March 25, 2008

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Clemson's Travis Padgett and Virginia Tech's Kristi Castlin have been selected as the Atlantic Coast Conference Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Performer of the Week, respectively. In the first weekend of competition for the 2008 outdoor season, each took first-place and ran the nation's fastest time in their top event.

Padgett, who won the 60-meter title at last month's ACC Indoor Championships and was named the 2007-08 ACC Indoor Track Performer of the Year, ran a 10.11 second 100-meter dash at the Clemson Relays in Clemson, S.C., this past weekend. With the time, the Shelby, N.C., junior took first-place at the event, achieved the regional qualifying standard for 2008, and established the nation's top mark. Padgett also ran on a 4 X 100- and a 4 X 200-meter team that took first-place at the relays.

Virginia Tech's Castlin took top honors in the 100-meter hurdles at the Hurricane Invitational last weekend in Coral Gables, Fla. With a time of 12.81 seconds in the event, Castlin set the ACC and national top-mark for 2008, and bested the NCAA Regional qualifying mark by more than a second. The sophomore native of Douglasville, Ga., also ran a time of 1:04.11 in the 400-meter hurdles at the event, and took part in a Tech 4X400-meter relay team that earned fourth-place.

This coming weekend, the Tigers will compete at the Georgia Tech Invitational in Atlanta, Ga., and at the Western Carolina Invitational in Cullowhee, N.C. Castlin and the Hokies will participate at the Raleigh Relays in Raleigh, N.C., and at the Weems Baskins Relays in Columbia, S.C.