EUGENE, Ore. – The Texas A&M track & field program toes the line with the nation's best at the NCAA Championships at Hayward Field beginning Wednesday, June 9, while concluding the four-day meet on Saturday, June 12. Â
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Wednesday and Friday feature men's open events, while the women take center stage on Thursday and Saturday. The men's decathlon is scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, while Tyra Gittens and other heptathletes begin their two-day competition on Friday.
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Texas A&M enters the meet ranked in the top 10 in the nation in both the men's and women's polls, the Aggie women are No. 3 and the men are No. 7. Texas A&M last won a national outdoor title in 2014 (women) and 2013 (men). In 2019 the women placed fourth with 38 points, while the men finished sixth with 29 points.
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Count 'Em Up
The Maroon and White qualified 24 entries, 14 women and 10 men, to the NCAA Championships. The women's team 14 entries is the fourth most by a team in the meet. Gittens is one of two athletes, male or female, to be entered in three individual events. She leads the nation in the heptathlon (6,418) and high jump (6-4.75/1.95m), and is ranked No. 2 in the long jump at 22-10 (6.96m). Devon Achane is one of 14 male athletes, and the only Aggie, to double in the 100m and 200m. The freshman is also entered as a member of the 4x100m. Deborah Acquah is one of seven female athletes doubling in the long jump and triple jump. Acquah ranks No. 4 in the nation in both events.
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Relay, Relay Good
Texas A&M is one of seven universities to have qualified all four relays, a men's and women's 4x100m and 4x400m. Including the Aggies, the Southeastern Conference leads the way with four of the seven schools. The Aggies are the defending champions from 2019 in the men's and women's 4x400m relays.
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Old School Veterans
No stranger to the big stage, seniors Bryce Deadmon and Devin Dixon enter their individual events with loads of experience. Deadmon is ranked No. 2 in the nation in the 400m with a time of 44.50. The Missouri City, Texas, native has ran sub 45-second 400m on four occasions this outdoor season. He ran the fastest qualifying time from both regions at 44.57. Dixon, the 2019 NCAA 800m runner-up is a 12-time All-American and enters the race seeded sixth with a season best time of 1:47.65. The Aggie duo also play important roles as leaders of the 4x400m.
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Big Fish on Campus
Eight of Texas A&M's 24 entries are either true freshman or competing in their first collegiate outdoor season due to COVID-19 canceling 2020. Notable entries include Athing Mu who leads the NCAA with a collegiate record 400m time of 49.68, followed by Charokee Young who recently clocked a season best time of 50.85 at the NCAA West Regional. Lamara Distin enters the high jump with a season best clearance of 6-2.25 (1.89m), which ranks No. 3 in the NCAA. On the men's side, Brandon Miller enters as not only as the top freshman but one of the nation's best in the 800m. His season best time of 1:45.95 is third fastest in the nation. Javelin specialist Sam Hankins enters the competition with a season best mark of 230-1 (70.13m).
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How to Follow
All four days of competition are scheduled to be broadcast on various ESPN Networks, for a full broadcast schedule visit NCAA.com. Fan can also follow @aggietfxc on Twitter for live updates. Live results are provided through flashresults.com.
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Texas A&M Quotes
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Head Coach Pat Henry
on how the team is feeling heading into the NCAAs:
"This group is excited about this opportunity, you can see that there is some anticipation going on right now. Anytime you go to the NCAA Championships, they want to be at their absolute best. That is the narrative for themselves right now, 'I want to try to be at my best' my talk to them is to just repeat what you've done before. Every track meet we've had has been a rehearsal, now you have the opportunity to go to the big play and that's what this is about. Let's do what we did to get here and let's try to do it at the best of our ability."
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on the key to competing to the best of your ability on championship day:
"We've had a lot of practice, rehearsals and a lot of opportunities to succeed and to fail. We've learned from those experiences. Track & field athletes know that what you did during the season doesn't count, it's about what you do right now. They prepare themselves between their ears for that kind of thing, they know that's what the sport is about. It's athletes that are strong between their ears that make things happen for themselves at this point."
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Wednesday and Friday feature men's open events, while the women take center stage on Thursday and Saturday. The men's decathlon is scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, while Tyra Gittens and other heptathletes begin their two-day competition on Friday.
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Texas A&M enters the meet ranked in the top 10 in the nation in both the men's and women's polls, the Aggie women are No. 3 and the men are No. 7. Texas A&M last won a national outdoor title in 2014 (women) and 2013 (men). In 2019 the women placed fourth with 38 points, while the men finished sixth with 29 points.
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Count 'Em Up
The Maroon and White qualified 24 entries, 14 women and 10 men, to the NCAA Championships. The women's team 14 entries is the fourth most by a team in the meet. Gittens is one of two athletes, male or female, to be entered in three individual events. She leads the nation in the heptathlon (6,418) and high jump (6-4.75/1.95m), and is ranked No. 2 in the long jump at 22-10 (6.96m). Devon Achane is one of 14 male athletes, and the only Aggie, to double in the 100m and 200m. The freshman is also entered as a member of the 4x100m. Deborah Acquah is one of seven female athletes doubling in the long jump and triple jump. Acquah ranks No. 4 in the nation in both events.
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Relay, Relay Good
Texas A&M is one of seven universities to have qualified all four relays, a men's and women's 4x100m and 4x400m. Including the Aggies, the Southeastern Conference leads the way with four of the seven schools. The Aggies are the defending champions from 2019 in the men's and women's 4x400m relays.
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Old School Veterans
No stranger to the big stage, seniors Bryce Deadmon and Devin Dixon enter their individual events with loads of experience. Deadmon is ranked No. 2 in the nation in the 400m with a time of 44.50. The Missouri City, Texas, native has ran sub 45-second 400m on four occasions this outdoor season. He ran the fastest qualifying time from both regions at 44.57. Dixon, the 2019 NCAA 800m runner-up is a 12-time All-American and enters the race seeded sixth with a season best time of 1:47.65. The Aggie duo also play important roles as leaders of the 4x400m.
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Big Fish on Campus
Eight of Texas A&M's 24 entries are either true freshman or competing in their first collegiate outdoor season due to COVID-19 canceling 2020. Notable entries include Athing Mu who leads the NCAA with a collegiate record 400m time of 49.68, followed by Charokee Young who recently clocked a season best time of 50.85 at the NCAA West Regional. Lamara Distin enters the high jump with a season best clearance of 6-2.25 (1.89m), which ranks No. 3 in the NCAA. On the men's side, Brandon Miller enters as not only as the top freshman but one of the nation's best in the 800m. His season best time of 1:45.95 is third fastest in the nation. Javelin specialist Sam Hankins enters the competition with a season best mark of 230-1 (70.13m).
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How to Follow
All four days of competition are scheduled to be broadcast on various ESPN Networks, for a full broadcast schedule visit NCAA.com. Fan can also follow @aggietfxc on Twitter for live updates. Live results are provided through flashresults.com.
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Texas A&M Quotes
Â
Head Coach Pat Henry
on how the team is feeling heading into the NCAAs:
"This group is excited about this opportunity, you can see that there is some anticipation going on right now. Anytime you go to the NCAA Championships, they want to be at their absolute best. That is the narrative for themselves right now, 'I want to try to be at my best' my talk to them is to just repeat what you've done before. Every track meet we've had has been a rehearsal, now you have the opportunity to go to the big play and that's what this is about. Let's do what we did to get here and let's try to do it at the best of our ability."
Â
on the key to competing to the best of your ability on championship day:
"We've had a lot of practice, rehearsals and a lot of opportunities to succeed and to fail. We've learned from those experiences. Track & field athletes know that what you did during the season doesn't count, it's about what you do right now. They prepare themselves between their ears for that kind of thing, they know that's what the sport is about. It's athletes that are strong between their ears that make things happen for themselves at this point."