While the beginning of the spring semester at Clemson University was largely overshadowed by the gloomy pall brought forth by the Clemson football team coming up empty-handed in the National Championship Game, one loss should not shroud the tremendous accomplishments that Clemson athletics have experienced lately. The Tigers of the gridiron may have fallen short in the national title game, but the 29-game winning streak that they brought into the contest was one of the longest in recent college football history. In addition, Clemson extended its record of ACC Championship Game victories to five seasons. Star Clemson running back Travis Etienne Jr. won ACC Player of the Year for the second year in a row, and standout Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons won the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker. Of course, the accolades for Clemson football are rather expansive, but other Clemson sports teams have gotten in on the success in recent weeks and months, too, making for a promising start to the spring semester in Tigertown for all Tiger fans.
The highly coveted MAC Hermann Trophy is the most prestigious award in college soccer, and Clemson’s Robbie Robinson recently became the third player in Clemson men’s soccer history to win it. Robinson, who is a forward, finished tied as the national leader in goals scored with 18 of them and, prior to winning the MAC Hermann Trophy, was named ACC Player of the Year as well as first-team All-American. Soon after that, Robinson was selected first overall in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft, making him just the second Clemson athlete of any kind to be taken as the first pick in a draft, with former Clemson pitcher Kris Benson being the first selection when he was taken No. 1 overall in the 1996 MLB Draft.
Expansion team Inter Miami CF chose Robinson to become one of the faces of the new franchise, and two other Clemson players were selected in the SuperDraft, as well. Midfielder Tanner Dieterich and defender Malick Mbaye were picked 28th overall and 33rd overall, respectively, with Dieterich joining his hometown club of Nashville SC and Mbaye becoming a member of Toronto FC. The SuperDraft prestige was a perfect way to cap off one of the best seasons in Clemson men’s soccer history, as the Tigers won a share of the ACC regular season title and followed that up with a deep run in the NCAA Tournament as the No. 2 seed. Now, Dieterich, Mbaye and Robinson will have the opportunity to represent Clemson well in the professional ranks. Speaking of which, former Clemson women’s soccer goalkeeper Sandy MacIver recently signed a professional contract with English club Everton FC. MacIver performed well in her senior season with the Tigers during the fall, leading the team to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Now, MacIver, a native of England, will turn her attention to professional goalkeeping across the pond.
On the hardwood, the Clemson men’s basketball team turned things around after a somewhat shaky start to the season. After falling to 0-3 in conference play, the Tigers reeled off three-straight ACC wins, including a historic victory in Chapel Hill, N.C., over the North Carolina Tar Heels. All three of the wins during that streak came against blue-blood programs from Tobacco Road, with Clemson toppling the NC State Wolfpack before taking down the Tar Heels on the road for the first time ever. The Tigers had never defeated the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill prior to the history-making win, and Clemson proceeded to pull off an even more impressive win just days later by taking down No. 3 Duke. The Blue Devils fell at Littlejohn Coliseum, resulting in Clemson students storming the court in celebration after the significant upset, which marked the first time with Head Coach Brad Brownell at the helm that the Tigers defeated an opponent ranked inside the top five of any college basketball poll. Better yet, the noteworthy two-game stretch served as the first instance of Clemson defeating Duke and North Carolina in the same season since the 1995-96 tilt. Furthermore, Clemson beat the two Research Triangle superpowers in back-to-back games for the first time in 30 years. The triumph versus North Carolina was quite remarkable, as the Tigers erased a double-digit deficit in the final two minutes of regulation and forced overtime, which culminated in Clemson winning 79-76. Against Duke, Clemson played one of its most complete games of the season up to that point and earned a 79-72 win. The Tigers are in the running for an NCAA Tournament berth this season, and victories such as those could be key to getting Clemson off the bubble and into the Big Dance.
Well-rounded success has been a theme of Clemson athletics as of late, indicating that there is plenty to be happy and hopeful about for Tiger fans. While football has led the charge in terms of that success, other Clemson sports programs have followed suit with accomplishments of their own. The spring semester is certain to be filled with many more notable moments and achievements for the Tigers, from the Clemson softball program taking part in its inaugural season to the Clemson men’s basketball program’s pursuit of reaching March Madness, and the winning culture that has become synonymous with Clemson athletics should continue to pay dividends across the board in the Tigers’ pursuit of more glory.
