Tech Track Experiences a Youth Movement
March 07, 2002 | Track and Field
March 7, 2002
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - The Texas Tech track and field program had 13 athletes qualify to compete at the 2002 NCAA Indoor meet this weekend in Fayetteville, Ark., with hopes of bringing home an All-American or two.
Seven women and six men will lace up their shoes in the final indoor meet of the season with the goal of earning top-eight finishes on the national level.
For two ladies this weekend is a chance to end their college indoor career as one of the best, but for the 10 underclassmen this weekend is just the start of what could be prosperous track career.
The women have the type of senior leadership that coaches look for in three-time letter winners. "This group of seniors has had to step up," noted Tech track coach Wes Kittley. "They have provided the leadership but I think that the younger kids have provided the spark." Senior Monique Wright-Cruse will represent the scarlet and black in the 60m dash after having a record setting indoor season. Wright-Cruse posted top-five times in three events including the fastest indoor 55m time in school history, 6.83 seconds.
Senior Melonie Barrow will be counted on to set the pace for the women's 4x400 relay team. Two weeks ago at the Big 12 Championships she set the pace running the first leg of the relay team that placed second.
"I give a lot of credit to these seniors," said Kittley. "They have been through two coaches and now me and I think that it is a credit to them, they have been through the good and the bad."
The lone male upperclassman is Julieon Raeburn who will run the second leg of the 1,600m relay on Saturday afternoon. Raeburn has turned in several top five finishes this season including the fastest Tech time in the 200m (21.21) and the fourth fastest season time of 48.41 in the 400m.
But with more athletes in the NCAA Championships this season than in those of recent memory Tech's youth will be tested.
"We are young there is no doubt," says Kittley. "People are noticing that Texas tech is moving up." This youth movement is not going unnoticed. "Of all the schools, we are the only one to have a relay team made up of four freshmen. It helps with recruiting, people look at who is in the national meet and see that Texas Tech is competitive."
The men's best chance at an All-American will be riding on the legs of freshman Jonathan Johnson in the 800m. Johnson jumped to second in the nation last weekend at the ISU Last Chance meet posting a time of 1 minute 48 seconds flat.
Raeburn will be sandwiched between freshmen as Ivory McCann will get out of the blocks first in the 4x4 and Albert Booker and Johnson will run the final two legs.
In the only field event for Red Raiders sophomore Mike Beasley will look to improve on his season best jump of 2.19m which ranks eighth in the nation entering the weekend.
For the women's team sophomore Shannon Spaulding will run the 800m after turning in an automatic qualifying time of 2:05.77 at last week's ISU Last Chance meet. Two weeks ago she placed second at the Big 12 Championships and set the Athletic Training Center record for fastest time in the 800. The distance specialist also turned in the best time Red Raider time in the mile at the first meet of the indoor season, the Texas Tech Early Bird.
Freshman Licretia Sibley automatically qualified for this weekend's meet in the Early Bird sprinting to a 54.13 first-place finish in the 400m. She will also be looked on to anchor the 4x4 relay team.
Joining Sibley will be freshman LaDonna Begelton and sophomore Rachelle Evans. Both ladies were members of the Big 12 runner-up sprint relay team.
Even if Tech comes up empty handed this weekend, the underclassmen will have gained the knowledge of their predecessors and the experience of racing in the biggest meet of the indoor season.