University of North Carolina Athletics
2014-15 Swimming & Diving Roster
Clifton Gordon
- Position:
- Backstroke
- Height:
- 5-11
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Greenville, Del.
- High School:
- Salesianum School
Career Best Times: 49.45 in 100-yard backstroke; 1:46.72 in 200-yard backstroke; 49.08 in 100-yard butterfly; 1:52.09 in 200-yard individual medley.
2011-12: Had a solid freshman year...his season-best 100 backstroke time moved him into eighth place all-time at UNC...at the Virginia Tech Invitational he earned second-place finishes in the 100-yard butterfly (49.08) and in the 200-yard backstroke (1:46.72) in times that exceeded the previous meet records and pool records, respectively...at the VT Invite, he placed fourth in the 100 back with a time of 49.45...also had an excellent meet at the 2011 Nike Cup Championships...placed third in the 200 back in 1:48.74 and 11th in the 100 back in 50.48...also swam on a 400 medley relay team which placed third and a 200 medley relay team which copped third place.
Prep: Graduated from the Salesianum School in Wilmington, Del., in 2011...a multi-sport athlete...played point guard in basketball, shortstop in baseball and was a running back on the football team...won four high school state championships overall...captured 16 total high school medals (11 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze)...team captain...holds three state records...established five school records (the most of all-time at Salesianum)...five-time first-team All-State selection...three-time high school All-America recipient...as a senior he was an All-America, state record holder in the 200 IM and as member of 200 medley relay, a first-team All-State honoree and a state champion...his junior year he was an All-America, garnered the state record in the 100 fly, was first-team All-State and garnered a state championship...honor roll student...USA Swimming Scholastic All-America...vice president of Minority Coalition...senior athlete representative to the Middle Atlantic Board of Directors and USA Swimming LSC Development Committee.
Personal: Clifton Barrett Gordon, II, was born October 15, 1992 in Greenville, Del. ...son of Cecil and Yvonne Gordon...political science major...prefers to go by Cliff...stands 5-11.20 Questions With Sophomore Clifton Gordon
Section #1: Swimming & Diving
1. The best thing about being a Tar Heel swimmer/diver is being part of something much greater than myself and being willing to sacrifice for my teammates everyday.
2. My favorite thing about competing for Coach DeSelm is he shows a burning desire to win and is passionate about his work everyday at practice and in meets.
3.Since last year the aspect of my training I've worked on the most is going out faster in the front half of my races.
4. My best friends on another college swimming team is Tyler Early (NC State), Alex Hampel (IUP) and Katie Steeves (Virginia Tech).
5. My greatest strengths as a swimmer are my start and being able to finish a race as well as anyone.
Section #2: Hobbies & Interests
1. Away from the pool and academic pursuits I like to spend time with friends doing just about anything non-swimming related.
2. The best movie I've seen recently is The Avengers, but The Dark Knight Rises will be better.
3. If I could compete in another sport at UNC it would be basketball. No question.
4. The music acts I'd most like to see in person Drake.
5. The personal interest I have that might surprise my teammates is: nothing I can think of at the current moment.
Section #3: Food & Beverage
1. After a big meet, I'd like to eat at a buffet spread that included burgers, fries, tacos, ribs, shrimp, fried rice, maybe some sushi.
2. My favorite beverage is Mountain Berry Blast Powerade.
3. My favorite food made by a relative is fried turkey (Thanksgiving).
4. My favorite place to eat in Chapel Hill is Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe.
5. My favorite guilty pleasure food wise is Krispy Kreme Doughnuts.
Section #4: Personality
1. If I possessed the gift of time travel I'd like to go to Ancient Rome.
2. My most prized personal possession is who I am and want to be. I don't want to lose sight of that.
3. If I could go to dinner with a famous person it would be Derek Jeter or Tiger Woods.
4. My dream job is getting paid to talk to my friends and family (social network marketing).
5. The most interesting person I've met at UNC is Stephanie Eisenring. She's insanely good at Call of Duty.
