April 8, 2010
Eugene, Oregon - A showdown among a pair of top-ranked teams in a scored meet provides an enticing mid-season affair with historic Hayward Field serving as the host. Texas A&M travels to the University of Oregon this weekend to participate in the 21st Pepsi Team Invitational. Other teams involved in the meet include Illinois (men), Missouri and Washington.
"Every time we've been in Eugene it's been about a team," said Aggie head coach Pat Henry of the site that has hosted numerous NCAA meets. "At the NCAA Championships it's always about the team. Oregon head coach Vin Lananna and I have similar philosophies when it comes to this. He's a team-oriented guy and wants to have meets that are scored, just like I do. I think that is important for our sport.
"This is a situation where I think it will be competitive for both groups. There is some good strength in this meet. This will be a great competition and a lot of fun. It's always good to be in a situation where you're competing against somebody that is trying to beat you."
The Aggies enter the Pepsi Team Invitational with the A&M women ranked No. 1 in the nation while the Aggie men are currently No. 2. Host Oregon has its women's team No. 2 and the men at No. 3. Washington, at No. 13 in the women's rankings, is the other ranked team in the meet.
This will be the Aggies only scored meet during the outdoor season prior to Big 12 Championships. Scoring in the Pepsi Team Invitational is on a 9-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 format for individual events and 9-7-6-5-4 in relays. Only two entrants per team will score.
Two hours of the meet will air live on the Oregon Sports Network, which is available through the Comcast cable system. The meet begins at 12:30 p.m. (CST) while the TV window starts at 2 p.m. (CST).
"We've moved into a couple of areas where Oregon has been successful over the years and they've moved into a couple of areas where we've been very successful in," Henry noted. "I think it's moving a little closer to having a little more head to head competition. We will have that again this week."
Part of the attraction in competing at Hayward Field is the track knowledgeable crowd that is always present. While the support of Oregon is strong, they also appreciate standout performances no matter the school producing the mark. A victory lap is always welcomed no matter the school colors. Hayward Field recently hosted the 2008 Olympic Trials and will host its first NCAA Championship since 2001 this summer,
"This is a track town, they understand our sport and come out and support it," Henry said. "So it's a great venue to go to. This is a group of fans that understand performances and the team concept.
"I think it's important for our team to see the environment, and to understand it. We have a pretty young team, so a lot of this group hasn't been to Eugene. This will be a good learning experience for when we return in June."
This weekend will serve as the outdoor debut for Porscha Lucas and Jessica Beard in their specialty events while some Aggies will have a limited role following an extremely successful Texas Relays for A&M. The team totaled 10 victories, with nine occurring on the final day in front of 21,000 fans, and earned outstanding team honors for the second consecutive year.
Porscha Lucas, who ran for the first time in the outdoor season last weekend in a pair of relays, will contest her first 100 meters this season in Eugene. Lucas ran the second leg of the 4 x 100 relay which set a Texas Relays meet record and anchored the Aggie to a third consecutive 4 x 200 title.
Jessica Beard, who had relay carries of 49.8 in the final and 51.9 in the prelims of the Texas Relays 4 x 400, will run her first open 400 since placing third at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Last summer Beard placed third on the Eugene track at the USATF Championships to earn a place on the U.S. team that competed at the World Championships in Berlin.
NCAA Indoor 200 champion Curtis Mitchell is scheduled to run the 100 and 200 meters at Hayward Field. Mitchell finished second to teammate Gerald Phiri (10.57 to 10.60) in his first 100 as an Aggie when they ran in Puerto Rico during the Carolina Spring Break Classic in mid March as they dealt with a -2.1 headwind.
In the 200 meters Mitchell carries a seven-meet win streak into the Pepsi Team Invitational. He posted six victories indoors capped with a world-leading 20.38 clocking for the NCAA Indoor title. His lone outdoor race produced an outdoor career best of 20.54 at the Arizona State Invitational two weeks ago.
Kyle Dykhuizen and Michael Preble.
Pinder has recorded a career best in each 400 debut he has performed as an Aggie. Indoors he posted a 46.01 to lower his previous PR of 47.02. At the Arizona State Invitational Pinder defeated teammate Henry with a career outdoor best of 45.89 to improve his previous best of 47.34.
In 2009 Howell led off the A&M 4 x 100 and 4 x 400 as both relays set school records of 38.51 (collegiate leader for 2009) in the NCAA semifinals and a 3:00.91 from the NCAA final when the Aggies placed second and secured the final points for Texas A&M's first-ever national team title.
A&M frosh Sam Humphreys makes a return visit to Hayward Field where he placed fourth in the U.S. Junior Championships last summer. Humphreys capped his prep career with a 230-8 mark that ranked third in the nation. As an Aggie he has put together a three-meet winning streak since making his debut on March 19 in Puerto Rico, where he won with a 240-3 (73.23), and has been the collegiate leader ever since.
One throw at the Arizona State Invitational produced another career best of 247-0 (75.28) and a second victory for Humphreys. Then in the Texas Relays javelin, Humphreys won with a first round toss of 245-9 (74.90).
In Eugene, Humphreys will have a challenge from Washington's Kyle Nielsen (239-2) and Oregon's Alex Wolff (235-5), but will miss a showdown with the Duck senior Cyrus Hostetler, who produced a 275-10 throw in this meet last year and went on to place fourth at the NCAA Championships. Hostetler underwent surgery last August for a torn ACL in his left knee and Oregon is delaying his debut this season.
After setting a 2010 world-leading mark of 11.13 seconds to win her second Texas Relays 100 title, Gabby Mayo will contest the 100 hurdles this weekend. Mayo sports a 12.96 career best in the event and will join Natasha Ruddock, the Texas Relays champ in a PR of 12.97, as well as Vashti Thomas, a 13.03 prep hurdler who ran 13.08 as the runner-up in Austin.
Another Aggie newcomer who has enjoyed a couple of career best times this season is Andrea Sutherland in the 400 hurdles, where a pair of runner-up finishes produced PRs of 58.42 in Puerto Rico and 57.12 at the Texas Relays.
In the jumps the A&M women will have a full contingent while the men will have one entry each in the long jump and triple jump. Ashika Charan and Sasha-Kay Matthias will long jump for the Aggies while Vashti Thomas and Tiffany Peters are A&M's entries in the triple jump.
Zuheir Sharif, the Texas Relays winner with a collegiate leading 54-3 ¼ (16.54), will not compete this weekend. Stewart is second in the nation with a mark of 53-6 ½ (16.32) that placed him second to Sharif in Austin.
Currently the Aggies have five collegiate leaders for the 2010 outdoor season, a couple of which also claim world-leading status. Following is a list of Texas A&M athletes with marks among the collegiate top 15 for this season.
Collegiate Leaders - Women
100 meters 11.13 Gabby Mayo (world leader)
4 x 100 relay 42.56 Texas A&M (world leader)
4 x 200 relay 1:31.41 Texas A&M (world leader)
Collegiate Leaders - Men
Triple Jump 54-3 ¼ (16.54) Zuheir Sharif
Javelin 247-0 (75.28) Sam Humphreys
Collegiate Top 15 (rankings include wind-aided marks)
Women
100 meters
2. Gabby Mayo 11.13
5. Jeneba Tarmoh 11.21
200 meters
5. Jessica Beard 23.31
12. Dominique Duncan 23.63
400 meters
11. Andrea Sutherland 53.72
100 Hurdles
2. Natasha Ruddock 12.97
4. Vashti Thomas 13.08
12. Donique' Flemings 13.33
400 Hurdles
5. Andrea Sutherland 57.12
4 x 100 relay
1. Texas A&M 42.56
Tarmoh, Lucas, Duncan, Mayo
3. Texas A&M 43.62
Adeoti, Tarmoh, Duncan, Mayo
4 x 400 relay
3. Texas A&M 3:32.94
Sutherland, Flemings, Wooten, Beard
6. Texas A&M 3:34.47
Tarmoh, Flemings, Sutherland, Beard
Triple Jump
3. Tiffany Peters 42-9 ½ (13.04)
4. Vashti Thomas 42-9 (13.03)
8. Ashika Charan 42-6w (12.95)
10. Sasha-Kay Matthias 42-5 ½ (12.94)
Javelin
6. Laura Asimakis 165-5 (50.43)
9. Emalie Humphreys 163-8 (49.88)
15. Hillary Pustka 160-9 (49.00)
Heptathlon
3. Daphne Fitzpatrick 5,395
Collegiate Top 15 (rankings include wind-aided marks)
Men
100 meters
3. Gerald Phiri 10.13
200 meters
2. Curtis Mitchell 20.54
12. Gerald Phiri 20.91
400 meters
4. Demetrius Pinder 45.89
7. Tabarie Henry 46.16
12. Bryan Miller 46.49
800 meters
14. Joey Roberts 1:49.54
15. Oscar Ramirez 1:49.55
4 x 100 relay
4. Texas A&M 39.35
Howell, Phiri, Pinder, Mitchell
4 x 400 relay
2. Texas A&M 3:01.55
Pinder, Mitchell, Miller, Henry
8. Texas A&M 3:06.15
Howell, Henry, Miller, Pinder
Long Jump
4. Tyron Stewart 25-8 (7.82)
14. Melvin Echard 24-9 ¾w (7.56)
Triple Jump
1. Zuheir Sharif 54-3 ¼ (16.54)
2. Tyron Stewart 53-6 ½ (16.32)
8. Melvin Echard 51-9 ¾ (15.79)
Javelin
1. Sam Humphreys 247-0 (75.28)
Decathlon
3. Trinity Otto 7,542