Ford, 4x100m Relay Qualify for Finals at NCAA Outdoor Championships

by Press Release - Thu Jun 11 10:07:00 GMT-04:00 2009

Fayetteville, AR – Jacoby Ford qualified for the finals of both the 100m dash and 4x100m relay Wednesday to lead the Tiger track & field program at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Ford, who finished fifth last year in the 100m at the national meet, will be joined on the relay by Justin Murdock, C.J. Spiller, and Trenton Guy.

The 4x1 won the second heat to qualify for Friday’s final, which will be at 7:15 PM (Eastern). Murdock got the group off to a great start, followed by a strong backstretch from Spiller. After what appeared to be a slower final exchange, Ford turned on the speed in the anchor leg to give the Tigers the victory with a time of 39.08.

This marks the second time in the last three years Clemson has qualified for the finals of the 4x1. The 2007 team of Travis Padgett, Corey Brown, Cowin Mills, and Spiller finished seventh at the NCAA Championships.

Clemson was fifth-fastest during the preliminary round Wednesday.

Ford looked sharp in the preliminary round of the 100m dash. He coasted to a winning time of 10.01 in his heat, which was a personal best and the second-best time in Clemson history. Murdock and Spiller also qualified for the semifinals, with both crossing the finish line in 10.30 in their respective heats.

The semifinals of the 100m dash were scheduled to begin at 8:40 PM, but a thunderstorm delay of two and a half hours pushed the start time back to after 11 PM in Fayetteville (Central Time Zone). Ford was not affected by the delay, as he put together a time of 10.26 into a headwind and won the first semifinal. Murdock (10.66) was ninth in that semifinal. Spiller got a good start in the second semifinal, but finished sixth in the race with a time of 10.48. Spiller was 13th overall.

Ford will take on a strong field in the 100m dash final on Friday. The event is scheduled for 8:45 PM (Eastern). Both the 4x100m final and 100m dash final will be televised live Friday by CBS College Sports Network.

It was a disappointing first trip to the national meet for Miller Moss, who completed just one event in the decathlon before withdrawing due to an ankle injury. He visibly struggled during the opening event, the 100m dash, and was pulled during warmups for the long jump. Moss entered the competition with a personal best 7,323-point total in the decathlon, sixth-best in Clemson history.

Kristine Scott is the lone competitor for Clemson on Thursday. The junior sprinter from the women’s team will compete in the prelims of the 200m dash at 7:10 PM. The semifinals are scheduled for 8:35 PM. The action will once again be webcast by NCAA.com on the track & field home page.