FAYETTEVILLE – Accepted qualifiers for the NCAA Indoor Championships have been announced and Texas A&M will have 15 athletes competing in 11 events during the national meet held at Randal Tyson Track Complex on the March 13-14 weekend.
The Aggie men, ranked No. 4 nationally, will have seven athletes entered in five events, while the A&M women, ranked No. 8 nationally, have eight athletes entered in six events.
Texas A&M features a pair of defending NCAA Indoor champions in Brea Garrett in the weight throw and Deon Lendore in the 400m. The Aggies also have a pair of world-leading marks with Shavez Hart (200m) and the men's 4x400 relay along with a collegiate-leading mark by Shamier Little (400m).
Following her NCAA Indoor title in 2014, with a winning toss of 72-8 (22.15), Garrett went undefeated in 2015 through her first five meets. Then she finished runner-up in the SEC Championships for the third consecutive year. Garrett defeated an elite field during the Tyson Invitational where her winning mark of 73-1 ¼ (22.28) took over the collegiate lead for a week.
Lendore posted winning times of 45.68 at the A&M Aggie Invitational and 45.38 at the Tyson Invitational this indoor season, but an injury prevented him from finishing his prelim race at the SEC Indoor. Last season Lendore claimed the NCAA Indoor title with a 45.21 clocking after establishing a world-leading time and A&M school record of 45.03 during the SEC meet.
Hart has posted a pair of world-leading times in the 200 meters this season. He opened the indoor campaign with a 20.76 to win the Texas A&M Team Invitational in mid-January. Then a 20.57 clocking to win the A&M Aggie Invitational in early February has remained the top mark this indoor season. A 20.90 by Hart placed him second in the recent SEC meet.
Little posted a collegiate-leading mark of 51.37 in winning the SEC Indoor 400m title and it ranks as the 10th fastest time ever recorded on the all-time world list on an oversized track. Last season Little finished third in the SEC Indoor and also placed third in the NCAA Indoor race during her freshman season.
Kamaria Brown leads a trio of Aggies who qualified for the women's 200 meters. Brown, third at the SEC Indoor with a 23.03, has a best time of 22.97 this season. Joining Brown in the 200 are teammates Ashton Purvis (23.33) and Olivia Ekponé (23.50).
Joining Lendore in the 400 is Taplin, who finished runner-up in the SEC with a 45.52. Taplin posted a then world-leading time of 45.78 to win the Texas A&M Quadrangular and lowered his indoor best to 45.39 as runner-up to Lendore at the Tyson Invitational. Devin Jenkins joins Hart in the 200m field with a season best of 20.89 from his A&M Quadrangular victory.
In the 4x400 this season the Aggie men have recorded the second and third fastest collegiate times ever with the line-up of Gregory Coleman, Taplin, Hart and Lendore. They clocked a 3:03.23 to win the Razorback Invitational, just missing the collegiate record of 3:03.20 that A&M set in 2014, and ran 3:03.47 to capture the victory in the Tyson Invitational.
Claiming a third consecutive SEC Indoor 4x400 title, the Aggies ran 3:03.75 as Deon Hickey replaced an injured Lendore and supplied a key third leg carry. Taplin took over anchor leg duties and passed the leading Florida (3:04.28) squad with 40m left in the race.
Individual qualifiers in field events for the A&M men include Latario Collie in the triple jump and Chase Wolfle in the pole vault.
Collie, who won the NJCAA Indoor title in 2014, is ranked third in the nation with a 54-9 ¼ (16.69) mark that placed him second at the Tyson Invitational. He placed second at the SEC meet with a 54-4 (16.56) distance.
Wolfle equaled the Aggie school record in the vault with a clearance of 18-0 ½ (5.50) to finish third in the SEC Indoor, matching his finish from last season when he set a then PR of 17-11. Wolfle tied for 11th in last year's NCAA Indoor with a 17-8 ½ (5.40) clearance.
The women's 4x400 is seeded fifth this season with a season best of 3:32.84. The Aggies recently placed third in the SEC meet with a 3:32.90.
Individual qualifiers for the women's team also include Aaliyah Brown (7.28) in the 60 meters and Jena Hemann (4,179 points) in the pentathlon. Hemann finished eighth at the NCAA Indoor last season when she set a school record of 4,193 points.
Updated USTFCCCA national team computer rankings heading into the NCAA Indoor Championships have the Florida men and Arkansas women ranked No. 1 after each team claimed team titles at the SEC Championships.
The top 10 men's teams include: Florida, Oregon, Arkansas, Texas A&M, Texas, Georgia, LSU, Virginia Tech, Penn State and Texas Tech. The top 10 women's teams include Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Texas, Kansas State, Oregon, Texas A&M, Baylor and Southern California.
NCAA INDOOR ENTRIES, March 13-14, Fayetteville, Arkansas
Texas A&M Women – (8 athletes, 6 events, 8 entries)
60: Â Â Â Â Â =11. Aaliyah Brown, 7.28
200: Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 3. Kamaria Brown, 22.97
              =9. Ashton Purvis, 23.33
            =15. Olivia Ekponé, 23.50
400:        1. Shamier Little, 51.37 (collegiate leader)
4x400:    5. Texas A&M, 3:32.84
Weight:  3. Brea Garrett, 73-1 ¼|22.28 (defending champion)
Pent:     11. Jena Hemann, 4179
Texas A&M Men – (7 athletes, 5 events, 7 entries)
200:        1. Shavez Hart, 20.57 (world leader)
              13. Devin Jenkins, 20.89
400:        2. Deon Lendore, 45.38 (defending champion)
                3. Bralon Taplin, 45.39
4x400:    1. Texas A&M, 3:03.23 (world leader)
PV:        =9. Chase Wolfle, 18-0 ½|5.50
TJ:           3. Latario Collie, 54-9 ¼|16.69