Charlie Thomas Invitational final home indoor meet for nationally-ranked Aggies

Friday, February 5

College Station

All Day

Texas A&M

Charlie Thomas Invitational

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Feb 04, 2016 | Track and Field

COLLEGE STATION – Texas A&M's Charlie Thomas Invitational held this Friday and Saturday at the Gilliam Indoor Stadium is the final home meet this indoor season for the Aggies as they host a field of 12 teams. This marks the first year the meet is named after the former Texas A&M head coach of 32 years who passed away in January of 2015.

Teams competing in the scored meet include Abilene Christian, Arkansas (women), Baylor, Clemson, Houston, Rice, South Plains, TCU, UT-Arlington, UTEP and UTSA. The Aggie men enter the meet ranked No. 2 in the nation while the A&M women are No. 21. In updated dual meet rankings by Track & Field News this week, the Aggie men and women each hold the No. 1 position.

Friday's action begins at 2:30 p.m. with the women's pentathlon while the men's heptathlon starts at 3:30 p.m. On Friday evening the distance medley relay will begin at 6:30 p.m. followed by the 5,000 meters at 7 p.m.

Daniel Martin and Lindon Victor lead a group of five Aggie men competing in the heptathlon while Annie Kunz and Shaina Burns contest the pentathlon for A&M.

Saturday will include a recognition of Aggie seniors at 1:20 p.m. with finals starting at 2 p.m. The heptathlon resumes at 10:30 a.m. while prelims in the 60m and 60 hurdles begin at 12:30 p.m.

American junior record holder Donavan Brazier returns to the 800m this weekend as teammate Hector Hernandez joins him in the same section along with UTEP's Jonah Koech. Brazier set the U.S. junior indoor record of 1:45.93 the last time he contested the event on the Gilliam track in January.

Shamier Little races in the 200m again this week while Fred Kerley seeks a third consecutive indoor PR in the 400m. Aaliyah Brown teams up with Jennifer Madu in the 60m and will join Little in the 200. Brown, who equaled her indoor PR of 23.42 last week is set to race in the same 200m section as Taylor Ellis-Watson of Arkansas, the current U.S. and collegiate leader in the 400 (52.26).

After producing a split of 2:05.34 on the 800m portion of A&M's distance medley relay last weekend, Jazmin Fray will compete in the 800m along with teammate Katie Willard. They race in the same section as Baylor's Olicia Williams, who finished third in the 2015 NCAA Indoor final, as well as the Clemson tandem of Tanisha Coppin and Ersula Farrow.

A challenging field in the 60 and 200m awaits Devin Jenkins, who posted an indoor best of 20.77 to win the 200m at the Razorback Invitational. The 60m field includes TCU's Ronnie Baker, the 2015 NCAA Indoor champion, Tevin Hester of Clemson, and Houston's Cameron Burrell. Hester and TCU's Sam Watts are in the 200m section as Jenkins.

Alex Riba, Cameron Villarreal and Austin Wells lead a group of 10 Aggies in two sections of the mile, which includes Brian Barraza of Houston, who won the NCAA South Central Region cross country title that A&M hosted in the fall.

The goal to clear 18-1 continues for the Aggie pole vaulters as they attempt to better the school record of 18-0 ½ that is shared by three athletes including current A&M vaulter Chase Wolfle. Audie Wyatt and Jacob Wooten have both cleared 17-9 this season while Wolfle has a best of 17-1.

Leading the women's weight throw entries are the Aggie trio of Carissa van Beek, Shelbi Vaughan and Alison Ondrusek, who are currently No. 3-5-6 on the A&M all-time indoor list. In the women's pole vault the Aggie crew of Sara Kathryn Stevens, Emily Gunderson and Brittany Wooten look to challenge Baylor's Annie Rhodes and Ariel Voskamp of Arkansas.

Olympic development events contested in the Charlie Thomas Invitational include the 60, 200 and 400 meters.

Texas A&M's pair of Bowerman Award winners, Jessica Beard (2011) and Deon Lendore (2014), are scheduled to compete in the 400m. Beard and Lendore both swept NCAA Indoor and Outdoor 400m titles the year they won the Bowerman as well as being part of winning 4x400 relays in both national meets. Joining Lendore in the men's 400m field is Demetrius Pinder, an Aggie NCAA Indoor champion in the event.

The Olympic development 200m includes Trayvon Bromell, the 2015 NCAA Indoor champion for Baylor, along with Gilliam facility record holder Mookie Salaam. Bromell, who also won the 2014 NCAA 100m title, and Salaam will also run in the 60m along with Aggie All-American Gerald Phiri and Jeff Demps.

Collegiate record holder Bianca Knight will face Trinidad's Michelle-Lee Ahye in the women's 200m. Knight ran 22.40 to set the collegiate record in 2008, her only season as a collegiate athlete, while Ahye has posted a 23.19 indoor career best this season and is the current world leader in the 60m with a 7.12.