The current indoor track and field season has seen the Clemson Tigers establish themselves as one of the ACC’s best and brightest programs, with the Tigers putting forth some impressive times and distances at every meet. In recent weeks, the Tigers have fared remarkably well at the Bob Pollock Invitational and the Charlie Thomas Invitational, as a well-rounded roster has enabled Clemson to compete for top spots in every facet of competition.
Clemson hosted the Bob Pollock Invitational two weeks ago, the third of five home meets for the Tigers this track and field season.
The event, named in honor of renowned former Clemson track and field coach Bob Pollock, featured a glowing performance from sprinter Sabria Hadley, who won the women’s 200-meter dash with an impressive time of 23.51.
Elsewhere, All-American distance runner Grace Barnett continued her solid season by taking second place in the women’s 800 meters at 2:09.57.
On the men’s side, rising star Jeffrey Green won the 600-meter race, while freshman sprinter Trevious Frazier ran a personal best 21.59 in an eighth-place finish in the 200 meters. Also, the men’s 4×400-meter relay squad finished in second place with a time of 3:08.82 that stood as the eighth fastest time in the nation upon completion.
Led by freshman phenom Terrell Jackson, the men’s middle-distance group has proven to be in heavy contention for being one of the nation’s very best this season.
At last week’s Charlie Thomas Invitational, hosted by Texas A&M, the men’s relay success continued, this time in the distance medley relay.
Anchored by James Quattlebaum, the Tigers won the race in impressive fashion, and the women’s DMR unit, featuring superb sophomore Imani McGowan, placed third. The star of the meet, however, was the multi-talented Angelica Collins.
The junior achieved two personal bests in two winning efforts, taking first in the 60-meter sprint and the long jump. With both events occurring in the same day, Collins displayed just how incredibly athletic she is, especially by way of running the eighth fastest time in the country in the 60 meters.
In other events at the Charlie Thomas Invitational, hurdler Markeeta Thomas won the women’s 60-meter hurdles race, and John Lewis placed second in the men’s 800-meter run. The Clemson men’s 4×400 team fared well again, earning second place with the second fastest time in program history of 3:07.15.
Also of note, versatile runner Mpho Makofane and the aforementioned Quattlebaum placed third and sixth, respectively, in the men’s mile race.
With a plethora of talent in several different sects of the track and field foray, the Clemson Tigers are proving to be one of the deepest programs in the nation so far this year.
Led by an elite coaching staff manned by veteran Head Coach Mark Elliott, the Tigers are primed to compete for the ACC team title in both men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor.
From Grace Barnett, one of the nation’s best distance runners, to elite jumpers Iana Amsterdam, Shai Carpenter and Chris McBride, as well as promising thrower Majayla Holland, the talent is virtually endless for the 2016-2017 Clemson Tigers.
Catalyzed by the revamped Clemson Indoor Track & Field Complex, which features a banked track which is considered to be one of the fastest tracks in the nation, the Tigers are shooting for the stars this indoor season, and outdoor season should bring with it the same lofty expectations.
As of now, the Tigers’ times and distances are so good that the leaderboards have been conspicuously dominated by Clemson competitors at the Tigers’ meets.
If those trends continue, Clemson could experience one of its most successful track and field seasons ever, which, because of the immense talent and superior coaching boasted by the Tigers, would not be surprising in the least.
Clemson is sprinting for glory this year and is off to quite the fast start in so doing.
