Path to Nationals Continues for Clemson Athletes Qualifying for East Regional

The collegiate outdoor track and field season is coming to an end. Clemson athletes are headed to Florida to try to earn spot in Nationals.

Roisin Willis of Stanford and Gladys Chepngetich of Clemson run in a women's 800m heat during the NCAA Indoor Championships at the Virginia Beach Sports Center. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Clemson Tigers Track and Field Team are traveling down to Jacksonville, FL. for the first round of the East Region. Over four days of competition 20 Tigers will be competing in a variety of different events. 

Of the 20 student-athletes who qualified to compete 12 are women. These individuals are gunning for their chances to compete at the nationals in Eugene, Oregon which will begin on June 11. The running events will take the top 24 competitors while the field events only take 12.

With all the qualifiers that Clemson is sending to the East Region there is only one competing in two events, Silvia Jelelgo. Jelelgo will be running in both the 1500 meter race as well as the 5000. Impressingly she is only a freshman and chose to attend Clemson all the way from Bomet, Kenya. 

Both the men’s and women’s 4x100 relay teams qualified to the first round of the East Region. The women will also showcase their talents in the 4x400. 

The women will showcase a trio of 800 meter runners. Gladys Chepngetich, Judy Kosgei, and Brynne Sumner will all be competing against one another. 

The men have their own trio competing in a singular event. Xavion Lockwood, Jordan Sowell, and Ryan John will all be hunting for their bid to nationals in the triple jump. There will be another Tiger competing for a triple jump spot, but she is on the women's team, Shantae Foreman.

The last singular event that will hold multiple tigers competing is the 3000 meter steeple. Lowa Branth and Maddie Dinneen both earned their spots and will be trying to punch their tickets to the most prestigious event at the end of the year.

There is no singular hurdles race that contains multiple Clemson athletes in it. However there are four different athletes who will be running a hurdle race, just at different distances.

With Clemson qualifying 20 athletes to the East Region there is a chance that multiple will be competing in Eugene, Oregon when June rolls around. Athletes train their whole lives for a chance to win a national title and with a strong showcase in Florida they will be one step closer.