RALEIGH, N.C. — The ACC Outdoor Track & Field Championships came down to the final race to determine both the men’s and women’s champions.
Florida State’s men held the slimmest of leads over Clemson with only the 4×400 relay left. Unfortunately, Head Coach Bob Braman wouldn’t have his normal relay team as injuries suffered during the championship to three of the stalwarts meant FSU’s final race would have just one experienced member on the team.
FSU fought, just as they had the entire meet on both the men’s and women’s side, but the fourth place relay finish was not good enough to hold onto the championship trophy and the men finished as ACC runners-up by a single point.
The Seminole women also had an outstanding conference championship finishing fourth.
“It was just a tremendous ACC Championship, one of the best ever,” said Braman. “I am so proud of both our teams. We fought so hard and overcame some really tough breaks with the injuries, but I can’t say enough about how our teams performed.
“So many close races and we competed just as hard as we could. We had lifetime bests, won so many events and the meet was just back and forth all day. I’m really pleased with how we answered and we were close to winning it on the men’s side.”
FSU won six events on Saturday led by freshman Dajaz DeFrand who won the women’s 100 meters in 11.18 and the 200 meters in 22.67. Alexandra Webster won the ACC Championship in the women’s 100 meter hurdles. Amir Willis is the men’s 100 meter champion at 10.08 and the Seminoles swept the discus with Milton Ingraham winning the men’s with a throw of 62.13 and Caisa-Marie Lindfors the women’s championship at 60.80 meters.
Both the men’s and women’s 4×100 relay teams took home silver with the men crossing the finish line in 38.74 and the women at 43.91.
James Rivera ran a personal best 49.98 in the men’s 400 meter hurdles and took home the silver medal.
Women’s distance runner Alyson Churchill had an outstanding three days at the ACC Championships including a fourth place finish in the 1500 meters with a time of 4:16.98 on Saturday
.Willis’ win in the 100 meters was pivotal and Ismael Kone’s third place finish (10.15) along with Taylor Banks’ sixth place in 10.19 made it one of the highest-scoring events for the Seminoles.
Willis and Kone continued to put up points for FSU with Willis coming in third in the men’s 200 meters with a time of…