April 14, 2011
Gainesville, Florida - Following another stellar performance at the Texas Relays, the Texas A&M track and field team heads east this weekend for the Tom Jones Memorial Classic hosted by the University of Florida, whose men's team is ranked No. 1 in the nation.
The Aggies, who remain ranked No. 1 for the women and No. 2 for the men, will be part of a field that includes Nebraska, Navy, Princeton, and TCU along with women's teams from Central Florida and Michigan. Field events will begin at noon (ET) Saturday with the men's hammer while running events start at 3 p.m.
Florida has won the men's NCAA Indoor title the past two seasons, most recently in A&M's Gilliam Indoor Stadium this past March, but has also finished second to Texas A&M at the NCAA Outdoor the past two years, by two points in 2009 and one point in 2010.
The Tom Jones Memorial Classic will have the two schools squaring off on the Percy Beard Track after each program has displayed its talents at big relay meets. The Gators hosted the Florida Relays two weeks ago while the Aggies were named the outstanding team of the Texas Relays this past weekend.
In each of the six relays Texas A&M won in Austin they produced the collegiate leading time for the 2011 season. This included the men's 4 x 100 (38.71), 4 x 400 (3:00.45), 4 x 800 (7:19.57), sprint medley (3:15.18) along with the women's 4 x 100 (42.87) and 4 x 400 (3:27.33). Four of those marks are also world leading standards for this time of the season - men's 4 x 400, 4 x 800, sprint medley and the women's 4 x 400.
The Tom Jones Memorial Classic will see the Aggies focused on individual events. Jeneba Tarmoh will run her first 200 of the season after winning the Texas Relays 100 in a wind-aided time of 10.94. Dominique Duncan, who set an outdoor best of 23.23 in LSU two weeks ago, joins Tarmoh in that event this weekend along with Ashley Collier and Ibukun Mayungbe.
Jessica Beard, the collegiate leader over 400 meters (51.55 outdoors, 50.79 indoors), is entered in the 100.
Laura Asimakis, the school record holder in the pole vault, will compete in the javelin for the first time since suffering an injury at the 2010 Texas Relays. Asimakis has a career best of 173-0 in the javelin from the 2009 season and has cleared 13-4.5 in the pole vault this season to break a nine-year-old school record.
In the javelin Asimakis will be joined by Emalie Humphreys, who placed third at the Texas Relays and currently leads the team with a mark of 161-3. Also in the pole vault is Aly Daily, who tied for the seventh in the Texas Relays and has cleared a season best of 12-8.25 outdoors.
A&M's spring leaders in the men's 100 and 400 will race over 200 meters this weekend. Gerald Phiri posted a world-leading 10.06 to claim his second Texas Relays title in the 100 meters while breaking a 35-year-old meet record. Tabarie Henry, who went to high school in Hallandale Beach, Florida, clocked a 44.83 to win the 400 at LSU two weeks ago.
Aggies in the 400 include three members of the world-leading 4 x 400 that broke a 26-year-old Texas Relays record - Bryan Miller, Demetrius Pinder and Michael Preble - along with Joey Roberts and Carlyle Roudette.
Miller has been a member of the past three school records set by A&M the past three seasons, First was a 3:00.91 runner-up at the 2009 NCAA that equaled the record set in 1989, then a 3:00.89 to win the 2010 NCAA title. In Austin the Aggies ran 3:00.45, becoming the seventh fastest school, as they defended their 2009 Texas Relays title.
Pinder has enjoyed a sensational senior campaign. After he won the NCAA Indoor 400 in 45.33 seconds, Pinder defeated Olympic 400 gold medalist Jeremy Wariner at Arizona State over 200 meters with a 20.54 mark that still ranks fourth in the world. In the 400 outdoors Pinder ran 45.06 as runner-up to teammate Henry at LSU, nearing his career best of 44.93 he set in May of 2010 during the NCAA West preliminary rounds.
Preble excelled on a record-setting weekend as he claimed three Texas Relays watches for being part of A&M's winning efforts over three days in the 4 x 800 (Thursday), sprint medley (Friday) and 4 x 400 (Saturday). In addition to the 4 x 400, Preble was part of a school record effort in the 4 x 800 as well. The sprint medley relay, meanwhile, just missed the A&M record by 0.08 of a second.
After winning the Texas Relays triple jump for the second time in three years, Julian Reid will long jump in Florida while teammates Melvin Echard and Tyron Stewart contest the triple jump.
The Aggies also feature a pair of school record holders in the throws with Sam Humphreys in the javelin and Casey Strong in the hammer. Humphreys improved his A&M record by an inch, to 251-9, while defending his Texas Relays title.