A&M Midwest Region Champions
May 31, 2008 | Track and Field
May 31, 2008
A pair of team titles were celebrated by the No. 2 ranked Texas A&M track and field program as NCAA Championship qualifiers were in abundance for the Aggies on the second day of the Midwest Regional hosted by the University of Nebraska.
Sporting two relay victories in the 4 x 100, the Aggies added four individual titles and three runner-up efforts on Saturday at Ed Weir Stadium. By placing in the top five in races and field events along with top three finishes in the relays, Texas A&M advanced 25 entrants into the NCAA Championships, which will be held June 11-14 in Des Moines, Iowa.
?We had some really great things happen,? Aggie head coach Pat Henry said. ?I?™m extremely pleased with what happened overall. This is the kind of meet that is like pulling splinters out of your hand. You have to tolerate some things and do some things just to get to the next one.?
The Aggie women defended the Midwest Region team championship they won a year ago, scoring 116 points to take control of the field. Nearly 50 points back, Texas Tech scored 66.5 points as the runner-up while Minnesota finished third with 53.5 points. Rounding out the top five schools were Kansas (49) and Oklahoma (46).
Texas A&M men earned its first postseason team title since a Big 12 title in 2001 with a tally of 87 points to defeat host Nebraska, who scored 68.5 points. Colorado, the Big 12 Champion, had 55 points to finish third. Texas (54) and Texas Tech (53.5) rounded out the top five teams.
?It?™s a different track meet,? added Henry. ?As you could see Colorado couldn?™t beat us today after they won the Big 12. We were on and did a great job. We performed very well on both sides.?
Simone Facey (100), Porscha Lucas (200) and Jessica Beard (400) achieved victories as the A&M trio entered the meet as collegiate leaders in their respective events. Chris Dykes claimed the 200 on the men?™s side with a personal best time.
Yasmine Regis (triple jump), Jennifer Williams (100H), Richard Adu-Bobie (100) and Nick Robinson (400H) turned in runner-up efforts in their respective events. The men?™s 4 x 400 relay posted its top time of the season in claiming second as well.
Also earning berths Saturday into the NCAA field with top five finishes were: Lucas (4th 100), Facey (3rd 200), Allison George (5th 200), Lindsey Adams (3rd 100H and 5th 400H), Ashika Charan (4th triple jump), Jessica Wingfield (4th javelin), Julian Reid (3rd triple jump), Tyron Stewart (4th triple jump), Josh Tiemann (4th discus) and Dylan Conway (5th discus).
Action on the track started with relay wins for the Aggies in the 4 x 100 where the women cruised to a 43.42 victory and the men dominated with a 38.93.
The women?™s crew of Elizabeth Adeoti, Porscha Lucas, Simone Facey and Gabby Mayo recorded the No. 10 performance on the A&M all-time list. It was the ninth mark added to the Aggie top 10 this season.
Finishing behind A&M were Baylor (44.02) and UTEP (44.12) to secure the other pair of NCAA qualifying positions.
The Aggie sprinters advanced individually as well. Facey won the 100 in 11.28 running into a 1.2 headwind while Lucas finished fourth in 11.42. George (11.63) and Khrystal Carter (11.71) placed sixth and seventh.
In the 200 the winner was Lucas in 22.67 with Facey third at 22.89 while George claimed fifth in 23.05. Beard hammered a talented 400 field with a 51.47 clocking as Iowa?™s Kineke Alexander was runner-up in 52.24 and Oklahoma?™s Leslie Cole finished third in 52.66.
With a foursome of Richard Adu-Bobie, Gerald Phiri, Dominique Stafford and Chris Dykes the Aggies matched the time of 38.93 they set in the prelims. It equaled the Midwest Region and stadium record they set on Friday.
Texas A&M was the only squad to break 39 seconds as Colorado (39.47) and TCU (39.70) claimed the other two NCAA qualifying spots. Baylor finished fourth in 39.84.
In the 200 Dykes set a career best in winning with a 20.39, setting a Midwest Region record. He bettered a 20.53 set by Houston?™s Stanford Routt in 2003. Dykes improved upon his previous best of 20.44 from the Big 12 meet and is now the No. 6 performer on the A&M all-time list.
Adu-Bobie recorded a career best of 10.25 for second place in the 100, matching the time recorded by winner Teddy Williams of UTSA. The difference between the two was 10.241 to 10.248. Adu-Bobie is now the No. 10 performer on the Aggie all-time list.
Phiri, who was a bit tender after the 4 x 100, placed eighth in both the 100 (10.76) and 200 (26.07) as he ran conservatively in both races. By finishing both races he is still eligible to be selected among the at-large pool.
A crew of Bryan Miller, A.C. Robinson, Nick Robinson and Justin Oliver challenged Baylor (3:03.19) in the 4 x 400 and placed second with its fastest time of the season, a 3:03.42. The time is the No. 4 performer with the No. 7 performance on the Aggie all-time list.
In the hurdles Jennifer Williams placed second in the 100 hurdles with a 13.31 while Lindsey Adams ran 13.52 for third. Adams also advanced to the NCAA meet in the 400 hurdles, where she placed fifth in 59.34.
Nick Robinson lowered his career best in the 400 hurdles to 49.68 after running 49.69 at the Big 12 meet. Robinson placed second to Baylor frosh Robert Griffin (49.53) as both eclipsed the previous meet record of 49.72 set by Minnesota?™s Mikael Jakobsson in 2004.
Aggie field event qualifying got off to a good start in the women?™s javelin as the Aggies placed four throwers among the top eight led by senior Jessica Wingfield.
A personal best toss of 168-4 (51.30) on her last attempt moved Wingfield from eighth place to third place and secured a position in the NCAA Championship field.
The three other Aggie throwers placed 6-7-8 with the order of Emalie Humphreys (164-6), Hillary Pustka (164-2) and Laura Asimakis (163-4). They all should be high enough on the national list to be among the at-large entries determined after this weekend.
Wingfield?™s previous best mark during the competition was a season best of 162-2 (49.43) from round two. Her career best effort in round six bettered her PR of 164-0 (50.00) from the 2006 Big 12 meet. She is now the No. 5 performer on the Aggie all-time list.
Humphreys, a freshman, established a personal best with her toss of 164-6 (50.13) in the opening round. She was third at that point and eventually settled into fifth place for the remainder of the competition. However, she was bumped from the NCAA automatic spot and into sixth place when Wingfield delivered her mark in the final round.
Pustka also achieved a career best with her toss of 164-2 (50.04). Humphreys is currently the No. 9 performer on the A&M all-time list while Pustka is No. 10.
In the women?™s triple jump two Aggies finished in the top five with Yasmine Regis taking second and Ashika Charan placing fourth. Regis turned in a mark of 44-4 ?Ľ (13.52), the No. 3 performance on the A&M all-time list. Charan produced a career best of 43-11 ?Ľ (13.39) on her last attempt to move from sixth to fourth. The distance makes Charan the No. 3 performer with the No. 5 performance on the Aggie all-time list.
Also producing a personal best was Tiffany Peters, who placed 14th with a 41-1 (12.52) that becomes the No. 10 performer among Aggies.
The 13 points from the triple jump crew moved Texas A&M into the lead in team scoring and they never looked back on the way to defending its team title.
NCAA qualifying continued with an Aggie pair in the men?™s discus. Seniors Josh Tiemann (175-6 / 53.49) and Dylan Conway (175-5 / 53.47) placed fourth and fifth, respectively, to earn a bid into the national meet.
Then the men?™s triple jump added another pair with freshman Julian Reid (53-6 ?Ľ / 16.31) placing third while fellow frosh Tyron Stewart (53-3 ?ľ / 16.25) finished fourth. A third freshman jumper, Melvin Echard, just missed an automatic berth when he took sixth with a 51-10 (15.80) effort.
Reid, who also advanced to the NCAA Championships in the long jump, produced the No. 5 performance on the A&M all-time list. Stewart, who was the first of four jumpers to better the Midwest Region record of 52-8 (16.05) set by OU?™s Shardae Boutte last year, moves to the No. 5 performer with the No. 6 performance. Echard, meanwhile, becomes the No. 9 performer with his personal best jump.
Other finishers who will need to rely on the at-large selections made to fill the NCAA field include: Kevin McNab, who finished sixth in the steeplechase (8:56.89); Bryan Miller, who was seventh in the 400 (46.36); and Zuheir Sharif, tenth in the triple jump (50-2 / 15.29).
The women?™s 4 x 400, which experienced a dropped baton on the second leg, finished 10th in 3:41.07. They should be the top seeded team amid at-large selections that didn?™t advance through placing in the top three at a region meet this weekend.
NCAA Qualifiers
- Texas A&M had 25 entries from Midwest Region meet
Women (16 entries)
100: Simone Facey, Porscha Lucas
200: Porscha Lucas, Simone Facey, Allison George
400: Jessica Beard
5000: Christina Munoz
100H: Jennifer Williams, Lindsey Adams
400H: Lindsey Adams
4 x 1: Texas A&M
LJ: Ashika Charan
TJ: Yasmine Regis, Ashika Charan
JT: Jessica Wingfield
Men (9 entries)
100: Richard Adu-Bobie
200: Chris Dykes
4 x 1: Texas A&M
4 x 4: Texas A&M
LJ: Julian Reid
TJ: Julian Reid, Tyron Stewart
SP: Javier Olivas
DT: Josh Tiemann, Dylan Conway
SATURDAY FINALS
Women
Teams: 1. Texas A&M 116; 2. Texas Tech 66.5; 3. Minnesota 53.5; 4. Kansas 49; 5. Oklahoma 46; 6. UTEP 43; 7. Baylor 40; 8. Nebraska 37.5; 9. Rice 31; 10. tie, Texas & Kansas State 30.
100: 1. Simone Facey, 11.28; 4. Porscha Lucas, 11.42; 6. Allison George, 11.63; 7. Khrystal Carter, 11.71.
200: 1. Porscha Lucas, 22.67; 3. Simone Facey, 22.89; 5. Allison George, 23.05.
400: 1. Jessica Beard, 51.47.
100H: 2. Jennifer Williams, 13.31; 3. Lindsey Adams, 13.52.
400H: 5. Lindsey Adams, 59.34.
Steeple: 19. Brenna Williamson, 10:54.07.
4x100: 1. Texas A&M, 43.42.
4x400: 10. Texas A&M, 3:41.07 (dropped baton)
Triple Jump: 2. Yasmine Regis, 44-4 ?Ľ (13.52); 4. Ashika Charan, 43-11 ?Ľ (13.39); 11. Ashley McCarty, 42-3 ?˝ (12.89); 14. Tiffany Peters, 41-1 (12.52); 23. Angela Thomas, 40-3 ?˝ (12.28).
Shot Put: 19. Anteneshia Lindsey, 44-10 ?Ľ (13.68).
Javelin: 4. Jessica Wingfield, 168-4 (51.30); 6. Emalie Humphreys, 164-6 (50.13); 7. Hillary Pustka, 164-2 (50.04); 8. Laura Asimakis, 163-4 (49.78).
Men
Teams: 1. Texas A&M 87; 2. Nebraska 68.5; 3. Colorado 55; 4. Texas 54; 5. Texas Tech 53.5; 6. Baylor 52; 7. UTEP 48; 8. Oklahoma 39; 9. TCU 32; 10. Northern Iowa 30.5.
100: 2. Richard Adu-Bobie, 10.25; 8. Gerald Phiri, 10.76.
200: 1. Chris Dykes, 20.39; 8. Gerald Phiri, 26.07.
400: 7. Bryan Miller, 46.36.
1500: 14. Kevin Ondrasek, 3:54.06.
Steeple: 6. Kevin McNab, 8:56.89; 18. Joe Sauvageau, 9:24.93.
4x100: 1. Texas A&M, 38.93.
4x400: 2. Texas A&M, 3:03.42.
Triple Jump: 3. Julian Reid, 53-6 ?Ľ (16.31); 4. Tyron Stewart, 53-3 ?ľ (16.25); 6. Melvin Echard, 51-10 (15.80); 10. Zuheir Sharif, 50-2 (15.29).
Discus: 4. Josh Tiemann, 175-6 (53.49); 5. Dylan Conway, 175-5 (53.47).
