Upstate Women's Track Wraps Up Season at Clemson Saturday
5/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
May 9, 2008
Orange and Purple Classic Meet Program
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The USC Upstate women's track and field team will be competing for the final time in the 2008 season Saturday when they travel to Clemson, S.C., for the Orange and Purple Classic. The meet will begin at 10 a.m. at the Rock Norman Track facility.
"We're really excited about this meet," USC Upstate track and field head coach Jimmy Stephens said. "Our girls have worked very hard and we're putting a lot of them in single events to showcase their best abilities."
Leading the way all season for the Upstate women's track and field team has been freshman distance runner Emily Tangwar, who won three events (800 meters, mile, 3000 meters) at the Atlantic Sun Indoor Championships in early March.
Tangwar will be competing for the first time this season in the women's 3000 meter steeplechase, an event that combines distance running with several barriers placed around the track and at-least one barrier that has a water pit right after you hurdle it.
"This will be (Emily's) first time giving this event a try," Stephens said. "We went to Furman to practice and use their barriers and we think she'll adapt to this event."
Freshman jumper Melissa Billups comes into the meet after getting her first career event win in the women's triple jump at the Catamount Classic in mid-April and will compete in the same event, as well as the women's long jump, this Saturday.
After finishing in the top-five in both the women's javelin and the shot put at the Catamount Classic, freshman Dee Dee Allen will look to end her season on the right note as she competes in the women's javelin.
Freshman sprinter Kiah White comes into this weekend riding a wave of success after scoring back-to-back top-three finishes in consecutive meets in the women's 100 meter dash. She will be competing in the women's 400 meter dash on Saturday.
Stephens said that this meet will give his women's team one last chance to set personal records and reward them for their hard work this season since the team is not eligible for the Atlantic Sun Outdoor Championships.
"We're looking for everyone to set personal records and we've dialed back our training since exams," Stephens said. "We wanted to give them one last opportunity to compete and this is the grand finale for them."
