Two Top-Ten Marks Highlight Stellar Saturday by Tigers
CLEMSON, S.C. – In the first of seven heats for the men’s 200-meter dash, Terryon Conwell ran into Clemson’s top-10 all-time list by setting the seventh-best mark in program history with a time of 20.75. Conwell exploded out of the blocks with strength and power, catching his competitor in the opening 70 meters and leaving the rest of his heat in his wake, ultimately beating the runner-up in the event by .54 seconds. Conwell’s dominant performance earned the Decatur, Ga. native his second individual victory at Clemson.
Zico Campbell recorded a personal best in the men’s shot put for the fifth consecutive meet, throwing 17.93 meters (58-10) to improve to No. 4 on Clemson’s all-time list. Campbell entered this season with a personal best of 16.40 meters and has made consistent improvements in the circle throughout the opening four meets of the 2021 campaign. Campbell’s new best was earned on his third attempt of the competition and improved upon his previous best of 17.66.
Veronica Fraley returned to competition for the first time since last season’s conference championship meet, contesting the invitational section of the women’s shot put on Saturday. Fraley recorded a mark of 15.20 meters (49-10.5) on her second attempt of the competition, a mark that withstood the remaining four rounds and secured the junior fifth place overall. Fraley eclipsed the 15-meter mark on three of her six attempts this afternoon.
Freshman Jack McManus had a breakthrough performance in his collegiate debut at 3k Saturday afternoon, running 8:39.77. The Doylestown, Pa. native entered Clemson with a personal best of 9:06.24 earned during his time at Central Bucks East High School. McManus used consistent 34-second splits during the opening 2k to put himself in a position to contend for the victory. A blistering sub-30-second final lap comfortably secured McManus the second-place finish in the event.
“Overall, the team is getting better,” said Director of Track and Field Mark Elliott. “The past two days we had some new people step on to the track and get their national’s marks which is great… All [our] event areas have bright spots and that’s what we’re looking for.”
Saturday’s Highlights
- Andrea Foster was the first Tiger across the line in the women’s 800 meters, running a season’s best of 2:06.15 to finish third overall. Foster was one of three Tigers to earn a season’s best in the race, while Lauren Hayes was the lone Clemson runner to cross the line with a personal best.
- John Ward had another standout performance on Saturday, earning a new personal best in the men’s 800 meters with his time of 1:52.04. Ward returned to the track this afternoon after running 4:08.92 in the mile on Friday.
- Aliyah Mallard was the fastest Tiger in the women’s 200 meters, earning a season’s best of 24.56 to finish fourth overall. Kori Carter, Antoinette van der Merwe and Zeniyah Lawrence all earned season bests in the event.
- In addition to Campbell’s success in the men’s shot put, Roje Stona earned a new season’s best of 17.44 meters with his first toss in the competition. Stona carries a personal best of 17.56 meters from the 2020 ACC Indoor Championships.
- Danielle Sloley and Riley Lair earned indoor personal bests during the women’s shot put, with Lair’s mark of 11.82 meters serving as a lifetime best.
- Anthony Hamilton won the men’s high jump, soaring over 2.00m, 2.05m, and 2.10m on his first attempt at each. The win marked his sixth individual victory at Clemson.
As a program, Clemson combined for five event victories, six indoor personal bests, 20 overall personal bests, and 18 season bests. Anthony Hamilton, Trishauna Hemmings, Lafranz Campbell, Terryon Conwell and Marlin Young all earned victories this weekend at the 2021 Bob Pollock Invitational.
This weekend’s meet saw four facility records fall over the weekend. Maudie Skyring of Florida State set a new facility record (9:15.01) in the women’s 3000 meters, while her fellow Seminole Isaac Grimes set a new facility record (8.18m) in the men’s long jump. Two athletes competing unattached also set facility records. Bridget Guy set a new facility record (4.50m) in the women’s pole vault, and Denzel Comenentia set a new facility record (24.13m) in the men’s weight throw.
Clemson will now set its focus on the South Carolina Invitational on Feb. 6. Following the trip to Columbia, Clemson will host the Tiger Paw Invitational on Feb. 12-13 before welcoming the ACC to the Clemson Indoor Track & Field Complex for the 2021 ACC Indoor Track & Field Championships on Feb. 25-27.
When asked about the Tigers’ upcoming Tiger Paw Invitational, Elliott reflected by saying, “Like I told them [the team], Tiger Paw is going to be an indicator where this team really is. We see all the bright spots and performances, but we got to come together by then [Tiger Paw] and see multiple performances across the board.”
For all of the most up-to-date information regarding Clemson’s track and field program, be sure to reference clemsontigers.com and follow @ClemsonTrackXC on Twitter.
