Track & Field Set for Busy Summer of International Competition
CLEMSON, S.C. — The Clemson track and field program will be well represented around the world over the coming weeks as Tigers, both past and present, compete for a chance to represent their country at the international level. With the North America, Central America, and Caribbean (NACAC) U23 Championships set to take place between July 9-11, the Tokyo Olympics set to run from July 23 – Aug. 8, and the World Athletics U20 Championships scheduled for Aug. 17-22, there will be no shortage of Clemson Tigers competing throughout the duration of summer.
Athletes will first look to qualify for the slate of international competition by contesting their respective national championships. The U.S. Olympic Trials, which will take place from June 18-27, and Jamaican Senior National Championships, scheduled for June 24-27, will prominently feature over a dozen members of the Clemson track and field program.
During the U.S. Olympic Trials, six athletes from Clemson’s 2020-21 track and field roster will enter Hayward Field looking to earn the chance to represent the United States of America. Marcus Parker (200m), Kameron Jones (800m), Devon Brooks (110mH), Laurie Barton (800m), Harleigh White (Triple Jump), and Veronica Fraley (Discus) will all be competing in the U.S. Olympic Trials for the first time in their respective careers. Parker, Jones, Barton, and Fraley will return to Eugene after each athlete earned All-American honors during last week’s 2021 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Barton, Parker, and Fraley will each look to represent the U.S. during the busy summer of international competition for the second time in their careers. Barton finished fifth in the women’s 800m during the 2017 Pan American Games, while Parker helped Team USA win the men’s 4x100m relay during the 2019 NACAC U-23 Championships. Fraley finished fifth overall, and was the top American, in the women’s discus competition during the 2019 Pan American Games.
Towards the tail end of the competition at Hayward Field, the action at the Jamaican National Senior Championships will get underway, as seven Tigers from this past year’s roster are slated to compete. Roje Stona (Discus), Zico Campbell (Shot Put), Danielle Sloley (Shot Put), Lafranz Campbell (110mH), Giano Roberts (110mH), Trishauna Hemmings (100mH), and Fabian Hewitt (100/200) will all represent Clemson while competing in Jamaica.
Stona and Roberts will enter their time down in Kingston, Jamaica, after combining to earn three first-team All-American honors at this year’s NCAA Outdoor Championships. During the summer of 2019, Stona captured gold in the discus while representing Jamaica at the NACAC U-23 Championships, winning the event by more than two meters.
Around the globe, former Tigers will also be competing for a chance to punch their tickets to Tokyo, as five alumni are slated to compete during their respective country’s national championships. James Quattlebaum (steeplechase) and Grace Barnett (1,500m) will compete in Eugene, while Natoya Goule and Andrea Foster will respectively race the 800m during Jamaican and Guyanese trials. In Portugal, Patricia Mamona will contest the triple jump as her country’s leader in the event through the early part of the 2021 outdoor season.
Danielle Williams, a volunteer assistant on Clemson’s staff, will contest the 100mH during the Jamaican trials. Williams is one of the all-time greats in the sprint hurdles. Williams is set to enter her time down in Kingston with a personal best of 12.32 in the event, which ranks No. 7 on the event’s all-time list. For all of the most up-to-date information regarding Clemson’s Track & Field program, be sure to reference clemsontigers.com and follow @ClemsonTrackXC on Twitter.
###Photo courtesy of Clemson Athletics.
