renewed interest to the sport of track and field.

The teams in this week’s field will battle head-to-head in every event for team scores. In an effort to bring more fan interest, scores will be announced throughout the meet, and the running events of the meet will be concluded in a three and a half hour window.

The men’s teams that will compete this weekend are #9 Clemson, #14 Georgia Tech, Nebraska and #10 South Carolina. The women’s teams are Clemson, #22 Georgia Tech, Nebraska, #16 South Carolina and Wisconsin.

The Clemson men’s team is coming off a very successful indoor season. The Tigers placed third at the NCAA Championships and had two national champions. Freshman Ato Modibo won the 400m in 46.11, and the 4x400m relay team of Charles Allen, Kenny Franklin, Davidson Gill and Modibo won the championship in 3:07.80.

At the Florida Relays last weekend, freshman Todd Matthews provisionally qualified for the NCAAs after winning the collegiate 110m high hurdles in 13.87. He won the Invitational 110m hurdles in 14.02 and was awarded the Pearcy Beard Award, awarded annually to the top hurdler at the meet. The Clemson shuttle hurdle relay team of Sultan Tucker, Tony Washington, Matthews and Ian Potter won its event in 56.33 at the meet, and senior Esteban Diaz placed first in the 1500m with a time of 3:50.22.

“Our meet could be the best track and field meet in the country on this particular weekend, with the quality of competition we have coming in town,” said Clemson men’s head coach Bob Pollock. “South Carolina has an excellent program, and I’m sure they are excited about coming here because of the rivalry between the two schools. This should be a weekend of great competition between two schools that finished third and fourth in the country indoors and each had two national championship titles.”

The Clemson women’s team had an impressive weekend at the Florida Relays last weekend. The 4x100m relay team of Terri Robinson, Shekera Weston, Shonda Cutchin and Nikkie Bouyer placed first with a provisional time of 44.68. The winning 4x200m relay team of Robinson, Weston, Cutchin and Bouyer set a new Clemson record and a new meet record with a time of 1:33.61, the fastest time in the nation so far this season. The old Clemson record of 1:34.50 had stood since 1991. Bouyer also won the 100m high hurdles with a provisional time of 13.46.

“This will be an exciting meet for us,” said Clemson women’s head coach Ron Garner. “We’re coming off our best indoor season in seven years, and our first two outdoor meets have gone exceptionally well. We should match up pretty well against South Carolina in the sprints and hurdles events. South Carolina has a strong tradition in the throwing events, so this meet should be a lot of fun for both schools.”

Field event competition begins at 11:30 a.m., and running events will begin at 1 p.m. The last event of the meet is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.