Tech Track Teams Rested, Ready for Drake Relays
April 23, 2003 | Track and Field
April 23, 2003
Lubbock, Texas - After a week off for most of the Texas Tech men and women's track and field teams both will be in action this weekend as the Red Raiders head to Des Moines, Iowa, for the Drake Relays, Thurs.-Sat., April 24-26. The Drake Relays is in its 10th decade and has already sold out Saturday's program marking the 37th consecutive sellout of Saturday's events, the longest streak in U.S. Track history.
Tech will open the meet with the women's 4 x 1-mile relay Thursday night at 5:10 p.m. Twenty-nine Red Raiders will compete including the men's sprint medley relay, which currently holds the world leading mark in the event at 3:14.09. The meet will conclude with the finals of the women's 1,600-meter relay at 5:44 p.m. on Saturday, followed by the men at 6 p.m. Both Tech teams have top five marks in the Midwest region.
The running events will not be alone in the spotlight this weekend as Chad Pharis (Vernon, Texas) and Mike Beasley (Abilene, Texas) both have top five regional marks and will jump in the invitational section of the high jump at 2:10 on Saturday. Jason Young (Dallas, Texas) will compete in the discus and is third in the region, while Bobby Most (Laredo, Texas) who holds the nations third-best vault leads a trio of Red Raiders into the pole vault competition.
This year the NCAA has adopted a regional meet as opposed to the automatic and provisional standards of years past. Those athletes placing in the top five at one of the four regional meets the weekend of May 29-30 along with select "wildcard" athletes will advance to the NCAA championships June 11-14 in Sacramento, Calif. Texas Tech will compete at the Midwest regional in Lincoln, Neb.
For a complete list of entrants at the Drake Relays visit www.Drakerelays.org. Results can also be found on the site at the conclusion of each day. Tech will be home for the final regular season meet of the 2003 season next weekend as the Red Raiders host the Texas Tech Open at R.P. Fuller Stadium. The meet will include a decathlon starting Friday, May 2, and conclude the following day.