Elite fields await nationally-ranked Aggies in Tyson Invitational this weekend

Friday, February 12

Fayetteville, Ark.

All Day

Texas A&M

Tyson Invitational

Photo by: Errol Anderson

Feb 11, 2016 | Track and Field

FAYETTEVILLE – Texas A&M is one of 10 SEC teams competing at the two-day Tyson Invitational this weekend prior to the Randal Tyson Track Complex hosting the indoor conference championships in two weeks.

SEC programs with athletes in the Tyson Invitational include host Arkansas (national rankings - No. 8 men, No. 1 women), Alabama (No. 15 men), Auburn, Florida (No. 1 men, No. 4 women), Kentucky (No. 12 women), LSU (No. 4 men, No. 21 women), Missouri, South Carolina, Texas A&M (No. 2 men, No. 18 women), and Tennessee (No. 7 men, No.14 women).

Other schools in the meet include Baylor (No. 17 women), Clemson (No. 25 women), Florida State, Iowa, Kansas, Kansas State (No. 6 women), Miami (No. 15 women), Nebraska (No. 16 men), NC State (No. 19 men, No. 9 women), Oklahoma State (No. 24 men, No. 22 women), TCU (No. 7 men), Texas (No. 5 men, No. 5 women), Texas Tech (No. 14 men) and USC (No. 17 men, No. 7 women).

With that many ranked teams a majority of events in the Tyson Invitational will offer key matchups and previews of who will be favored to make the 16-team field that qualifies for the NCAA Championships in March.

Coverage of the two-day meet is available through SEC Network + on Watch ESPN. Action begins at 1 p.m. on Friday and 11 a.m. on Saturday. Following are the links for each day of the webcast – Friday (http://es.pn/1SEyFRk) and Saturday (http://es.pn/20FSBrt).

Aggies Shamier Little and Briyahna Desrosiers will race in the Invitational section of the women's 400m while Fred Kerley competes in the men's Invitational 400m. Diamond Spaulding is entered in the Invitational section of the 200m.

Little is the defending SEC Indoor champion in the 400m and the women's field at Tyson also includes Razorback Taylor Ellis-Watson, Olivia James of Clemson, Florida's trio of Claudia Francis, Kyra Jefferson and Robin Reynolds, Tennessee's Felecia Majors, Chrisannn Gordon of Texas and USC's tandem of Amalie Iuel and Jaide Stepter.

In the men's 400m the entrants include Baylor's George Craddick, Najee Glass of Florida, LSU's trio of Lamar Bruton, Michael Cherry and Fitzroy Dunkley, and Joseph Richards of Texas Tech. In the Razorback Invitational a couple of weeks ago Cherry (45.78) and Kerley (46.48) posted the top two collegiate times of the season.

A crew of Aaliyah Brown, Jennifer Madu, Krystal Sparling and Brenessa Thompson will represent the Aggies in a women's 60m field of 68 sprinters that is led by collegiate leader Shayla Sanders of Florida (7.17). A&M's foursome of Devin Jenkins, Edward Davis, Elijah Morrow and Will Williams race amid a field of 62 sprinters in the men's 60m field that includes collegiate leader Christian Coleman of Tennessee (6.54).

Collegiate pole vault leader Jake Blankenship of Tennessee, who cleared 18-9 ¼ this past week, will headline an Invitational field of 15 vaulters which includes A&M's crew of Jacob Wooten, Audie Wyatt and Chase Wolfle. Dylan Bell of Air Force, who cleared 18-2 ¾ last weekend, joins post-collegians Jordan Scott and Andrew Irwin in the talented field.

Katie Willard, the 800m school record holder, and Jazmine Fray, the top collegiate freshman in the event, race in an eight-person Invitational field that includes Kentucky's Ariah Graham along with post-collegians Dominique Scott, Latavia Thomas and Chrishuna Williams. Coming off a career best 1:50.44, A&M frosh JaQwae Ellison is entered in a nine-person men's Invitational 800m.

An Aggie trio of Alex Riba, Nathan Ricketts and Ryan Teel will race in the Invitational mile while the women's Invitational mile includes A&M's Arin Rice and Katie Watson.

The Aggie men are scheduled to compete in the distance medley against Kansas State, Missouri, Nebraska, South Plains and USC. In the women's distance medley relay the A&M women part of a four-team field which includes Kansas, South Plains and USC.

Collegiate leading times in the 4x400, currently held by LSU men (3:04.46) and Florida women (3:30.51), could be lowered again with the teams scheduled to race at Tyson.

The dozen teams lining up in the women's Invitational 4x400 include Arkansas, Clemson, Iowa, Kansas State, Kentucky, LSU, Miami, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M and USC. In the men's Invitational field the 12 schools include Arkansas, Baylor, Clemson, Florida, LSU, Nebraska, South Plains, TCU, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech.

Aggie post-collegians in the Olympic development events include Demetrius Pinder (400m) and Ibukun Mayungbe (200m, 400m) while Bralon Taplin is in the Invitational 200m and Tyron Stewart is part of the Invitational long jump.