ACC Championships Overall Outlook

Feb 22, 2024, 1:46 PM

The Clemson men's and women's track & field teams are set to go to work in Boston as the multis are already underway. The bulk of the competition will begin later with the first non-multi event starting at 3:15 PM.

Both Clemson squads should come into this meet in an excellent position to contend for the team titles, especially the women, who should be the favorite to win. They are ranked #21 in the nation entering the competition, tied for their best ranking of the season. Clemson is also the #1 ranked team in the ACC. USTFCCCA's rankings project Clemson as a decisive favorite based on their points system. What makes the Tigers so formidable is their tremendous depth in the sprints and hurdles coupled with key individual stars in the jumps, throws, and mid-distance.

Shantae Foreman (triple jump), Oneka Wilson (60 meter hurdles), and Gladys Chepngetich (800 meters) all lead the conference in their respective events. Marie Forbes is second in the conference in the weight throw, as is Ockera Myrie in the 200 meters. They are then followed by a bevy of sprinters and hurdlers in the 3 through 8 range in the individual conference rankings including Aleksandra Stoilova, Antoinette Van Der Merwe, Ken'naria Gadson, Lashanna Graham, and Courtney Williams. All of these names stand to be key contributors to the Tigers' title hopes. A few other jumpers below them in the rankings are also within reasonable range of having a potential scoring impact.

Crucially, Clemson's 4x400m relay team also has the fastest time in the conference. If the scores are close entering the final event, it's a good feeling knowing that the Tigers have the edge to potentially win the meet with a winning effort in the 4x4. The weak link for Clemson is, as always, distance. There will likely be no help whatsoever coming from any distance greater than 800 meters. But that shouldn't matter. As long as the women secure the points they're expected to collect in all of the other areas, they should finish with more than enough to get the win.

The men will face a steeper test than the women, but they should still be positioned to have a solid performance. Clemson is ranked as the #46 team in the country entering the week (their best ranking this season was #34.) The Tigers are currently ranked as the #4 team in the ACC behind Virginia Tech, Virginia, and Florida State. USTFCCCA's rankings project Virginia Tech as massive favorites, with a sizable gap between them and Virginia and Florida State, who are relatively close at 2nd and 3rd. Then there is another large gap between them and Clemson and North Carolina, who are pretty close to each other at 4th and 5th. The male Tigers don't have the same level of depth as their female counterparts, but they're certainly not lacking in star power.

Cameron Rose is the man to watch for Clemson. He has the fastest time in the conference in the 200 meters and the second fastest in the 60 meters. As always, the Tigers have a solid core of sprinters. D'Andre Anderson is second in the ACC in the 400 meters and fourth in the 200 meters. Jevon Williams and Tahj Hamm are each fourth in the 60 meter hurdles and the 400 meters respectively. Clemson will certainly be counting on its mid-distance star Tarees Rhoden to deliver another big performance. Rhoden, who is currently second in the conference in the 800 meters, won the event each of the last two years. Fellow mid-distance runner Charles Crick, currently ninth in the conference in the 800 meters, could have a critical role to play for the team as a fringe scoring candidate.

But the most crucial part of Clemson's title hopes this season will likely come from the cage. Daniel Cope leads the ACC in the weight throw, and Courtney Lawrence is second in the shot put. Freshman Matthew Auble could be the one to play a crucial swing role depending on whether he finishes higher or lower than his projection, as he is currently sixth in the conference in the weight throw. The men's 4x400m relay team should be a formidable weapon as usual, as the Tigers have the second fastest time in the ACC. Similar to the women, this should set them up well if they find themselves in need of some clutch points late. Unfortunately, that's about all there is in terms of the likely major contributors on the men's side, unless someone drastically outperforms expectations.

Beyond the big names already mentioned, the rest of the points will probably have to come in little bits and pieces from a multitude of other sources in the sprints/hurdles, jumps, multis, and mid-distance. There are no expected major contributors to speak of in the jumps or in distance, so the Tigers can't count on much help from there. This is where the injured Aman Thornton will be greatly missed, as he could have provided another big-time contribution in mid-distance. Overall, the Clemson men should still be well-positioned to have a solid performance; I certainly can't see them finishing any lower than fifth at worst. Attempting to capture the title will be an uphill battle against the superior depth of Virginia Tech and Florida State, especially with little to no help at all from jumps or distance. But I still think Clemson has a decent chance as long as their stars show up. After all, this is track: all it takes is for one misstep or for a fraction of a second difference and all those projections go up in smoke. And remember, you can't count out last year's outdoor champs. They certainly have a flair for the dramatic.

Go Tigers!

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ACC Championships Overall Outlook

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