Clemson is the Best: November 2009

Overview: Clemson Athletics

Clemson is known and respected for its academics but it is also known for its great athletics. Clemson's foundations in athletics began when Clemson was still a military school. From these foundations, Clemson sports have become one of the school's many appealing factors to prospective students. Clemson has done a great job promoting its classic sports such as football and basketball, but it has also sought to create interest in sports that are new to its athletic program such as women's rowing. The popularity of Clemson continues to rely heavily on its athletic achievements.

Clemson draws a lot of students that actively participate in or love to watch sports. Those freshmen that arrive without an understanding of the Clemson athletic tradition find themselves in awe at the first home football game while 80,000 fans cheer on the Tigers as they rush down the Hill -- a grassy area behind our goalposts. Weekends at Clemson in the fall revolve around football and students here wouldn't have it any other way.

Sports are a way of life at Clemson. It is perhaps one of the best schools for you to watch or play any sport imaginable, from Division I to intramural. Club and intramural sports give you the opportunity to try something new -- some of which you would never believe a university would sponsor -- just don't tell your parents you're training with the Dixie Skydivers.

Clemson University Department of Athletics Mission Statement

The Department of Athletics offers nationally prominent athletic programs. Through a dedicated commitment to educational interests, a competitive athletic program, and integrity in all areas, the student-athletes, coaches, and staff strive to bring credit and recognition to Clemson University.

The mission of the Athletic Department is to sponsor a broad-based athletic program that provides educational opportunities for young men and women to grow, develop and serve the interests of Clemson University by complementing and enhancing its diversity and quality of life.

Furthermore, the Athletic Department seeks to be a source of pride for the citizens of the State of South Carolina and to be recognized as a nationally prominent program, through consistently high levels of performance and accomplishment in athletic competitions.

The Athletic Department strives to develop student-athletes academically and athletically with the total commitment of aiding their efforts to graduate from Clemson University and advance to careers that will enable them to be productive members of society.

The Athletic Department will act in an ethical and honest manner, dedicated to compliance with all Federal, State, NCAA, Conference, and University rules and regulations.

The nine objectives are:

To provide support in all areas of student-athletic welfare, including academics, personal growth, wellness, career, and community service.
To recruit student-athletes who possess reasonable expectations of academic, athletic, and social success.
To provide facilities, equipment, training and healthcare to ensure that student-athletes have the opportunity to excel.
To maintain a sound financial base through adequate funding and appropriate management of funds.
To operate in compliance with all rules of the university, Atlantic Coast Conference, and NCAA.
To encourage student-athletes, coaches, and staff to participate in appropriate community service activities, consistent with university, conference, and NCAA rules and regulations.
To employ coaches and staff, consistent with university and Athletics Department philosophy and standards of integrity and moral conduct.
To support equitable opportunities for all student-athletes, administrators, and staff including women and minorities.
To support equitable opportunities for all coaches and staff in areas such as advancement, benefit increases, and continuing education.

Clemson Sports:

Clemson Soccer

Clemson soccer is still in the early years of its development, but it has taken many steps toward becoming a touch competitor as a college soccer team.

Recent Achievements:

Nathan Thornton scored both goals to lead the Clemson University men's soccer team to a 2-0 win against Virginia Tech in the first round of the ACC Tournament at Cary, N.C.
Clemson (6-11-1), the No. 9 seed, advances to a quarterfinals match against No. 1 seed Wake Forest University (13-3-2), which is ranked No. 3 nationally.

Clemson had not won an ACC Tournament match since November 9, 2006, when the Tigers defeated Virginia in the quarterfinals.

Clemson Basketball

There is no denying that Clemson has made extraordinary progress in Oliver Purnell's first six years as head coach. He has brought Clemson to the upper division of the ACC in consecutive seasons, thanks to back-to-back winning marks in league play, something that had not been done at Clemson since the 1965-67 era.

Clemson has ranked in the final top 25 of the Associated Press poll each of the last two years, a first in Clemson history. He has coached the Tigers to 72 wins over the last three years, the highest total in any three-year run in Clemson history and the thirst-highest victory total in the ACC in that time period. The Tigers join ACC powers Duke and North Carolina as the only league schools to go to the NCAA Tournament each of the last two years. Purnell will attempt to join Rick Barnes as the only coaches to take Clemson to the "Big Dance" three consecutive years when the Tigers take the court in 2009-10.

His most impressive accomplishment might be the consistent improvement the program has made since he came to Clemson. Last year the tigers finished 23-9 for a 72 percent winning mark. It was the fifte straight year Clemson had improved its winning percentage from the previous year, something only one other ACC coach (Bobby Cremins at Georgia Tech) has accomplised.

Clemson Baseball

2008 Review

Record ~ 31-27-1 Overall, 18-13 Home, 10-12-1 Away, 3-2 Neutral

ACC Regular-Season Record (Finish) ~11-18-1 (4th in Atlantic)

ACC Tournament Record (Finish) ~ 1-2 (T-4th)

NCAA Tournament Record ~ N/A

Final Clemson Rankings ~ N/A

Highest Rankings ~ 19 by Baseball America (February 25)

~ #13 by Collegiate Baseball (Preseason, February 25)

~ #16 by Sports Weekly (Preseason)

Record vs. Top-25 Ranked Teams ~ 3-17

Twenty-one returning lettermen and a top-10 recruiting class gave Head Coach Jack Leggett reason for optimism in 2009. After missing out on the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1986, the Tigers are aiming for a return to postseason play with a deeper roster at every position.

"I am excited about this team," said Leggett, who is in his 16th year at the program's helm with 680 wins, tied for fifth-most in the nation over that span. "I think we'll be a team with more depth at every position than we've had in the past. We have a lot more intra-team competition, which will help move everyone to another level. We have a good mix of athletes in the outfield, infield, and at catcher, and we have quality depth on the pitching staff.

The Tigers will open the season with a preseason top-25 ranking for the 21st consecutive year, as they are listed at #19 by Baseball America and #25 in the Sports Weekly coaches' poll.

Clemson Golf

On some fronts, the 2009-10 season begins a new era in Clemson golf. No, we aren't talking about the head coaching position. Larry Penley begins his 27th season leading his program that has been to the NCAA Tournament all 26 previous years he has been at the helm, including 20 top 20 finishes, most than any coach in Clemson sports history. He has already been inducted into the College Golf Hall of Fame and will be inducted into the South Carolina Golf Hall of Fame on December 6.

But the roster is composed of just two seniors with the other nine student-athletes listed as sophomores of freshmen. For the first time in Penley's coaching career, Clemson returns just one starter from the previous year. Gons is the two-time first-team All-American Kyle Stanley, who won the prestigious Ben Hogan Award last year as college golf's top amateur player. He finished second at the NCAA Tournament twice and finished his career second in stroke average, trailing only D.J. Trahan on the all-time list.

TULSA, Okla. --

Clemson senior Ben Martin finished runner-up in the champioinship match of the U.S. Amateur at Southern Hills Country Club. Martin was defeated 7 & 5 by Byeong-Hun An, who at 17 became the youngest winner in the history of the prestigious amateur event.

Due to his runner-up finish, Martin should now be eligible to play in both the 2010 Masters and U.S. Open events. The champion and runner-up of the U.S. Amateur are eligible for the following year's U.S. Open, provided both players retain their amateur status.

Clemson Football

Won four of its last five regular season games to earn a January 1 Bowl bid in the Konita Minolta Gator Bowl -- Clemson's first appearance in a January bowl game since the 2004 Chick-fil-A Bowl
Clemson's fourst consecutive bowl appearance and ninth in the last 10 years
Clemson posted a ninth consecutive winning season, one of just 14 Division I schools with nine consecutive winning seasons
Ranked in the top four in the ACC in scoring offense and scoring defense, the only ACC team to rank in the top four in both categories
Only ACC school to rank in the top three in the league in both pass offense and pass defense
Clemson 2008 seniors finished with 32 victories over the last four years, tied for the most wins by a Clemson senior class in the last 15 years
First senior class in Clemson history to post winning record against Florida State and South Carolina
Ranked 20th in final Sagarin computer poll at end of regular season
Played the number-16 ranked schedule according to the NCAA
First Clemson team to defeat Boston College in 50 years, the Tigers gained a 27-21 win in Boston on November 1
Fourteen seniors on the Gator Bowl roster suited up for that game with their academic degrees already on their resume
Program established record for season ticket sales with 58,134 and ranked 18th in the nation in average attendance - also led the ACC in average home attendance
Had school record three players named to the Senior Bowl (James Davis, Aaron Kelly, Michael Hamlin) and one player named to East-West Shring Game (Aaron Kelly)

Clemson Rowing

Why Clemson Rowing?

2008 NCAA Championships - 14th place finish

2008 Coach Richard Ruggieri named South Region Coach of the year and finalist for coach of the year

2008 named six members to the United States Rowing Team

2008 crowned one World Rowing Champion

2008 Coach Richard Ruggieri U23 4-coach

2008 an all Clemson 4- finishes 4th in the World

2008 Two All-American Rowers

2008 Four All-South Region recipients for Clemson

2008 ACC Freshman of the Year

2008 a total of 11 Academic All-Americans (Tied first in Country)

ACC Sportsmanship Award of Rowing

2008 Team GPA of 3.30

How does Clemson Rowing set itself apart?

On-campus facility and lake

4 million dollar training center for rowing

1 million dollar boathouse and fleet for sweep and sculling

6 lane fully buoyed race course finishing in front of the boathouse

350 chair-back seating stadium

Year-round rowing

Vickery Hall, nation's first academic center for Athletics

Clemson Pride and sense of family

Clemson Cross Country

2008 ACC Championships Review

Led by an All-ACC performance from sophomore Jenna Baker, the Clemson women's team improved to an eight-place finish at the conference meet in Chapel Hill, N.C. The eight-place showing was the best by the women's team since the 2000 meet in Raleigh, N.C. Baker posted a time of 21:14.6 over the 6K course and finished 13th.

Kim Ruck was outstanding in her ACC meet debut, finishing 20th with a time of 21:27.6. She was one of the highest-finishing freshmen at the meet.

The men struggled to a ninth-place finish. Will Noble was the team's top finisher in 21st position. He had an 8K time of 25:14.3. Sam Bryfczynski nursed an injury to finish 39th, well short of his own expectations.

Clemson Swimming and Diving

Men's Swimming and Diving

Ip is calling on his 2008-2009 team to come together and really push themselves as a team. There will be a lot of new faces contributing immediately and Ip will challenge teh student-athletes right from the first meet.

"Last year the men felt that they needed to do their small part. They need to expand their horizon, and say, 'not only am I going to succeed in my first event, but I need to help the team in my second or third event.'"

Because of the strength of leadership a season ago, Ip thinks that the student-athletes may not have truly pushed themselves to be the best they can be in every race. "We graduated as a big group of seniors and last year we went on auto-drive a bit. We relied on that group to pull us through and they performed at a very high level."

The top 20 recruiting class will certainly help dull the blow of the lost seniors, but we will certainly not replace them. Yet, the new student-athletes will bring new skills and immediately upgrade the overall talent at each hole. They will be a strong foundation for seasons to come as Clemson continues to progress.

Very infrequently does a team have a total shift in strength as the 2008-09 team will. The 2007-09 team had strength in experience and were very deep in the sprint free, fly, and breast groups. This team will find strength in its youth and will likely be strong in the distance free, backstroke, and IM.

The squad is an interesting mix of youth and experience, which could prove valuable in the long run. The Tigers have a lost of potential but they have to work hard to achieve optimal results in a hotly contested ACC. Coach Ip has worked hard to create a culture that promotes sportsmanship.

"If a student-athlete comes to Clemson and invests in our program, then we invest in them and we build. I think if you see what we've done, our students coming in are succeeding academically," said Ip. "Hopefully you see that we are building a solid program that is a stepping stone for each program afterward and we look out for the total student all the way around."

This team will face the challenge of going forward into the unknown and coming together as a team and trusting the coaching staff and upperclassmen to pull them through what could be a surprising season.

"I want the team to have an open mind and be willing to step up to another level. I am afraid sometimes that our student-athletes compare themselves to last year, and I want them to come in with an open mind and be willing to try new things. I want them to get out of a comfort zone and ask 'what's next?' If this team is willing to open up their mind and try new things with their new coaching staff and take a step forward into the unknown and that will make us successful this year."

Women's Swimming and Diving

The Tigers fifth-place finish in 2008-08 marked an improvement throughout the season for the women's team. This season, however, Clemson has a real opportunity to raise eyebrows around the nation. As the Tigers found out last season, standing isn't necessarily about having the most individual wins, but rather the depth at each stroke.

Ip echoes this sentiment, saying, "Our depth at the upper level has really improved. In the past we've had depth, but it's been at the middle of the pack. Every single event, there will be some Tigers in the top eight and top 16, and we haven't seen that before."

The Tigers will take on seven ACC opponents, as well as a new challenge, the Georgia Invitational, which traditionally has some of the best teams in the SEC and the NCAA in heated midseason competition.

"The Georgia Invite is an opportunity for us to show that we are at that elite level and to get them exposed to racing against elite swimmers in miseason and get them ready for the ACCs and NCAAs," said Ip. "I think that this team is really looking for a shot to go up against these teams."

In order to be a championship-caliber team, it is important to have teammates finishing in scoring positions. This team affords that depth that can move the Tigers up withint the hotly contested ACC. Many teams will be bunched at the top, and this season marks an opportunity for Clemson to continue momentum into the upper echelon for years to come.

Clemson Tennis

Total development of the player is what first-year Head Coach Chuck McCuen is stressing to the 2009 Tigers.

"We want to become a team that will help and encourage each other and grow and become the best that we can be," said McCuen, who served as an assistant coach at Clemson the previous seven years under 33-year Head Coach Cuck Kriese.

When asked about the keys to the season, McCuen emphasized consistency in doing the right things. "One of the most important keys to this season and in program development is rituals. What I mean by that is being consistent in our philosophy and not deviating. We want to build unity.

"For example, we eat together as a team once a week. We embrace the mental aspects by meeting with a sports psychologist on a consistent basis. This will help mental skills. We want to do as much as we can to build the team. We are going to be consistent in what we do every day and not deviate from that.

"I want them to earn people's respect and not just inherit respect as they mature. Respect has to be earned. Whether you are a freshman or a senior, everyone has equal importance on our team."

Aside from consistency, McCuen also believes in teamwork and total student-athlete development. "We want to be the best each and every day in everything that we do and say. Teamwork and team chemistry is another element it will take for us to be successful. Everyone has to give their best, whether they're playing or supporting."

"Total player development and a well-rounded student-athlete is what we are working towards. We want our players to be well-rounded academically, socially, mentally, spiritually, and physically. You can't be one-dimensional...you must have a balance in life. And we are here as coaches to develop our players and help them be the best they can be. We have the support of our administration to do just that with our facilities and opportunities."

"We have changed the way we approach practice. We do a non-traditional morning practice and we believe this will be an advantage in our development. We are practicing in the morning when our players are fresh and rested. Tennis is the first focus of the day. We are through by mid-morning. This allows plenty of time to concentrate on academics and a good recovery preiod in the evenings."

When asked about the goals for this year, McCuen is quick to point out that they are very simple and not so structured. "We haven't set goals this year about where we'll finish or how many wins we'll have...that will take care of itself. Again, our goal is to improve in every aspect of our student-athletes' lives. We want to understand what it takes to improve. It's about the process...learning how to do things correctly and improving every day."

Clemson returns all six starters from the 2008 team that finished 15-20 overall. The Tigers also return eight letterwinners, another reason that should bring optimism to the Clemson camp.

Clemson Track and Field

The Tigers have finished among the top 25 teams in the nation 16 times, including each of the previous two seasons. Clemson's first top-25 performance was at the 1982 meet in Provo, UT. Jack Harkness was national runner-up in the discus, while Mike Hartle placed seventh in the javelin, to lead the Tigers. The Tigers also have four top-10 team finishes at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Clemson's first top-10 showing was in 1993, when Michael Green claimed the national crown in the 100m dash and the team posted All-America performances in five different events. Clemson's best showing at the NCAA national meet was in 2002, when the Tigers tied for fourth in the team standings with 32 points. Clemson had four runner-up finishes at that meet, including Dwight Thomas in the 100m and 200m, plus with the 4x100m relay team.

Volleyball

History

First Year of Volleyball - 1977

All-Time Record - 666-444

NCAA Tournament Appearances/Last - 6/2007

Last post-season opponent - UCLA, 2007

Result - L, 1-3

2006 National Rankings

Team - Top 50 (of 325 ranked)

11th Hitting Percentage

21st Kills Per Game

31st Assists Per Game

37th Digs Per Game

46th Blocks Per Game

Individual - Top 50 (of 500 ranked)

Danielle Hepburn

14th Hitting Percentage

28th Blocks Per Game

Meghan Steiner

21st Hitting Percentage

Kelcey Murphy

41st Assists Per Game

44th Digs Per Game

2007 ACC Rankings

Team - Top 5

1st Hitting Percentage

2nd Opponent Hitting Percentage

2nd Assists Per Game

2nd Kills Per Game

2nd Digs Per game

4th Blocks Per Game

November 30, 2009

Clemson University - Campus Photos

Clemson's Outstanding Rankings

The Beauty of Clemson

November 29, 2009

Clemson Athletics - Go Tigers!!!

Clemson Academics

The Tiger and The Rock

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