Good week for Olympic sports
By: Will Vandervort
First of all congratulations to the Clemson rowing team - 2009 ACC
Champions. That's a great accomplishment for those young ladies. A lot of
people don't realize how much time and energy they put into that and it's
always great to see a group come together and win a championship.
The Tigers won their first ACC Championship by knocking off nine-time
defending champion Virginia. Second-year head coach Richard Ruggieri was
also named the ACC Coach of the Year.
The rowing team's ACC Championship Monday capped off a pretty good week
for Clemson's Olympic sports programs, which usually get lost in the glow
of the big three - football, basketball and baseball. Besides the rowing
team's success, the golf team, led by David May's record round of 66,
rallied to finish second in the ACC Golf Tournament.
May's 66 allowed him to win co-medalist honors with N.C. State's Matt Hill
and it was the best final round by an individual at the ACC Tournament in
Clemson golf history. The previous best was a 67 by Stephen Poole at The
Old North State Club in 2006.
The Clemson senior made up four shots in the final round with his
six-under-par 66, his top round of the year and his best round since he
had a 65 in the second round of the ACC Tournament at The Old North State
Club on April 22, 2006.
May's round on Sunday included eight birdies and two bogeys. He had seven
birdies in an eight-hole stretch between the fourth and 11th holes to get
to seven under par for the day and 11 under par for the tournament. He hit
a wedge to within a foot on the par-five 11th hole to give him his eighth
birdie of the day.
Though they could not repeat the magic that won them an ACC Championship a
year ago, the Clemson women's tennis team did earn a couple of individual
honors. Ani Mijacika was named the 2009 ACC Player of the Year, as voted
on by the league's 12 head coaches.
This is the second major ACC honor for Mijacika, who was named Freshman of
the Year in 2007. She has earned player of the week honors three times
this season and is a seven-time recipient over her career.
Mijacika, a junior, was joined on the all-conference team by rookie Josipa
Bek as the two give Clemson a powerful combination at the top of the
line-up. Mijacika stands at 28-7 overall in singles play, including a 7-3
mark against ACC foes, and is currently ranked number three in the
Campbell/ITA Tennis singles poll.
The native of Makarska, Croatia has also spent six weeks as the nation's
top-ranked player this season. Mijacika is the ninth player in Clemson
women's history to earn to the league's top honor and is the Tigers' first
three-time All-ACC selection since Julie Coin from 2002-05.
Coin won ACC Player of the Year honors in 2004.
Not be forgotten of course is two-sport star Jacoby Ford, who won his
first ACC outdoor championship in the 100-meter dash Saturday.
Ford, who was second on the Clemson football team in receiving yards and
receptions last year, became the sixth different Clemson sprinter to win
both the indoor 60-meter and outdoor 100-meter in the same season. Shawn
Crawford (1998) was the first to accomplish the feat.
The double was also previously accomplished by Jacey Harper (2001), Dwight
Thomas (2002), Tye Hill (2004), and Travis Padgett (2008).
It marked the fourth straight year a Clemson athlete has claimed the 100,
and ninth time in the last 12 years of the event. Padgett won the crown
each of the last three seasons.
Ford led a 1-2-3 sweep of the men's 100. It marked the first sweep of the
three spots in that event since Clemson did it 2001 with Jacey Harper,
Larry Griffin, and Sultan Tucker.
Ford, the NCAA indoor champion in the 60-meter dash posted a time of 10.28
to run away with the ACC crown. His football teammate and good friend,
C.J. Spiller, was runner-up after posting a regional-qualifying time of
10.49. It was Spiller's second All-ACC honor in the 100.
Trenton Guy also claimed his first individual all-conference accolade by
virtue of his third-place showing (10.51).
Ford continued his outstanding meet with a runner-up finish in the
200-meter. He turned in a season-best time of 20.88 to lead Clemson. Guy
was sixth (21.18), while Spiller came across seventh (21.56) in the event.
Olympic sport champions wear Clemson orange
First of all congratulations to the Clemson rowing team - 2009 ACC
Champions. That's a great accomplishment for those young ladies. A lot of
people don't realize how much time and energy they put into that and it's
always great to see a group come together and win a championship.
The Tigers won their first ACC Championship by knocking off nine-time
defending champion Virginia. Second-year head coach Richard Ruggieri was
also named the ACC Coach of the Year.
The rowing team's ACC Championship Monday capped off a pretty good week
for Clemson's Olympic sports programs, which usually get lost in the glow
of the big three - football, basketball and baseball. Besides the rowing
team's success, the golf team, led by David May's record round of 66,
rallied to finish second in the ACC Golf Tournament.
May's 66 allowed him to win co-medalist honors with N.C. State's Matt Hill
and it was the best final round by an individual at the ACC Tournament in
Clemson golf history. The previous best was a 67 by Stephen Poole at The
Old North State Club in 2006.
The Clemson senior made up four shots in the final round with his
six-under-par 66, his top round of the year and his best round since he
had a 65 in the second round of the ACC Tournament at The Old North State
Club on April 22, 2006.
May's round on Sunday included eight birdies and two bogeys. He had seven
birdies in an eight-hole stretch between the fourth and 11th holes to get
to seven under par for the day and 11 under par for the tournament. He hit
a wedge to within a foot on the par-five 11th hole to give him his eighth
birdie of the day.
Though they could not repeat the magic that won them an ACC Championship a
year ago, the Clemson women's tennis team did earn a couple of individual
honors. Ani Mijacika was named the 2009 ACC Player of the Year, as voted
on by the league's 12 head coaches.
This is the second major ACC honor for Mijacika, who was named Freshman of
the Year in 2007. She has earned player of the week honors three times
this season and is a seven-time recipient over her career.
Mijacika, a junior, was joined on the all-conference team by rookie Josipa
Bek as the two give Clemson a powerful combination at the top of the
line-up. Mijacika stands at 28-7 overall in singles play, including a 7-3
mark against ACC foes, and is currently ranked number three in the
Campbell/ITA Tennis singles poll.
The native of Makarska, Croatia has also spent six weeks as the nation's
top-ranked player this season. Mijacika is the ninth player in Clemson
women's history to earn to the league's top honor and is the Tigers' first
three-time All-ACC selection since Julie Coin from 2002-05.
Coin won ACC Player of the Year honors in 2004.
Not be forgotten of course is two-sport star Jacoby Ford, who won his
first ACC outdoor championship in the 100-meter dash Saturday.
Ford, who was second on the Clemson football team in receiving yards and
receptions last year, became the sixth different Clemson sprinter to win
both the indoor 60-meter and outdoor 100-meter in the same season. Shawn
Crawford (1998) was the first to accomplish the feat.
The double was also previously accomplished by Jacey Harper (2001), Dwight
Thomas (2002), Tye Hill (2004), and Travis Padgett (2008).
It marked the fourth straight year a Clemson athlete has claimed the 100,
and ninth time in the last 12 years of the event. Padgett won the crown
each of the last three seasons.
Ford led a 1-2-3 sweep of the men's 100. It marked the first sweep of the
three spots in that event since Clemson did it 2001 with Jacey Harper,
Larry Griffin, and Sultan Tucker.
Ford, the NCAA indoor champion in the 60-meter dash posted a time of 10.28
to run away with the ACC crown. His football teammate and good friend,
C.J. Spiller, was runner-up after posting a regional-qualifying time of
10.49. It was Spiller's second All-ACC honor in the 100.
Trenton Guy also claimed his first individual all-conference accolade by
virtue of his third-place showing (10.51).
Ford continued his outstanding meet with a runner-up finish in the
200-meter. He turned in a season-best time of 20.88 to lead Clemson. Guy
was sixth (21.18), while Spiller came across seventh (21.56) in the event.
posted by Roy Philpott @ 11:28 AM
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