Texas A&M
Big 12 Championships
A&M men win first ever Big 12 Indoor title, women runner-up
Feb 26, 2011 | Track and Field
Feb. 26, 2011
LINCOLN, Neb. - BIG 12 INDOOR TEAM SCORING
Men: 1. Texas A&M 134; 2. Oklahoma 106; 3. Nebraska 99.5; 4. Texas 95; 5. Texas Tech 57.5; 6. Baylor 53; 7. Oklahoma State 47; 8. Kansas State 42.5; 9. Missouri 40; 10. Iowa State 24; 11. Kansas 23.5; 12. Colorado 17.
Women: 1. Nebraska 115.5; 2. Texas A&M 101; 3. Texas 96.5; 4. Texas Tech 90; 5. Oklahoma 76.5; 6. Iowa State 66.5; 7. Baylor 42; 8. Kansas 40; 9. Kansas State 35; 10. Oklahoma State 30; 11. Colorado 29; 12. Missouri 19.
Texas A&M men rolled to an impressive team victory, scoring 134 points and winning by 28, to claim a first-ever Big 12 Indoor track and field team championship in front of 2,573 fans at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.
In fact, it's the first conference indoor championship for the Texas A&M men's program since a Southwest Conference team title in 1980. The Aggies have been second twice (1998, 2001) in the Big 12 and third the past two years.
Meanwhile, the Aggie women had its four-year conference indoor winning streak snapped by host Nebraska, 115.5 to 101.
"It's a big win for our men and great meet by our ladies, who just ran out of bullets," Texas A&M head coach Pat Henry said. "On the men's side we really hit well and did the things we were capable of doing. Nebraska did a great job to win the women's title."
Texas A&M's winning total is the second best score in Big 12 history, trailing a 141.67 the Cornhuskers produced in 2004. In three other years the winning tally of 132 was generated by Nebraska in 1997, 2003, and 2005.
A&M generated 86 of its points on Saturday in five running events and the triple jump. That enabled them to pull away from defending champion Oklahoma (106) as well as Nebraska (99.5) and Texas (95).
The Cornhusker women accumulated 40.5 points in four of the field events held on the second day of the conference meet, including 19 in the pole vault. Texas (96.5) placed third in team scoring while Texas Tech (90) finished fourth.
A&M's Jessica Beard and Jeneba Tarmoh shared high-point honors as each totaled 20.5 points on the weekend. Beard also became the first female to claim four titles in an event at the Big 12 Indoor meet as she powered to a commanding 51.68 victory in the 400 meters.
Tarmoh won the 200 in a world-leading 22.88 and finished second in the 60 (7.29). Beard earned silver in the 200 for a second straight year, clocking 23.05.
The duo of Tarmoh and Beard teamed up in the 4 x 400 as the Aggies set a Big 12 meet record of 3:32.85 in winning the event for the fifth consecutive year. Also on the relay were Ibukun Mayungbe and Andrea Sutherland. They broke a meet record of 3:34.67 set by Texas in 2003 and also surpassed the A&M mark of 3:33.20 set on an oversize track in 2010.
Big points for the Aggie men arrived early with Wayne Davis II recording a career best of 7.75 to claim a silver medal in the 60 hurdles. Davis moved past Larry Wade (7.77) on the Aggie all-time list, becoming the No. 4 performer with the No. 7 performance.
Then A&M scored double digits in the 60 (16), 600 (18), 400 (10), triple jump (14), 800 (14) and 200 (14). Then the Aggies closed out the meet with a second consecutive Big 12 Indoor victory in the 4 x 400.
The A&M crew of Bryan Miller, Demetrius Pinder, Tabarie Henry and Michael Preble improved the Aggies indoor winning streak to nine meets as they posted a 3:07.14 to defeat Baylor (3:07.55) and Texas Tech (3:08.46).
Amid those big scoring events for A&M Henry won the 600 yards in 1:08.71 over teammate Preble (1:08.94) and Joey Roberts lowered his school record in claiming the 800 with a stellar 1:48.89.
"We had big performances across the board and had some surprises from a couple of athletes," Aggie coach Henry noted. "The 800 is an area where we are trying to make some improvements.
"Joey Roberts is one guy I'm as proud of as anybody. This time last year he was laying on the track knowing we could have won this meet if he just would have done what he was capable of doing. Then he comes back and wins the race this year. That's big."
Roberts noted: "This has been a process and a learning experience. Finally I have the recognition to know what I'm doing. Finally I got it, and did it when it mattered. What an accomplishment for our team. I'm honored and thankful that I was able to contribute to this team championship."
Silver medal efforts were produced Gerald Phiri in the 60 (6.64) and 200 (21.14), with Tran Howell (21.16) third, as well as Demetrius Pinder in the 400 (46.50) and Julian Reid in the triple jump (52-11).
Additional Aggie points were claimed by Prezel Hardy, Jr. (6.71) and Michael Bryan (6.80) claiming fourth and sixth in the 60. Oscar Ramirez ran 1:50.60 for fifth in the 800. Bryan Miller had a collision at the end of the first lap in his 400 section, but got up and earned two points by finishing seventh.
Behind Reid in the triple jump were Melvin Echard (51-2.75) and Tyron Stewart (51-0.75), who placed fifth and seventh for the A&M. In the high jump Tyler Lee set a career best of 6-11 for fifth place while Cameron Alexander tied for sixth (6-9).
Beard lowered the Big 12 meet record and A&M school record for marks made on a 200-meter track. She topped a 52.23 set by Raasin McInstosh of Texas in 2004 as well as her own mark of 51.77 run during the 2009 NCAA Championship.
Last season Beard recorded a Big 12 Indoor winning time of 51.15, the fastest time by an American on an oversized track.
"Jeneba and I always push each other, so it's special to share the high-point honor with her," Beard said. "We didn't win the team title, but we did our best. I wanted to lower my school record on this size track, so that was the main goal of mine in the 400."
Tarmoh came very close to breaking the meet record in the 200 as her 22.88, the No. 2 performer and No. 5 performance on the Aggie all-time list, just missed the 22.86 that was set by Sanya Richards of Texas in 2004 and equaled by A&M's Porscha Lucas in 2008.
"I didn't reach my PR in the 60, but I was able to in the 200," said Tarmoh. "I still feel like I have a little more there. We'll see what happens at nationals. It's very interesting to know I'm that close to Porscha and Sanya with my time in the 200. It means a lot to me."
This was the fifth consecutive title won by Texas A&M in the women's 200 at the Big 12 Indoor meet. Simone Facey won in 2007 and then Lucas secured three titles (2008, 2009, 2010) and Tarmoh claimed the fifth crown in the event.
In the 60 hurdles the A&M combo of Natasha Ruddock (8.20) and Gabby Mayo (8.33) finished second and third behind an impressive win by Baylor freshman Tiffani McReynolds (8.11).
Dominique Duncan finished fourth in both the 60 (7.34) and 200 (23.25). Mayunbge placed fifth in the 400 with a career best of 53.56. Mayo added a seventh in the 60 while Ashley Collier placed seventh in the 200.
In the middle distance events Sutherland posted a career best of 1:21.30 for fourth in the 600 yards while Erica Parker (2:10.99) placed fifth in the 800 while Aliese Hyde (2:14.49) finished eighth.
Sasha-Kay Matthias (41-7.25) and Tiffany Peters (41-5.75) went sixth and seventh in the triple jump.
Players Mentioned
