Clemson Sports Notes for 2000-01 |
Overall Program
-The Clemson sports program had 11 teams rank in the final top 25, the university’s highest number of top 25 teams since the 1991-92 academic year when a record 13 teams finished in the top 25. Overall, it tied for the third highest number of top 25 finishes in Clemson history. -Clemson had 31 All-Americans in 2000-01, its second highest single year total on record. The 39 achieved in 1998-99 is the only figure that is higher for one year. -The program could boast of 70 All-ACC selections, the highest total since 1989-90 when a record 82 athletes made All-ACC. The total reached in 2000-01 is the second highest total in school history. -Clemson upset the nation’s top ranked team in two different sports during the 2000-01 academic year. The Lady Tiger soccer team defeated a #1 ranked and eventual national champion North Carolina team by a 2-1 score in October at Clemson. The Clemson men’s basketball team upset a #1 ranked North Carolina team that had won 18 straight games in February. It was just the third academic year in Clemson history that the school had wins over top ranked teams in two different sports. -Clemson had another strong performance in spring sports as four teams ranked in the top 25 in the nation in their respective final polls. The golf team finished second to tie for its highest finish ever, while the women’s track team was seventh, its highest outdoor track ranking. The baseball team advanced to the Super Regionals and ranked 12th in the final poll. The rowing team, in just its third year of existence, ranked 21st in the final poll. -Clemson had at least two All-ACC performers on 14 of its 19 teams, while nine different teams had at least two All-Americans. -Twelve of Clemson’s 19 teams participated in post-season play and six different teams that compete in dual match or game competition upset at least one top 25 team. -Clemson was one of the dominant programs in the nation when it came to soccer. Both programs ranked in the top 10 in the nation, one of just three programs nationally to make that claim. The men advanced to the Sweet 16, while the women advanced to the regional finals. Both teams played host to the NCAA Tournament and combined for 12 wins over top 25 teams. -Clemson had the ACC Performer of the Year in three of the four league track meets during 2000-01. Cyndonie Mothersill was the ACC Track Performer of the year at the ACC outdoor meet, while Jamine Moton was the MVP of the indoor meet. Jacey Harper was the MVP of the Indoor track meet on the men’s side. -Three coaches in three different sports were named ACC Coach of the Year in 2000-01. The list included Susie Lueck (rowing), Bob Pollock (Indoor track) and Ray Leone (women’s soccer). Academic Notes -Clemson was the only Division I school in the nation with two first-team Academic All-Americans in football. Kyle Young (center) and Chad Carson (linebacker) were both named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America first-team. It was the second straight year for Young on the first team, while Carson had been a second-team selection as a sophomore. Both return to the gridiron and the classroom in 2001. -Soccer All-American Mike Potempa was named a first-team Academic All-American. He became the first Clemson soccer player to be an All-American in the classroom and on the field of competition in the same year. -Clemson’s student-athletes had a 2.80 GPA for the spring semester in 2001, the highest overall GPA on record. The overall student body had a 2.82, and the 0.02 margin between the student-athletes and the overall student population was the smallest differential on record. -A total of seven teams posted GPAs over 3.0 in the spring semester of 2001, the most in school history for a single semester. Six programs posted all-time highs for semester GPA, including the football, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, men’s swimming, women’s swimming and rowing teams. -A total of 41 Clemson student-athletes received their Clemson degrees on May 11, 2001. The list included seven students who had earned All-America honors during their playing career at Clemson. On the list of graduates that day were Rod Gardner (football), Kyle Young (football), John Engler (golf), Mark Lisi (men’s soccer), Shekera Weston (women’s track), Michelle Burgher (women’s track) and Charles Allen (men’s track). -A record 28 student-athletes were named to the President’s List (a perfect 4.0) and a record 97 student-athletes made the dean’s list for the spring semester of 2001. Overall, 215 student-athletes had a 3.0 GPA or better, nearly 50 percent of the 441 student-athletes in the 19 varsity programs at Clemson. -Lauren Henne was the recipient of the Weaver-James-Corrigan Award from the ACC for her outstanding performance on the Clemson rowing team and in the classroom. She was chosen to the All-Region team as a senior. -The Clemson football team had a 2.58 team GPA in the spring, significantly ahead of the previous high of 2.49 set in the spring semester of 2000. Tommy Bowden has been the head coach at Clemson for five semesters and his team has had five of the top six semesters on record. Thirty-seven Clemson football players made the academic honor roll, the high total among Clemson teams for the semester. Individual Accomplishments -Clemson had two of the top seven golfers in the nation according to the final MasterCard rankings. John Engler finished fourth in the final individual poll, the highest finish in history for a Tiger golfer, while classmate Lucas Glover was seventh. Both golfers were named to the United States Palmer Cup team and ranked one-two in career stroke average at the completion of their careers. -Sophomore golfer D.J. Trahan won the United States Public Links Championship in July of 2000. The victory earned him a spot in the 2001 Masters. He was Clemson’s top competitor at the NCAAs with a seventh-place finish. -Wide receiver Rod Gardner was a first-round draft choice, the 15th overall selection, of the Washington Redskins in the 2001 NFL draft. Gardner was a first-team All-American in 2000 and will always be remembered for his 50-yard reception with 10 seconds left that set up Aaron Hunt’s game winning field goal against South Carolina. He established Clemson’s career reception record (166) in his final game vs. Virginia Tech in the Gator Bowl -Keith Adams was a first-team All-American by Associated Press and was one of three finalists for the Butkus Award. The linebacker was also one of five finalists for the Bednarik Award, which is given to the top defensive player in college football. -Cydonie Mothersill was a two-time National Champion for the academic year. She won the 200 meters indoors, then was a member of the 4X400 relay team that won the NCAA Outdoor championships. She was named the outdoor track NCAA Regional Athlete of the Year as well. She established school records in five events, indoor or outdoor combined. Mothersill teamed with Michelle Burgher, Marcia Smith and Shekera Weston in winning the national championship in the 4X400 relay at the NCAA outdoor championships in Oregon. -Lindsay Browne was named the National Freshman of the Year (Soccer America) and the ACC Freshman of the Year. She led the Lady Tigers in goals with 13 and in points scored with 38. -Mark Lisi was a first-team All-American and number-three selection of the MLS draft by DC United. Lisi’s number-three selection was the second highest choice by a Clemson athlete in any sport, trailing only Kris Benson, who was the top pick of the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft. The 2001 Clemson graduate scored the winning goal for D.C. United in each of his first two games at the professional level. -Jamine Moton finished second at the NCAA outdoor meet in the shot put. She also had an All-America performance in two events at the indoor meet. Additionally, she was named the ACC Indoor Meet MVP as she was the ACC champion in three events. She later won two events at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia. -Chrissy Floyd was named to the 2001 United States World University Games team. Floyd was named one of the top 10 players in the ACC and led the league in free throw shooting. She was also named to the Kodak All-Region team. -Will Solomon was ranked as the sixth best player in the ACC for the second year in a row. He became the first Clemson men’s basketball player to be named first or second-team All-ACC as a sophomore and junior sinceTree Rollins (1975-76). Solomon set 15 Clemson records over the last two years, including consecutive double figure scoring games with 52 in a row. -Lucy Doolittle became Clemson’s first-ever rowing All-American. She was a first-team selection. Team Accomplishments -The Clemson football team ranked 14th in the final USA Today Coaches poll, the highest final team ranking since 1991. Tommy Bowden’s team won nine regular season games, also a high since 1991. The team won its first eight games and was ranked as high as #3 in the nation. Six different Clemson football players were finalists or semifinalists for national position awards, the most for a single team in school history. Four different players earned selection to various All-America teams and six were named first-team All-ACC most since 1991. -The Tiger golf team finished second at the NCAA national tournament in Durham, NC, the highest finish by a Clemson program in 2000-01. That tied for the highest finish in Clemson golf history, and it was the third time in the last five years that Clemson ranked in the top five in the country. The team finished in the top five in all 13 of its tournaments, just the second time the Tigers had done that. Clemson ranked in the top five in the nation in every poll in 2000-01 and has a streak of 62 straight top 5 rankings entering 2001-02. Lucas Glover and John Engler were both named first-team All-Americans for the second time in their careers. -The men’s basketball team defeated #1 ranked North Carolina in February, ending the nation’s longest winning streak at 18 games. It marked the second time in school history that Clemson had upset the nation’s top ranked team. Will Solomon was named to the NCAA All-District team and was a second-team All-ACC selection. Clemson was the only school with two selections on the ACC All-Rookie team (Tony Stockman, Chris Hobbs). -The baseball team advanced to the Super Regional of the NCAA Tournament (final 16), one of six schools to do it for the third straight year. Clemson was chosen for the tournament for the 15th straight year and won at least 40 games for the 16th consecutive year. Jeff Baker led the ACC in home runs with 23 (one off the Clemson record) and was named to many All-America teams. Steve Reba was a third-team All-American and a first-team All-ACC pitcher as he won 12 games, most in the league. The Tigers were 13th in the final Collegiate Baseball poll -The Clemson women’s basketball team advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 13th time in the last 14 years under Coach Jim Davis. The Lady Tigers were ranked 22nd in the final AP poll, the 12th time in 14 years that Clemson has been among the top 25 in the nation. Chrissy Floyd and Erin Batth were All-ACC selections. Batth became the first Lady Tiger to be drafted by the WNBA. -The women’s soccer team upset seven top 25 teams in 2000, more than any other year in its history. The Lady Tigers were ranked fifth in the final poll after reaching the Final Eight of the NCAA Tournament. Clemson won the ACC regular season championship, ahead of eventual national champion North Carolina, who the Lady Tigers defeated for the first time. A record four Lady Tigers were named to some All-America team and five were drafted by the women’s professional league. Goalkeeper Katie Carson was ninth in the nation in fewest goals allowed. -The men’s soccer team finished eighth in the nation in the final ranking with a 14-4-2 record. Trevor Adair’s team played the nation’s toughest schedule and had two All-Americans, two academic All-Americans and four All-ACC selections. Clemson had three players drafted by the MLS led by Mark Lisi. Lisi ranked fifth in the nation in points per game, 10th in goals per game. Three current Clemson players were chosen to the United States junior national team. -Women’s track and field coach Marcia Fletcher-Noad had one of the most outstanding rookie coaching seasons in Clemson athletics history. The Lady Tigers ranked third in the nation at the NCAA Indoor meet and seventh at the outdoor meet. It marked the first time in Clemson women’s track and field history that the Lady Tigers finished in the top 10 indoors and outdoors in the same year. The rankings were also the highest at each meet in the history of the school. -Clemson’s men’s track program won the ACC championship at the indoor and outdoor meets. Jacey Harper was the MVP of the indoor ACC Championships as he won the 100 and the 200 meters indoors. Larry Griffin was the ACC Rookie of the Year for the indoor season. The Tigers had three All-Americans at the outdoor meet and two indoors, where they finished 20th in the nation. Seven different athletes won ACC championships at the outdoor meet. -Clemson’s rowing team was in just its third season, but had a banner year. Susie Lueck was named the ACC Coach of the Year and the Regional Coach of the Year, making her one of five finalists for national honors. The team was ranked as high as 15th in the nation at one point before finishing with a #21 ranking. The team won the South Region championship. Its Varsity 8+ boat was named the ACC Crew of the Year and the Varsity 4+ won the ACC Championship. Lucy Doolittle became the sports first All-American. -The men’s tennis team went from the play-in match to the championship match at the ACC Championships in April before losing to a top 10 Duke team. Josh Goffi was a first-team All-ACC performer and led the Tigers in their unprecedented run at the ACC Tournament. The Lady Tigers tennis team was led by Ana Stiglic, who posted a 16-6 record in dual matches and an overall 22-12 mark in singles play. -The women’s swimming program was ranked 21st in the nation in the final coaches poll, its highest ranking since 1991-92. Four Lady Tigers, Mandy Commons, Patty Hider, Elise Thieler and Lindsey Kroeger were honorable mention All-Americans. Diver Elise Thieler was an ACC Champion. The men’s swimming team had another winning record under Bruce Marchionda and featured ACC Champion Matt Wilson. Diver Craig Thomas joined Wilson on the All-ACC team. The volleyball team was led by Jodi Steffes, who was a first-team All-Region selection. The rising junior had a .310 hitting percentage including .300 in the ACC. Jessie Betcher ranked among the ACC leaders in assists/game, helping Clemson to victories over perennially strong programs Auburn, Wake Forest, Duke and Georgia.
Upgrade Your Account
Unlock premium boards and exclusive features (e.g. ad-free) by upgrading your account today.
Upgrade Now
