Friday, February 10
Clemson, S.C.
All Day
Texas A&M
at
Tiger Paw Invite
Tiger Paw Invitational features mix of ACC and SEC schools for Texas A&M
Feb 09, 2017 | Track and Field
CLEMSON – Texas A&M competes in the Tiger Paw Invitational hosted by Clemson University this Friday and Saturday amid a field of ACC and SEC schools. Competing at the meet are Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Miami, North Carolina, NC State, Notre Dame, South Carolina, Tennessee and Wake Forest.
Mark Elliott, the head coach of Clemson, was a distance runner in college who competed for Texas A&M head coach Pat Henry at Blinn and LSU.
"This is going to be a good meet," said Henry. "There are five SEC schools and six ACC schools so it should be a great competitive situation that brings good things out of you at this time of the year. You should be ready to go at this time of the season, especially with the quality of teams you line up against.
"We still have a couple of weeks until the conference meet, but this type of competition starts getting your brain ready and understanding you have to be ready to go every time you get on the track. It also helps our team in understanding that each effort contributes to a team. First place efforts are great, but we need all the fourth through eight place points we can get as well. So, everybody we take becomes an integral part of the team being successful."
The 400m will feature both Kerley brothers racing in the same section. Fred Kerley will contest his first open 400m this indoor season after running the 200m and 4x400 relay in previous meets. Mylik Kerley, with a 46.09 this season, ranks third among collegians in 2017. Also racing in the 400m for the Texas A&M men are Robert Grant and Richard Rose.
"To run the 44.96 split Fred had on the front of the collegiate record 4x400 was just a fantastic run," noted Henry. "If he can copy that and do the same in an open race, we will be extremely pleased."
Jazmine Fray returns to the 800m on Saturday following her school record performance of 2:04.76 from two weeks ago. Fray races in the main section, which includes Jamaican professional Natoya Goule, along with the Clemson tandem of Ersula Farrow and Grace Barnett. Goule, who sports in indoor best of 2:01.64, twice won NCAA Indoor titles at 800m and claimed one NCAA Outdoor title.
Shaina Burns starts things off for the Aggies on Friday in the women's pentathlon at 10 a.m. (ET). Burns recently scored a career best of 3,846 points in the event at the Razorback Invitational. Field events, with Alison Ondrusek and Carissa van Beek in the women's weight throw, begins at 3 p.m. (ET).
Friday's schedule also includes the men's pole vault where Audie Wyatt, Jacob Wooten and Carl Johansson headline a field of 24 vaulters. An indoor best of 17-10.5 has Wyatt among the top 10 vaulters this indoor season. Challengers to the Aggie trio includes Notre Dame's Nate Richartz (17-9.75) and Will Herrscher of Alabama (17-8.5).
Lindon Victor also returns to action this weekend following his school record score of 5,805 points in the heptathlon. This weekend he will compete in the long jump and shot put. Will Williams and Jeffrey Prothro join Victor in the long jump on Friday while Jeff Bartlett is in the shot put on Saturday.
Action on the track during Friday's session includes the 60m, 60m hurdles, 400m, mile, 5,000m and the distance medley relay.
The women's sprint crew includes the trio of Diamond Spaulding, Brenessa Thompson and Danyel White in the 60m while the 400m includes Kadecia Baird, Briyahan Desrosiers, Jarra Owens and Jaevin Reed.
In the men's 60m Jace Comick makes his Aggie debut with teammate Parker Oliver also in the field. On Saturday, Comick and Oliver run in the 200m along with Elijah Morrow.
Alex Riba headlines the men's mile field with teammates Jon Bishop and Taylor Clayton in the race. In the women's mile Arin Rice leads the Aggie crew of Katie Watson and Laura Craig. The 3,000m on Saturday will have Cameron Villarreal in the men's race and Haley Deakins in the women's race.
After each set indoor career best times last week in the 800m the Texas A&M middle distance squad of Devin Dixon, JaQwae Ellison and Efrain Hernandez race in the same section along with four Clemson runners, led by Mpho Makofane (1:48.53).
Celine Markert and Serena Brown contest the shot put to start competition at 11 a.m. (ET) on Saturday along with Prothro in the men's triple jump. The women's pole vault will feature the Aggie crew of Emily Gunderson, Sara Kathryn Stevenson and Augusta Thomason. Gunderson is currently ranked fifth in the SEC and 13th in the nation with her career best of 13-8.5.
Mark Elliott, the head coach of Clemson, was a distance runner in college who competed for Texas A&M head coach Pat Henry at Blinn and LSU.
"This is going to be a good meet," said Henry. "There are five SEC schools and six ACC schools so it should be a great competitive situation that brings good things out of you at this time of the year. You should be ready to go at this time of the season, especially with the quality of teams you line up against.
"We still have a couple of weeks until the conference meet, but this type of competition starts getting your brain ready and understanding you have to be ready to go every time you get on the track. It also helps our team in understanding that each effort contributes to a team. First place efforts are great, but we need all the fourth through eight place points we can get as well. So, everybody we take becomes an integral part of the team being successful."
The 400m will feature both Kerley brothers racing in the same section. Fred Kerley will contest his first open 400m this indoor season after running the 200m and 4x400 relay in previous meets. Mylik Kerley, with a 46.09 this season, ranks third among collegians in 2017. Also racing in the 400m for the Texas A&M men are Robert Grant and Richard Rose.
"To run the 44.96 split Fred had on the front of the collegiate record 4x400 was just a fantastic run," noted Henry. "If he can copy that and do the same in an open race, we will be extremely pleased."
Jazmine Fray returns to the 800m on Saturday following her school record performance of 2:04.76 from two weeks ago. Fray races in the main section, which includes Jamaican professional Natoya Goule, along with the Clemson tandem of Ersula Farrow and Grace Barnett. Goule, who sports in indoor best of 2:01.64, twice won NCAA Indoor titles at 800m and claimed one NCAA Outdoor title.
Shaina Burns starts things off for the Aggies on Friday in the women's pentathlon at 10 a.m. (ET). Burns recently scored a career best of 3,846 points in the event at the Razorback Invitational. Field events, with Alison Ondrusek and Carissa van Beek in the women's weight throw, begins at 3 p.m. (ET).
Friday's schedule also includes the men's pole vault where Audie Wyatt, Jacob Wooten and Carl Johansson headline a field of 24 vaulters. An indoor best of 17-10.5 has Wyatt among the top 10 vaulters this indoor season. Challengers to the Aggie trio includes Notre Dame's Nate Richartz (17-9.75) and Will Herrscher of Alabama (17-8.5).
Lindon Victor also returns to action this weekend following his school record score of 5,805 points in the heptathlon. This weekend he will compete in the long jump and shot put. Will Williams and Jeffrey Prothro join Victor in the long jump on Friday while Jeff Bartlett is in the shot put on Saturday.
Action on the track during Friday's session includes the 60m, 60m hurdles, 400m, mile, 5,000m and the distance medley relay.
The women's sprint crew includes the trio of Diamond Spaulding, Brenessa Thompson and Danyel White in the 60m while the 400m includes Kadecia Baird, Briyahan Desrosiers, Jarra Owens and Jaevin Reed.
In the men's 60m Jace Comick makes his Aggie debut with teammate Parker Oliver also in the field. On Saturday, Comick and Oliver run in the 200m along with Elijah Morrow.
Alex Riba headlines the men's mile field with teammates Jon Bishop and Taylor Clayton in the race. In the women's mile Arin Rice leads the Aggie crew of Katie Watson and Laura Craig. The 3,000m on Saturday will have Cameron Villarreal in the men's race and Haley Deakins in the women's race.
After each set indoor career best times last week in the 800m the Texas A&M middle distance squad of Devin Dixon, JaQwae Ellison and Efrain Hernandez race in the same section along with four Clemson runners, led by Mpho Makofane (1:48.53).
Celine Markert and Serena Brown contest the shot put to start competition at 11 a.m. (ET) on Saturday along with Prothro in the men's triple jump. The women's pole vault will feature the Aggie crew of Emily Gunderson, Sara Kathryn Stevenson and Augusta Thomason. Gunderson is currently ranked fifth in the SEC and 13th in the nation with her career best of 13-8.5.
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