May 13, 2010
Columbia, Missouri - Texas A&M enters the postseason portion of its 2010 outdoor schedule with a trip to the Big 12 Championships this coming weekend on the campus of the University of Missouri from May 13-16.
The Aggies, defending NCAA champions and currently No. 1 in the national team rankings for men and women, have a total of 15 Big 12 event leaders (8 men, 7 women) going into the conference meet.
Texas A&M women are seeking a fourth consecutive Big 12 outdoor team title while the Aggie men, who have been team runner-up the past two years, challenge for its first conference championship since 2001.
In addition to three consecutive outdoor Big 12 titles, the A&M women have claimed four straight indoor conference team trophies. They will aim for an eighth consecutive Big 12 championship since winning their first-ever title 2007.
"It's interesting to understand that this group of senior women have been very, very successful," Texas A&M head coach Pat Henry said. "Plus they are defending national champions, so there is a lot of pride in this group. They are a very competitive group and it's pretty junior laden with our talent right now. This is a fine group of ladies.
"This is a different meet than the national championships for us. This is a meet that our men have not won. We want to try to win this track meet. It's an important championship and it will take everyone being successful for us on the same day. It takes elite performances to win the national meet, while the conference meet is a little bit different."
Finals take place early on the first day of action as the women's and men's 10,000-meter race will open the meet at 8:15 a.m. on Friday. One field event final taking place on Friday is the men's javelin at 5 p.m. and the first day of the decathlon and heptathlon will also start that morning.
Saturday will continue the multi-event competition and begin the prelims for track events along with finals in five field events. Sunday's finals start at 2 p.m. and the meet concludes at 7:30 p.m.
The seven event leaders for the Aggie women include Porscha Lucas, 200 meters (22.85); Jessica Beard, 400 meters (51.64); Natasha Ruddock, 100 hurdles (12.87); Daphne Fitzpatrick, heptathlon (5,395); 4 x 100 relay, 42.56; and 4 x 400 relay, 3:32.86. In four of those events A&M is also the current collegiate leaders for the 2010 season - Mayo, Lucas, Beard and the sprint relay.
Eight event leaders for the A&M men include Curtis Mitchell, 200 meters (20.54); Zuheir Sharif, triple jump (54-3 ¼); Sam Humphreys, javelin (251-8); 4 x 100 relay, 39.08; and 4 x 400 relay, 3:01.55.
"We've started to do some things and develop a little more depth in some events across the board," Henry noted. "Whether that depth can get it done at this meet, we'll have to wait and see. Day in and day out we have competed very well all year long. This is the first of a series of three postseason meets where we see if everyone can get it done at the same time."
Of the 15 events the Aggies lead heading into the Big 12 Championships, 10 of them involve sprint events, five each for the men and women in the 100, 200, 400, 4 x 100 and 4 x 400.
While no one school has won all 10 sprint events at one conference championship, Texas A&M and Texas have come the closest with seven victories. The Aggies earned seven wins (four women's and three men's events) during the 2008 Big 12 meet in Boulder, Colorado.
MULTIPLE BIG 12 TITLE DEFENSES Lucas and Beard will each be seeking a third consecutive Big 12 title in their respective events while Phiri is in position to win a 100-200 double for the third consecutive year.
Lucas, who holds the conference meet record of 22.29, would become the first female sprinter in the Big 12 to claim three straight wins in the 200. Four other sprinters have claimed a pair of wins in the 13-year history of the league. Lucas has also been a key member of three consecutive Big 12 4 x 100 relay titles for the Aggies.
Beard, the conference meet record holder at 51.09, would join Suziann Reid of Texas (1997-1999) as the only other three-time winner of the women's 400. Beard bettered Reid's meet record of 51.21 set in 1998 with a 51.09 clocking as a freshman in 2008.
Phiri, meanwhile, returns as a two-time triple sprint champion at the Big 12 Outdoor meet. As a freshman in 2008 he became the first conference male sprinter two win a 100-200 double and then added a leg on the winning 4 x 100 as well. A repeat of those three victories followed in 2009. Both years Phiri garnered the men's high point award at the conference meet.
"The aim is to defend my Big 12 titles," stated Phiri. "In terms of my contribution to the team that is the best I can do. I'm going to give my best performance and try to be a three-time Big 12 champion. That's the plan."
Another 100 title for Phiri would equal the three consecutive wins claimed by OU's DaBryan Blanton (2003-2005). In the 200, there has been a pair of double winners in Baylor's Brandon Couts (1998 & 2000) as well as Brendan Christian of Texas (2003-2004).
Phiri leads the conference list in the 100 with a 10.17 that won the Texas Relays 100 in early April. In the 200, though, Phiri ranks sixth among the Big 12 with a 20.91 mark. His toughest challenge in the 200 will likely come from teammate Curtis Mitchell, who won the Big 12 Indoor title on the way to claiming the NCAA Indoor championship with an A&M school record 20.38. Mitchell tops the conference list in the 200 with an outdoor best of 20.54 and is undefeated in this event this season.