Tech Track Set to Run at Big 12 Championships
February 26, 2003 | Track and Field
Feb. 26, 2003
LUBBOCK, Texas - After a week of rest the Texas Tech track and field teams are making a return trip to Lincoln, Neb., for the 7th Annual Big 12 Indoor Track Championships at the Bob Devaney Sports Center this weekend.
The Tech women will be as close to full strength as they have been all season after battling through several early season injuries. Rachelle Evans (Dallas, Texas) and Licretia Sibley (Fort Worth, Texas) enter the meet at sixth and eighth in the 400-meter dash, respectively. Both ladies are also members of the 1,600M relay team that enters the weekend with the third fastest time in the conference of 3:43.00.
Tracie Akerhielm (Sulpher Springs, Texas) has a season-best time of 17:04.23 in the 5K ranking her fourth in the conference, while freshman Abby Schuebert's (Albuquerque, N.M.) time of 17:24.23 places her eighth.
Olivia Clardy's (Abilene, Texas) record-setting toss of 58-feet, 3.5-inches in the weight throw is good enough to rank her fifth in the conference.
For the men, Mike Beasley (Abilene, Texas) enters the conference championships with the top clearance in the high jump at 7-feet, 2.25 inches. Chad Pharis (Vernon, Texas) enters the meet in ninth at 7'-0.25".
The Red Raiders have three vaulters in the top five as Buster McLain (Gruver, Texas), Bobby Most (Laredo, Texas) and Ken Wilson (Lewisville, Texas) all have an elevation of 17'-1".
Freshman Clifton Eddington (Dallas, Texas) is eighth in the conference in the triple jump with a season-best leap of 48'-11.25" and junior Jason Young (Dallas, Texas) is seventh in the weight throw at 58'-4.25".
In the running events, Albert Booker (Trent, Texas) holds the fourth fastest time in the 400M (47.12), with Jason Lovell (Reseada, Calif.) coming in at seventh with a time of 47.75. Jonathan Johnson (Abilene, Texas) is listed at seventh in the 800M (1:49.94), while the 1,600M relay team is third (3:09.85).
This year's championships could be one of the most competitive meets in the country as four women's teams and three men's teams from the Big 12 are listed on Trackwire's Top 25 Power Rankings.