Friday, February 24
Nashville, Tenn.
All Day
Texas A&M
at
SEC Championships
SEC Indoor Championships first postseason test for nationally-ranked Aggies
Feb 22, 2017 | Track and Field
NASHVILLE – The first postseason meet of the 2017 track and field season has the Texas A&M squad competing on an oversized track at Vanderbilt's Multipurpose Facility this Friday and Saturday during the SEC Indoor Championships. The Aggies enter the meet with the men ranked fifth and the women ranked 10th in the latest national team computer rankings compiled by USTFCCCA.
"The championship season is when all these rehearsals, the track meets we've done to this point, turns into the play," said Texas A&M head coach Pat Henry. "Now it's show time. This is the time of year I enjoy and our athletes do as well."
Coverage on the conference indoor championships will be available via a live stream over the weekend and during a two-hour broadcast on Sunday. The live streams are available on Friday from 4:25 to 9:30 p.m. (http://es.pn/2lNDc5O) and on Saturday from 1:55 to 6:45 p.m. (http://es.pn/2lN8DhI). Sunday's broadcast will appear on ESPN from 7 to 9 p.m.
Live results from the competition will be available at pttiming.com (http://live.pttiming.com/?mid=1151).
Among the SEC teams there are seven men's teams and eight women's team ranked among the top 25 in the national rankings. For the men, the ranked group includes Florida (1), Arkansas (2), Georgia (4), Texas A&M (5), LSU (8), Alabama (9) and Tennessee (12). Among the women's rankings are Arkansas (2), Georgia (3), LSU (4), Kentucky (6), Alabama (9), Texas A&M (10), Florida (11) and Mississippi (13).
In 2016, the Aggie men finished second in team scoring behind Arkansas as they improved upon a string of three consecutive third-place efforts by Texas A&M. The Aggie women were seventh a year ago after a runner-up performance in 2014 along with third-place efforts in 2013 and 2015.
"Great things happen during the conference championships when the SEC teams get together," noted Henry. "This is one of the best meets you'll ever go to. It brings out the best in you and this is where you put it all on the line.
"The SEC meet is one that is about team, where each school is allowed 27 athletes per gender. So it's about the most depth you can put into that group of 27 people and see how many points you can score. It's a team championship and every point counts."
Currently, Texas A&M has the collegiate leading mark in four events and is also the world leader in three of them. They include the men's 400m (Fred Kerley, 45.02, WL), women's 800m (Jazmine Fray, 2:00.69, collegiate record), women's 4x400 (3:29.74, WL) and men's 4x400 (3:02.52, collegiate record & WL).
Audie Wyatt in the pole vault is the lone returning indoor conference champion for Texas A&M while Will Williams (long jump) and Lindon Victor (heptathlon) each finished third a year ago. Wyatt leads the conference again this indoor season while Victor ranks second in the multi-event and Williams is fifth in the long jump.
The highest returning scorers on the women's side are Jazmine Fray and Katie Willard, who placed third and fourth in the 800m, along with Alison Ondrusek, who was fifth in the weight throw, and Diamond Spaulding, who placed fifth in the 200m.
Depth in some events will give the Aggies multiple scoring opportunities, such as the men's 400m, 800m and pole vault as well as the women's 200m and 800m.
Last season four Texas A&M pole vaulters totaled 24 points at the SEC Indoor meet. This season three of those Aggies return with Jacob Wooten, fourth last year, and Carl Johansson, eighth, joining defending champion Wyatt. Heading into the conference meet the trio ranks first, fourth and fifth.
Fred Kerley leads the world list with his school record performance of 45.02 in the 400m and is joined by younger brother, Mylik, who ranks third in the SEC and fourth among collegians at 45.96. The Aggies also have Richard Rose, who ran a career best 46.51 last weekend and ranks ninth in the conference.
An influx of youth making the trip to Nashville, particularly freshmen, will also have opportunities to contribute team points for Texas A&M.
"There are a lot of newcomers at this meet for us, not just freshman, but some sophomores and juniors," said Henry. "We have some athletes here who haven't been in this situation that are juniors, it has taken them a couple of years to build up and get better to reach an environment like this and make the SEC travel team."
This season the women's 200m, led by freshman Danyel White, has been a major producer of points in team scored meet for the Aggies. White is third in the league with a 23.14 clocking while sophomores Diamond Spaulding and Brenessa Thompson rank fifth and seventh.
With her collegiate record performance of 2:00.69, Fray leads the SEC by three seconds while teammate Katie Willard ranks fourth at 2:05.04. In the men's 800m, the Aggies have freshman Devin Dixon, ranked fifth, and sophomore JaQwae Ellison, ranked seventh.
Fresh off a school record in the women's pole vault, Emily Gunderson ranks fifth in the league. Shaina Burns best score in the pentathlon ranks sixth in a very competitive event in the SEC. Ondrusek ranks eighth in the weight throw as does Celine Markert in the shot put.
Jeffrey Prothro is ranked fifth among the triple jump entrants while Austin Cook, who improved his school record in the weight throw this season, ranks sixth among the conference throwers. Joining Victor in the heptathlon for Texas A&M is Nathan Hite, who is ranked seventh.
Scoring potential is also available in the distance medley relays, where the Aggie men and women each rank fourth in the SEC.
Distance events for Texas A&M will include Alex Riba leading an Aggie trio in the mile as Cameron Villarreal and Christian Farris run in the 3,000m as Austin Wells covers the 5,000m with Farris. The women's mile includes Arin Rice and Hannah Campbell for Texas A&M.
"The championship season is when all these rehearsals, the track meets we've done to this point, turns into the play," said Texas A&M head coach Pat Henry. "Now it's show time. This is the time of year I enjoy and our athletes do as well."
Coverage on the conference indoor championships will be available via a live stream over the weekend and during a two-hour broadcast on Sunday. The live streams are available on Friday from 4:25 to 9:30 p.m. (http://es.pn/2lNDc5O) and on Saturday from 1:55 to 6:45 p.m. (http://es.pn/2lN8DhI). Sunday's broadcast will appear on ESPN from 7 to 9 p.m.
Live results from the competition will be available at pttiming.com (http://live.pttiming.com/?mid=1151).
Among the SEC teams there are seven men's teams and eight women's team ranked among the top 25 in the national rankings. For the men, the ranked group includes Florida (1), Arkansas (2), Georgia (4), Texas A&M (5), LSU (8), Alabama (9) and Tennessee (12). Among the women's rankings are Arkansas (2), Georgia (3), LSU (4), Kentucky (6), Alabama (9), Texas A&M (10), Florida (11) and Mississippi (13).
In 2016, the Aggie men finished second in team scoring behind Arkansas as they improved upon a string of three consecutive third-place efforts by Texas A&M. The Aggie women were seventh a year ago after a runner-up performance in 2014 along with third-place efforts in 2013 and 2015.
"Great things happen during the conference championships when the SEC teams get together," noted Henry. "This is one of the best meets you'll ever go to. It brings out the best in you and this is where you put it all on the line.
"The SEC meet is one that is about team, where each school is allowed 27 athletes per gender. So it's about the most depth you can put into that group of 27 people and see how many points you can score. It's a team championship and every point counts."
Currently, Texas A&M has the collegiate leading mark in four events and is also the world leader in three of them. They include the men's 400m (Fred Kerley, 45.02, WL), women's 800m (Jazmine Fray, 2:00.69, collegiate record), women's 4x400 (3:29.74, WL) and men's 4x400 (3:02.52, collegiate record & WL).
Audie Wyatt in the pole vault is the lone returning indoor conference champion for Texas A&M while Will Williams (long jump) and Lindon Victor (heptathlon) each finished third a year ago. Wyatt leads the conference again this indoor season while Victor ranks second in the multi-event and Williams is fifth in the long jump.
The highest returning scorers on the women's side are Jazmine Fray and Katie Willard, who placed third and fourth in the 800m, along with Alison Ondrusek, who was fifth in the weight throw, and Diamond Spaulding, who placed fifth in the 200m.
Depth in some events will give the Aggies multiple scoring opportunities, such as the men's 400m, 800m and pole vault as well as the women's 200m and 800m.
Last season four Texas A&M pole vaulters totaled 24 points at the SEC Indoor meet. This season three of those Aggies return with Jacob Wooten, fourth last year, and Carl Johansson, eighth, joining defending champion Wyatt. Heading into the conference meet the trio ranks first, fourth and fifth.
Fred Kerley leads the world list with his school record performance of 45.02 in the 400m and is joined by younger brother, Mylik, who ranks third in the SEC and fourth among collegians at 45.96. The Aggies also have Richard Rose, who ran a career best 46.51 last weekend and ranks ninth in the conference.
An influx of youth making the trip to Nashville, particularly freshmen, will also have opportunities to contribute team points for Texas A&M.
"There are a lot of newcomers at this meet for us, not just freshman, but some sophomores and juniors," said Henry. "We have some athletes here who haven't been in this situation that are juniors, it has taken them a couple of years to build up and get better to reach an environment like this and make the SEC travel team."
This season the women's 200m, led by freshman Danyel White, has been a major producer of points in team scored meet for the Aggies. White is third in the league with a 23.14 clocking while sophomores Diamond Spaulding and Brenessa Thompson rank fifth and seventh.
With her collegiate record performance of 2:00.69, Fray leads the SEC by three seconds while teammate Katie Willard ranks fourth at 2:05.04. In the men's 800m, the Aggies have freshman Devin Dixon, ranked fifth, and sophomore JaQwae Ellison, ranked seventh.
Fresh off a school record in the women's pole vault, Emily Gunderson ranks fifth in the league. Shaina Burns best score in the pentathlon ranks sixth in a very competitive event in the SEC. Ondrusek ranks eighth in the weight throw as does Celine Markert in the shot put.
Jeffrey Prothro is ranked fifth among the triple jump entrants while Austin Cook, who improved his school record in the weight throw this season, ranks sixth among the conference throwers. Joining Victor in the heptathlon for Texas A&M is Nathan Hite, who is ranked seventh.
Scoring potential is also available in the distance medley relays, where the Aggie men and women each rank fourth in the SEC.
Distance events for Texas A&M will include Alex Riba leading an Aggie trio in the mile as Cameron Villarreal and Christian Farris run in the 3,000m as Austin Wells covers the 5,000m with Farris. The women's mile includes Arin Rice and Hannah Campbell for Texas A&M.
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