Women’s Track & Field No. 6 in Preseason Outdoor Ratings

March 23, 2011

CLEMSON, SC – The Clemson women are No. 6 nationally in the preseason outdoor track & field computer ratings, according to a release from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The Tigers are coming off an 11th-place team finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships, but welcome the return of defending NCAA triple jump champion Patricia Mamona, defending ACC heptathlon champion Liane Weber, and 2010 4x100m relay All-American Michaylin Golladay this spring.

Texas A&M is atop the national computer ratings, followed by Oregon, LSU, Oklahoma and Southern Cal.

Golladay, Mamona and Weber exhausted their indoor track & field eligibility in 2010, but each of the three athletes red-shirted the 2008 outdoor season. Thus, each athlete will be competing in a Clemson uniform for the final time this outdoor season. All three are expected to be major contributors to Clemson’s team success this spring.

Golladay is ninth among eligible athletes in the 100m hurdles. She clocked a personal collegiate best 13.07 last May at the NCAA East Preliminary Round in Greensboro, NC. She matched the time at the NACAC U23 Championships last summer in a silver medal effort for Team USA.

Mamona won the triple jump at the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Championships, her first-ever national crown. Her mark of 45’11.75″, a school record, is the No. 2 mark among returning student-athletes in 2011 behind only Florida State’s Kimberly Williams.

Weber was at the top of her game last season until a tendon injury forced her to sit out most of the season following the ACC Championships. She won the ACC championship in the heptathlon with 5,928 points – a point value that is No. 2 among returning athletes this spring.

Several other returning student-athletes are key factors behind Clemson’s No. 6 national rating. Stormy Kendrick’s time of 11.25 in the 100m dash is ninth among returning athletes, while Kim Ruck is 13th on the national list for 10K athletes. Sonni Austin is No. 17 in the 400m hurdles after running a 57.81 at last year’s NCAA East Prelims.

In the field, April Sinkler returns as a top-10 national performer in three separate events. Her high jump of 6’1.25″ is second-best among eligible athletes this outdoor season, while her triple jump (43’6″) and long jump (21’1.25″) are eighth and ninth, respectively. Sinkler is coming off an indoor national runner-up finish in the triple jump.