Track and Field Heads to Midwest Regionals
May 24, 2004 | Track and Field
May 24, 2004
LUBBOCK, Texas - The Texas Tech track and field teams will continue their trek to Nationals as they compete this Fri. and Sat. at the 2004 Midwest Regionals in College Station, Texas among 41 teams. The No. 18 Texas Tech men's team joins 11 teams, men and women, who are ranked in the top 25.
The men's team finished third last season with both junior Jonathan Johnson and senior Jason Young taking home their respective titles in the 800M and discus. According to the NCAA performance list, Johnson is currently ranked No. 1 in the nation in the 800m and Young fourth in the discus. Junior Jared Thornhill and freshman Sage Thames are ranked ninth and 10, respectively, in the pole vault. Senior Aki Heikkinen rounds out the roster of top 10 rankings with a No. 9 spot in the decathlon.
The women's team did not place last season but look to make an appearance this season after turning their best finish in school history, fifth, at the Big 12 Championships. The women's 4x400 team is ranked 19th on the national performance list while junior Shereefa Lloyd is ranked 12th in the 200M.
The team takes 36 athletes in 27 events to Regionals with several events hosting more than a couple Tech competitors. The regional meet will be scored the same as conference championships and the NCAA Championships will be with first-place earning 10 points followed by second earning eight points, third equaling six points, fourth (5), fifth (4), sixth (3), seventh (2) and eighth (1). The top five athletes in each individual event and the top three in relays will earn the right to compete at the national meet in June. If an athlete does not finish in the top 5/3 they can still get invited to the national championships by receiving an at large bid for having a top mark during the season.
Complete meet information can be found at www.aggieathletics.com. Midwest Regional start list for the men can be found at http://members.aol.com/rpodkam/d1moutR3.txt while the women's list can be found at http://members.aol.com/rpodkam/d1woutR3.txt. The meet is scheduled to begin Friday at 12 p.m. with the women's hammer and men's high jump.