CLEMSON, SC – If North Carolina A&T competitors are to make a move toward making the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in March, Clemson University's Tiger Paw Invitational is the place to do it.
Friday marked the first day of Tiger Paw at the Clemson University Indoor Complex as the Aggies faced top-tier talent, going against hundreds of athletes from the nation's 30 top programs and professionals from teams sponsored by Adidas, Nike, and New Balance.
It forced many Aggies to step up their performances. With 13 athletes competing on Day 1, the Aggies saw six personal-best performances.
After concluding three men's 60-meter hurdle rounds, freshman Jason Holmes finished seventh, behind three of the nation's top-5 and one professional athlete sponsored by TRS. But more importantly, Holmes ran a personal-best 7.69 in the semifinal round. As a result, there is a chance Holmes could break into the top-10 nationally. It would be a significant leap from his current No. 37 ranking. Holmes came into the weekend ranked second in the CAA, but he could be ranked first after the weekend.
In the highly contested men's 400-meter event, sophomore Reheem Hayles pulled out a 45.95 to take a fifth-place finish among 81 runners. Each of Hayles competitors ranked in the top-10 nationally except one. Hayles 45.95 is a new indoor PR, hopefully improving his No. 8 ranking nationally. His time will almost ensure Hayles will compete at the NCAA indoor championships.
Teammate Shemar Chambers may have also improved his 400m national ranking by finishing 11th at Clemson with a time of 46.37. Coming into the weekend, the 16th-best time in the country was 46.37. The top-16 times nationally qualify for nationals.
Competition in the women's 400m saw graduate Jada Griffin place 17th among 81 athletes with an indoor PR of 53.03. Of those who finished ahead of Griffin, many were in the nation's top-15, and one was sponsored by Puma.
In the field events, Qualiar Newton and Carlos Alexander delivered personal best performances in the men's weight throw. Newton finished fourth and moved his PR from 56-feet, 6 ½-inches to 57-feet, 3-inches.
Alexander jumped from 52-feet, 8 ¾-inches to 54-feet, 9 ½-inches, finishing eighth. Newton and Alexander could provide the Aggies with key points at the CAA indoor championships.
Tiger Paw Invite will continue Saturday with events starting with the women's shot put at 10 a.m. and concluding with the men's 4x400 at 3:45 p.m.
