Jan. 8, 2009
Friday’s Meet Program | Saturday’s Meet Program
ATLANTA – The Georgia Tech men’s and women’s track and field teams will compete at the Clemson Invitational this weekend, Jan. 9-10, in Clemson, S.C. Competition begins Friday at 5 p.m. at the Clemson Indoor Track & Field Complex, and continues Saturday at 9 a.m.
“We are very much looking forward to kicking off the 2009 indoor season at Clemson this weekend,” men’s head coach Grover Hinsdale said. “I feel like the team is healthy, fit, and ready to compete in a big way.”
The men’s squad, which finished second at the 2008 ACC Indoor Championships, returns 14 All-ACC performers from 2008, including NCAA Championship participants Alphonso Jordan (Jumps/hurdles) and Steve Marcelle (Throws).
Jordan, the reigning 2008 ACC Indoor triple jump champion, will compete in the 60 meter hurdles and the long jump on Friday, and the triple jump on Saturday.
Marcelle, who is the 2008 ACC Indoor shot put champion, will compete in the weight throw on Friday.
“The Clemson Indoor Invitational kicks off our 2009 campaign and we’re excited about the competition this weekend,” head women’s coach Alan Drosky said. “After a great fall of training, this meet will give us a great chance to begin sharpening up for the championships meets to come. We are loaded with underclassmen this season and we’ll get a good look at how they respond – the freshmen to their first taste of collegiate competition, the sophomores to higher expectations.”
The women’s squad, which reached a 2008 indoor national ranking as high as No. 22, enters the 2009 season with 29 underclassmen. Despite the loss of All-American’s Shantia Moss and Fatmata Fofanah to graduation, the young squad welcomes 14 newcomers.
Of the sixteen women competing this weekend, twelve are either a freshman or sophomore.
Both men’s and women’s teams initially opened their 2009 seasons with limited squads in early December at the Middle Tennessee State Invitational. Sophomore Hunter Classen led the way with a victory in the men’s 500-meter dash in a time of 1:04:22. The women’s team enjoyed the collegiate debuts of freshmen Melanie Akwule and Jhanelle McLeod, as Akwule finished second in the 55 meter hurdles (first among collegiate performers) and McLeod finished third in the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.85.
Complete results and a recap will be posted at the end of each day of competition on www.RamblinWreck.com.
