Saturday, February 18
College Station
5:00 PM
Texas A&M
vs
Texas A&M Aggie Twilight
New meet has Texas A&M hosting the Aggie Twilight Invitational on Saturday evening
Feb 16, 2017 | Track and Field
COLLEGE STATION – Texas A&M hosts a new indoor meet on Saturday, the Aggie Twilight Invitational, a week prior to the SEC Championships. The two-hour meet will begin at 5 p.m. at Gilliam Indoor Stadium.
In addition to host Texas A&M, the meet will include athletes from East Texas Baptist, UT Rio Grande Valley, UT-Tyler and Texas Wesleyan. In the updated USTFCCCA national team computer rankings the Aggie men are No. 4 and the women are No. 12.
"This is actually the first time we've hosted a meet on this weekend," noted Texas A&M head coach Pat Henry. "This is a week prior to the SEC Championships, so it's an odd weekend for us. A lot of the smaller divisions are having conference meets this weekend and bigger schools have conference meets next weekend."
Aggie alums and other post collegians will be involved in various events as well in the meet. Among the group of Texas A&M alums scheduled to compete are Kanicka Beckles Jessica Beard, Donavan Brazier, Kamaria Brown, Hector Hernandez, Jennifer Madu, Gerald Phiri, and Carlyle Roudette.
For some Aggies the meet serves as a tune-up for the SEC Championships and in some cases athletes will be looking to improve their season best mark heading into the conference meet.
"This will give the bulk of our athletes one more chance to get on the track or in the ring to compete," said Henry. "It will be a productive meet for us. A lot of our SEC people will either be limited in what they do this weekend or will not compete as this is a rest week for them."
Donavan Brazier, who will be competing at the USATF Indoor Championships in a couple of weeks, races in the 800m along with Hector Hernandez. The Texas A&M group racing includes Efrain Hernandez, Gaines Kinsey, Ian Cazares and Blake Chiuminetta.
The men's mile field includes Leo Manzano, the 2012 Olympic silver medalist in the 1,500m, along with an Aggie group of Alex Riba, Austin Wells, Ryan Teel and Julian Castellano. A large crew of Texas A&M distance runners will compete in the women's mile and 3,000m led by Laura Craig, who ran a career best 4:59.30 in the mile at Clemson, and Kelsey Persyn, who has a best of 10:00.17 in the 3,000m.
Austin Cook returns to his home venue following an Aggie school record throw of 67-11.5 (20.71) last weekend. A challenger in the weight throw is post collegian Chris Stonestreet, who set a career best of 65-3.25 (19.89) last month. A pair of post collegians in the triple jump will offer a test for Jeffrey Prothro, who produced a season best of 51-10.5 (15.81) in Clemson.
Audie Wyatt, who set a Texas A&M school record of 18-1 (5.51) in winning the 2016 SEC Indoor pole vault title, has a best of 17-10.5 (5.45) this season. Teammates Jacob Wooten and Carl Johansson will vault on Saturday as well.
The women's vault will likely see another challenge on the Aggie school record of 13-11.25 (4.25) by Emily Gunderson, who has cleared a career best 13-8.5 (4.18) this indoor campaign. She will be joined by teammates Sara Kathryn Stevens and Augusta Thomason.
The women's sprints will have Aggie frosh Amber Ivy in both the 60m and 200m. Joining Ivy in the 60m are teammates Aaliyah Brown, Diamond Spaulding, Brenessa Thompson and Danyel White. The women's 200m field will include professionals Jessica Beard, Kamaria Brown and Phyllis Francis. In the 400m, Briyahna Desrosiers and Kadecia Baird race in the same section as alum Kanicka Beckles.
Richard Rose leads the Aggie crew in the 400m, which includes Eric Age and Deon Hickey in the same section. After his debut in a Texas A&M uniform at Clemson, Jace Comick will race on the Gilliam track in both the 60m and 200m. Elijah Morrow, who ran a career indoor best of 21.08 last weekend, will be in the same 200m section with Comick.
To prepare for the SEC multi-event competition, Lindon Victor and Nathan Hite will compete in the 60 hurdles and high jump, with Hite adding the high jump as well.
The men's high jump will feature Allex Austin, who has cleared 7-4.5 (2.25) this indoor season. He is the son of Charles Austin, American record holder at 7-10.5 (2.40) and the 1996 Olympic gold medalist in the high jump.
Celine Markert moves to the weight throw this weekend to join Alison Ondrusek and Carissa van Beek, both of whom produced career best marks last week. Following recent improvements in Clemson, Glorilisha Carter and Ciynamon Stevenson will compete in the long jump and triple jump, respectively.
In addition to host Texas A&M, the meet will include athletes from East Texas Baptist, UT Rio Grande Valley, UT-Tyler and Texas Wesleyan. In the updated USTFCCCA national team computer rankings the Aggie men are No. 4 and the women are No. 12.
"This is actually the first time we've hosted a meet on this weekend," noted Texas A&M head coach Pat Henry. "This is a week prior to the SEC Championships, so it's an odd weekend for us. A lot of the smaller divisions are having conference meets this weekend and bigger schools have conference meets next weekend."
Aggie alums and other post collegians will be involved in various events as well in the meet. Among the group of Texas A&M alums scheduled to compete are Kanicka Beckles Jessica Beard, Donavan Brazier, Kamaria Brown, Hector Hernandez, Jennifer Madu, Gerald Phiri, and Carlyle Roudette.
For some Aggies the meet serves as a tune-up for the SEC Championships and in some cases athletes will be looking to improve their season best mark heading into the conference meet.
"This will give the bulk of our athletes one more chance to get on the track or in the ring to compete," said Henry. "It will be a productive meet for us. A lot of our SEC people will either be limited in what they do this weekend or will not compete as this is a rest week for them."
Donavan Brazier, who will be competing at the USATF Indoor Championships in a couple of weeks, races in the 800m along with Hector Hernandez. The Texas A&M group racing includes Efrain Hernandez, Gaines Kinsey, Ian Cazares and Blake Chiuminetta.
The men's mile field includes Leo Manzano, the 2012 Olympic silver medalist in the 1,500m, along with an Aggie group of Alex Riba, Austin Wells, Ryan Teel and Julian Castellano. A large crew of Texas A&M distance runners will compete in the women's mile and 3,000m led by Laura Craig, who ran a career best 4:59.30 in the mile at Clemson, and Kelsey Persyn, who has a best of 10:00.17 in the 3,000m.
Austin Cook returns to his home venue following an Aggie school record throw of 67-11.5 (20.71) last weekend. A challenger in the weight throw is post collegian Chris Stonestreet, who set a career best of 65-3.25 (19.89) last month. A pair of post collegians in the triple jump will offer a test for Jeffrey Prothro, who produced a season best of 51-10.5 (15.81) in Clemson.
Audie Wyatt, who set a Texas A&M school record of 18-1 (5.51) in winning the 2016 SEC Indoor pole vault title, has a best of 17-10.5 (5.45) this season. Teammates Jacob Wooten and Carl Johansson will vault on Saturday as well.
The women's vault will likely see another challenge on the Aggie school record of 13-11.25 (4.25) by Emily Gunderson, who has cleared a career best 13-8.5 (4.18) this indoor campaign. She will be joined by teammates Sara Kathryn Stevens and Augusta Thomason.
The women's sprints will have Aggie frosh Amber Ivy in both the 60m and 200m. Joining Ivy in the 60m are teammates Aaliyah Brown, Diamond Spaulding, Brenessa Thompson and Danyel White. The women's 200m field will include professionals Jessica Beard, Kamaria Brown and Phyllis Francis. In the 400m, Briyahna Desrosiers and Kadecia Baird race in the same section as alum Kanicka Beckles.
Richard Rose leads the Aggie crew in the 400m, which includes Eric Age and Deon Hickey in the same section. After his debut in a Texas A&M uniform at Clemson, Jace Comick will race on the Gilliam track in both the 60m and 200m. Elijah Morrow, who ran a career indoor best of 21.08 last weekend, will be in the same 200m section with Comick.
To prepare for the SEC multi-event competition, Lindon Victor and Nathan Hite will compete in the 60 hurdles and high jump, with Hite adding the high jump as well.
The men's high jump will feature Allex Austin, who has cleared 7-4.5 (2.25) this indoor season. He is the son of Charles Austin, American record holder at 7-10.5 (2.40) and the 1996 Olympic gold medalist in the high jump.
Celine Markert moves to the weight throw this weekend to join Alison Ondrusek and Carissa van Beek, both of whom produced career best marks last week. Following recent improvements in Clemson, Glorilisha Carter and Ciynamon Stevenson will compete in the long jump and triple jump, respectively.
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