May 22, 2008
In addition to Texas A&M athletes Simone Facey and Gerald Phiri earning high point scorers during the Big 12 Championships, Aggie sophomore Porscha Lucas was voted as the Big 12 Performer of the Year while Gerald Phiri and Jessica Beard claimed Freshman of the Year honors.
Beard also earned the Big 12 Indoor Freshman of the Year honor earlier this season while Facey claimed Big 12 Performer of the Year honors last season.
Texas A&M?™s Pat Henry was selected Big 12 Women?™s Coach of the Year, matching the honor he received during the indoor season.
Big 12 Announces Outdoor Track & Field Postseason Awards
IRVING, Texas - The Big 12 Conference has announced Outdoor Track & Field postseason honors, as selected by the league?™s head coaches. Honors include men?™s and women?™s Coach, Performer and Freshman of the Year.
Mark Wetmore (Colorado) was named Men?™s Coach of the Year for the first time, while Pat Henry (Texas A&M) earned his second straight Big 12 Women?™s Coach of the Year accolade. Nebraska?™s Dusty Jonas was named Men?™s Outdoor Performer of the Year and Porscha Lucas of Texas A&M claimed Women?™s Outdoor Performer of the Year. The Men?™s and Women?™s Freshman Performer of the Year honors went to a pair of Aggies as Gerald Phiri and Jessica Beard earned top frosh accolades.
Wetmore enters his 16th season at Colorado, his 13th as the head coach. This is the first time he has led a team to a Big 12 track title and earned Coach of the Year in track. He has earned Cross Country Coach of the Year honors 10 times as women?™s head coach and all 11 times on the men?™s side.
After winning 27 team national championships at LSU, Henry started coaching Texas A&M in 2004 and claims his second consecutive Big 12 Outndoor Coach of the Year honor this season as well as earning 2008 Big 12 Indoor Coach of the Year accolades. His team finished 52 points ahead of second-place Nebraska.
Jonas set a new school and conference mark in the high jump, topping the bar at 7?™-8 ?ľ" and setting the top standard in the world so far this season. Jonas outjumped Scott Sellers (Kansas State) who topped Jonas in a head-to-head matchup featuring the nation?™s top two high jumpers at this season?™s indoor championships.
Lucas ran a world best 22.29 in the 200-meter dash surpassing the former Big 12 Outdoor Championships record set by teammate Simone Facey last year. She also ran the second leg of the Aggie?™s 4x100-meter relay squad that defended their title while clocking a Big 12 meet record time of 42.88 seconds. Lucas finished with the third-highest women?™s point total, earning 18 ?˝ points.
Phiri produced the first double sprint victory in Big 12 men?™s history with times of 10.03 (wind-aided) and 20.29 to claim the men?™s high point award with 22 ?˝ points. He set Big 12 meet records in the 100-meter dash (10.03) and the 200-meter dash (20.29) in both events. The time was the third best posted by a collegiate athlete on the year.
Jessica Beard broke a 10-year old Big 12 meet record in the 400-meter dash by sprinting to a time of 51.09 seconds. She just missed taking the 400-meter school record of 51.06 set by Clora Williams in 2006.
USTFCCCA Rankings: A&M women now No. 1, men No. 3
Updated rankings by the coaches association (USTFCCCA) following a weekend that included a large number of conference meets now have the Texas A&M women at the No. 1 position while the Aggie men are No. 3.
Last week it was the A&M men holding the No. 1 position for the second consecutive week and fourth time during the outdoor season. Meanwhile, the Aggie women were No. 3 for the sixth consecutive week.
National leading marks in the sprints during the Big 12 Championships held in Boulder, Colorado, pushed the Texas A&M women past previous No. 1 Arizona State and No. 2 LSU. Defending their Big 12 title with a 52-point winning margin, the Aggies were led by the speedy trio of Simone Facey (10.95 100 title), Porscha Lucas (22.29 200 win) and Jessica Beard (51.09 400 crown).
Lucas is the current 2008 world leader in the 200 while Facey and Beard each top the collegiate list in the 100 and 400, respectively.
Also assisting in the move up the rankings chart was Yasmine Regis, who is currently second on the 2008 collegiate list with a mark of 45-5 ?Ľ (13.85). Regis set a under-23 British record with her Big 12 winning effort, bettering the previous mark of 45-1 ?˝ (13.75) held by Michelle Robinson from 1993. Regis currently is the top British triple jumper for the 2008 season.
The A&M women gained 77 points from the past weeks performance and hold a total of 331.51 in the No. 1 position. LSU, winners of the SEC, is currently No. 2 with a 325.28 tally. Arizona State, who claimed the Pac-10 title, is now No. 3 with 307.54 points. Texas Tech (239.31) and Virginia Tech (213.45) round out the top five.
LSU men, runner-up in the SEC, moved from fourth to first in this week?™s rankings with a 285.73 point total. Florida is now No. 2 with 249.86 points while A&M is third with 242.10. Florida State (212.04) and UCLA (211.20) round out the top five.
Following is a list of the top 25 schools for men and women in the USTFCCCA Division I rankings:
Women: 1. Texas A&M; 2. LSU; 3. Arizona State; 4. Texas Tech; 5. Virginia Tech; 6. USC; 7. UCLA; 8. Penn State; 9. Florida; 10. Stanford; 11. Minnesota; 12. Oregon; 13. Tennessee; 14. UTEP; 15. Oklahoma; 16. Baylor; 17. Texas; 18. Arkansas; 19. Auburn; 20. Michigan; 21. Kansas; 22. Mississippi; 23. Miami; 24. TCU; 25. Florida State.
Men: 1. LSU; 2. Florida; 3. Texas A&M; 4. Florida State; 5. UCLA; 6. Arizona State; 7. USC; 8. Auburn; 9. Arkansas; 10. Tennessee; 11. Colorado; 12. Baylor; 13. Texas; 14. Oregon; 15. South Carolina; 16. UTEP; 17. Kentucky; 18. Arizona; 19. Boise State; 20. California; 21. Washington; 22. Liberty; 23. Nebraska; 24. Georgia; 25. Mississippi State.
Track & Field News: NCAA form chart has A&M women No. 2, men No. 5
Changes also occurred in the NCAA form chart compiled by Track & Field News following the big conference weekend. The magazine?™s website (www.trackandfieldnews.com) noted the Texas A&M women had the biggest boost of point potential among the seven teams in the top 10 that made gains over the weekend.
Previously projected for third place in the NCAA Championships, the Aggie women are now tabbed for second place with 61 points behind LSU?™s winning total of 63. Arizona State, previously in the No. 2 spot, dropped to third place with a 54-point potential. The rest of the top 10 includes Texas Tech (46), Penn State (34), Virginia Tech (30), Oregon (25), USC (25), Stanford (24) and Minnesota (20).
A&M frosh Jessica Beard became the favorite to win the 400 at the NCAA meet following her 51.09 victory at the Big 12 Championships. She joins Porscha Lucas, who is favored to win the 200, as well as the A&M 4 x 400 relay.
Other Aggies tabbed for a scoring position at the NCAA Championships include: Simone Facey (2nd 100, 3rd 200), Lucas (4th 100), 4 x 100 (2nd), and Yasmine Regis (5th triple jump).
The A&M men slipped from a projected third place at the NCAA to fifth place with 31 points in the recent form chart. LSU is favored for the top spot with 62 points followed by Florida State with 56.
The top 10 includes: LSU (62), Florida State (56), Auburn (35), Baylor (32), Texas A&M (31), USC (30), Texas (28), UCLA (26), Tennessee (25), Arizona State (24).
Projected scorers for the A&M men include: Gerald Phiri (5th 100, 4th 200), 4 x 100 (3rd), 4 x 400 (2nd), Julian Reid (5th long jump, 6th triple jump).
Big 12 Championships on TV this weekend
Delayed coverage of the Big 12 Championships from Potts Field in Boulder, Colorado, will air on various Fox Sports Net stations this weekend. On Fox Sports Southwest the first airing will occur at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, May 23. Then a repeat will be offered at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 24.
Below is a list of Fox Southwest times for broadcasting the meet this weekend:
FSN SOUTHWEST Friday - 05/23/2008 12:30 PM Central Delay
FSN SOUTHWEST Saturday - 05/24/2008 3:00 AM Central Repeat
FSN SOUTHWEST (TX & OK) Saturday - 05/24/2008 1:00 PM Central Repeat
FSN SOUTHWEST Sunday - 05/25/2008 3:00 AM Central Repeat