Clemson Advances Three to NCAA Finals Friday
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Laurie Barton, Trishauna Hemmings and Terryon Conwell each advanced out of their respective preliminary heats during Friday’s action at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. On Saturday, Barton will be competing in her second career NCAA indoor final, while Hemmings and Conwell will each compete in their first.
“We’re excited to have three athletes advance in three events,” said Clemson’s Director of Track & Field, Mark Elliott. “While we hoped to have had six athletes advance, these are the top 16 athletes in the nation for each event and we’re happy with the three we have moving on.”
Conwell punched his ticket to Saturday’s finals of the men’s 200 meters by advancing as the eighth-fastest qualifier from Friday’s preliminary heats. In the second heat of Friday’s competition, Conwell ran 20.87 seconds to finish second in the heat, recording the second-fastest time and third-best performance of his career. Conwell currently ranks No. 7 on Clemson’s all-time list after his performance of 20.75 at both the Bob Pollock Invitational and ACC Indoor Championships.
Hemmings advanced to Saturday’s final by equaling her personal best of 8.09 in the opening heat of the women’s 60-meter hurdles. The time allowed for Hemmings to finish third in her heat and sixth overall. Following Friday’s competition, Hemmings will enter the final within five one-hundredths of a second of the top qualifier for the event. Hemmings returned later in the day to contest the prelims of the 200m, finishing 12th overall with her time of 23.59.
Barton’s effort in the second heat of the women’s 800m saw her run a strong final 400m while at the front of the pack, crossing the finish line in 2:04.07 to advance as the second-fastest qualifier. Barton entered the meet as the No. 2 seed in the event after running 2:01.99 during the final of the 800m at the ACC Indoor Championships on Feb. 27.
“She [Laurie] was very gutsy today,” added Elliott. “Just like Laurie always does, she came through when it was time. Now let’s see what happens tomorrow. I’m excited for the final!”
Giano Roberts started off the day for Clemson by contesting the prelims of the men’s 60-meter hurdles. Roberts recorded the second-best time and third-best performance of his career on Friday, running 7.83 to finish fifth in his heat and 13th overall.
In the men’s 60m, Fabian Hewitt ran 6.78 to finish 14th overall in the preliminary heats of the event. Andrea Foster ran 2:13.44 during the second heat of the women’s 800m to finish 15th overall.
Clemson’s action will resume Saturday, March 13, as Conwell loads into the blocks for the finals of the men’s 200m at 2:50 p.m. (CST). Hemmings will compete in the final of the hurdles at 6:30 p.m. (CST), while Barton will conclude Clemson’s action with the 800m final at 6:40 p.m. (CST).
For all of the most up-to-date information regarding Clemson’s Track & Field programs, be sure to reference clemsontigers.com and follow @ClemsonTrackXC on Twitter.
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Photo courtesy of Clemson Athletics.
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