May 14, 2009
LUBBOCK - The No. 1 ranked Texas A&M women's track and field team, two-time defending Big 12 outdoor champions, enter Terry & Linda Fuller Track on the Texas Tech campus this weekend with an opportunity to become the first women's program to claim six consecutive conference team titles.
Meanwhile, the No. 4 ranked Aggie men's team is eager to improve upon their runner-up team finish from a year ago and contend for a Big 12 title, which they last won in 2001.
Action will begin Friday and run through Sunday at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships. Live results can be found at the following link throughout the weekend: http://www.flashresults.com/2009_Meets/outdoor/Big12/
Multi-event competition occupies the majority of Friday, with the decathlon starting at 10 a.m. and the heptathlon beginning at 11 a.m. The hammer and 10,000 meters will be the only finals contested on the first day of the conference meet.
Trinity Otto, sixth in the Big 12 decathlon last year and fourth at the Texas Relays this season, and heptathlete Deidre Tarver will contest the women's hammer. Running the 10,000 for the Aggies are Christina Munoz, Emilie Fischer, Andrew Montes and James Hodges.
While the Aggie women will be favored this weekend, challenges for the title will come from host Texas Tech as well as Nebraska and Texas. During the Big 12 Indoor meet the A&M women won the title with Tech second and Nebraska third.
The men's race, with Nebraska a formchart favorite, should have the Aggies and Texas in contention. Texas men won the Big 12 Indoor in March with Nebraska second and A&M third.
Each A&M squad is led by a returning Performer of the Year in Porscha Lucas (200-meter champion) and Yasmine Regis (triple jump), and Julian Reid (long jump).
In addition, Texas A&M returns the bulk of its lineup from both winning 4 x 100 relays. The women, who have won the past two 4 x 100 titles in the Big 12 Outdoor meets, have led the nation with a 42.91 clocking from early April at the Texas Relays. The Aggie men recently won the Penn Relays with a 38.79, the second fastest collegiate mark this season.
"The relays have been running really fast and are some of the fastest relays I have ever run on," Justin Oliver said. "My goals are to make finals and help score points for the team so we can win it as a group, but I'm also looking to have my best Big 12 meet ever. This senior year has been my best season so far and I'm looking to continue that."
Lucas, who holds the school record for All-America honors at 12, has averaged 16 points per conference meet for the Aggies. Scoring 18.5 points at last year's outdoor meet and matching that total during the 2009 indoor season puts her total point production at 80 through five Big 12 meets.
"We have won the Big 12 ever since I've been at A&M, so hopefully I can help the team continue that this year," Lucas said.
Last season Lucas set a Big 12 meet record with her 22.29 victory in the 200. She also ran the second leg of A&M's winning 4 x 100 relay that set a meet record of 42.88. This season has seen Lucas produce an 11.12 career best in the 100 meters. Lucas has claimed the past three Big 12 titles in the 200, two of which were attained during the indoor season.
"This season has been going well, our relays are doing great and I have been running well in my open events," Lucas added. "I set a PR in my 100, which was exciting, but the 200 is still my favorite race and I'm definitely looking to PR in that as well."
As a freshman last season Phiri became the first male sprinter to achieve a Big 12 sprint double in winning the 100 and 200 with meet record times of 10.03w and 20.29. Phiri added a third Big 12 gold medal as a member of the Aggies winning 4 x 100 relay that set a meet record of 38.85.
This spring Phiri has posted a windy best of 10.15 in the 100 and a wind-legal 20.76 in the 200.
Beard and Ried were each selected as the Freshman of the Year in the conference last season.
Beard, who has won three consecutive Big 12 titles in the 400 between indoor and outdoor conference meets, enters the weekend as the collegiate leader with her season best time of 51.52 and set a personal best of 23.15 in the 200. Beard set the Big 12 meet record in the 400 last year with a winning time of 51.09.
In averaging 14.7 points for A&M in conference meets, Beard has totaled 44 points through three Big 12 appearances. She scored 17.5 points during 2009 Big 12 Indoor.
Reid claimed both Big 12 long jump titles in 2008 and enters the weekend as one of the top collegians in the triple jump with a wind-legal mark of 54-10.25 (16.72). He leads the current crew of Aggie men with a 14-point average during conference meets. Through three Big 12 efforts Reid has totaled 42 points, which includes an 18-point production at the outdoor conference meet last season.
With four Big 12 triple jump titles to her credit, Regis aims for a fifth as she tops the field with a windy best of 44-5.5 (13.55) in 2009. Three of her conference victories have occurred indoors, and Regis has averaged over eight points in the seven Big 12 meets she has contested for a total of 59 points.
"I definitely have high expectations for myself going into the Big 12," Regis noted. "I am looking forward to defending my championship, win it again as a senior, and go out with a bang."
Gabby Mayo was the high point scorer during the Big 12 Indoor meet as a double champion in the 60 meters and 60 hurdles. After scoring 23 points indoors with additional points coming in the 200, Mayo will contest three individual events in Lubbock. This season she has produced career best marks of 11.13 in the 100 and 13.14 in the 100 hurdles while running a windy best of 23.26 in the 200.
The women's sprinters have provided a bulk of A&M's points in its recent title run. They have averaged 59 points as the Aggie women average a total of 137 points in winning the past five league championships.
Including the two relays to the point production during the outdoor conference meets adds an average of 19 more points to the sprint group's output.
Joining Lucas, Beard and Mayo in the sprint squad are Allison George, Sandy Wooten, Elizabeth Adeoti, Khrystal Carter, Dominique Duncan, and Brittany Machacek. The A&M women enter the conference meet with five of the top 10 marks in both the 100 and 200.
Zuheir Sharif earned his second Big 12 Indoor title in the triple jump during the conference meet hosted by the Aggies in March. He is another key part of the Aggie jumps crew that has produced over 20 points in the past thee conference meets.
Joining Reid and Sharif amid a talented A&M jump corps include Keenan Hall. Those five athletes rank among the top seven in the Big 12 triple jump and a trio of them are also among the top 10 in the conference long jump.
"The intensity, the drive, and determination is all there for me, so it's all about executing at the right moment." Sharif said. "I just really want to enjoy the Big 12 and get as much as I can out of it, make it memorable. I just want to lay everything out on the table and do my best."
Also impressive in the points they produce in conference meets is the women's jump group. Along with Regis it includes Ashika Charan, Angela Thomas and Tiffany Peters. Vashti Thomas, named the top freshman performer during the 2009 Big 12 Indoor meet, totaled 14 points between her two jumping events and the hurdles.
The combined points in the long jump and triple jump during the past three Big 12 encounters has led to tallies of 28, 24 and 21 for the Aggie women.
Likewise, another big point producing women's group is the Aggie javelin throwers, who have averaged 22 points in the past two outdoor meets. Last year they scored 23 points off a 2-3-4-5 finish. Returning from that group are Hillary Pustka, Hali Henderson and Ilsa Rodriguez.
"My teammates are my biggest competition and I'm hoping we can go out there and grab first through fourth," Asimakis said. "I want to get another PR to help me get higher in the national rankings."
Humphreys added: "We have a really strong javelin program as a team and I'm just looking to make a strong mark for them and hopefully PR for myself. The season has been one of ups and downs. I opened the season great then have been struggling with injuries throughout."
An injury has limited the outdoor season campaign for Pustka, who noted: "The season has been blocked by some injuries, but I'm back on track and looking forward to see what happens. I'm hoping to see a PR at the Big 12 meet, especially now that I'm healthy. That would really just put me right back on top."