March 08, 2008
A winning time of 3:06.68 in the 4 x 400 relay earned Texas A&M men one of the top NCAA qualifying times over a weekend that included eight last chance meets around the country.
The Aggies competed at the NCAA Qualifier meet hosted by Iowa State University on an oversized track in the Lied Center and just missed the NCAA automatic qualifying standard of 3:06.50. Only Florida, with a 3:06.48, has earned an automatic mark.
Running with a foursome of Justin Oliver, Chris Dykes, Nick Robinson and A.C. Robinson the Aggies posted the top time in the Big 12 this indoor season and the second-fastest indoor mark ever in school history. They surpassed the Big 12 best mark of 3:06.89 set by Baylor last month.
The 3:06.68 winning time only trails a 3:06.51 set by A&M in 1994 at the NCAA Indoor Championships on the all-time school list. The current Aggie foursome recorded the fastest time in A&M school history on an oversized track, bettering the 3:07.17 set at the Big 12 Championships at this same venue in 2007.
Texas A&M finished ahead of Texas Tech in the race as the Red Raiders posted a 3:06.93. Kentucky won another section in 3:07.35 to place third overall while Florida State finished fourth in 3:07.41.
A.C. Robinson and Oliver also contested the open 400 and set season best marks in that event as well. Robinson won his section in 46.76, an indoor personal best, while Oliver was runner-up in another section with a clocking of 47.06.