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June 25, 2008
Clemson, SC - Three current or former student-athletes from the Clemson men's track & field program have earned invitations to compete at the U.S. Olympic Trials, which begin Friday at Hayward Stadium in Eugene, OR. Travis Padgett and Mitch Greeley, who competed for Clemson this season, will join former Tiger sprinter (1997-2000) Shawn Crawford. The 2008 Olympic Games will be held August 8-24 in Beijing, China.
Padgett owns the second-best time in the 100m dash by an American this year. Only 2007 world champion Tyson Gay owns a better time than Padgett's 9.96 run in May at a Clemson meet. Padgett is coming off a national runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships in the event, and will be one of 32 sprinters vying for a spot on the 2008 Olympic team.
The Shelby, NC native and six-time NCAA All-American will be competing in the first round on Saturday, June 28 at 2:30 PM (Pacific Time). The quarterfinals are the same day at 5:01 PM, which will be televised nationally by NBC from 8-9 PM Eastern. Should he advance to Sunday, the semifinals will be at 2:30 PM and the final is slated for 4:49 PM. The 100m final would be televised live by NBC.
Greeley, a senior on this year's team, is one of 24 competitors entered in the pole vault this weekend. He was NCAA national runner-up indoors in the event and was a three-time All-American at Clemson. He will compete Friday, June 27 at 5:50 PM in the qualifying round. The final is scheduled for Sunday, June 29 at 2:40 PM.
Crawford is looking to defend his Olympic gold medal performance in the 200m dash from the 2004 games in Athens, Greece. He has qualified for the trials in both the 100m and 200m sprints. Crawford was a three-time NCAA champion in the 200m dash while at Clemson, and is the defending trial champion in the event as well.
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