Texas Tech University Athletics
Track Team Takes on Conference in Ames
February 20, 2007 | Track and Field
Feb. 20, 2007
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
LUBBOCK, Texas - The indoor track and field season nears an end as Texas Tech will compete in the Big 12 Indoor Championships on Fri.-Sat., Feb. 23-24. The Red Raider contingent will compete in the two-day event against conference members in Ames, Iowa, at the Lied Recreation Center. The men's and women's team will each be looking to better their performance from a year ago, when each achieved their best Big 12 finish in school history as the women finished third and the men fourth.
On the women's side, Texas Tech has had eight Big 12 Champions and is looking to continue their current run of two straight years with a female titlist. Strong contenders to carry on the streak are Tech's current NCAA automatic and provisional qualifiers, including the reigning Big 12 cross country champion Sally Kipyego. Kipyego and Irene Kimaiyo, both cross country All-Americans, each have automatically qualified in distance events, and they will likely compete for titles in those races (3000M, 5000M, DMR).
Senior Lacy Wilson, who has provisionally qualified in the women's high jump, returns as the only reigning Big 12 indoor champion for the Red Raiders. Wilson will again be competing for the high jump title, which she won after clearing 5'-10" in 2005.
For the men, senior Marlon Odom, who is a two-time outdoor conference champion, will be looking to earn his first indoor honor as he competes in the 60M hurdles. Odom has provisionally qualified in the event six times during the season, the most qualifications of any Red Raider. The Killeen, Texas, native titled the 110M hurdles during the 2005 and 2006 Big 12 Outdoor Championships.
The Red Raiders are coming off of a weekend in which only four Tech members competed, as Odom, Daryl Burgess, Jansen Hyde and Omo Osaghae ran in the 60M hurdles at the Sooner Open. Three of the participating members had personal best marks at the event from Norman, Okla. Odom clocked two times of 7.81, tying his fastest mark which he set the previous week at the Tyson Invitational. In the prelims of the 60M hurdles, Odom finished in second while Osaghae ran a PR of 7.98 to finish third. In the finals, Odom again ran 7.81 to take the title with Hyde running a personal best time of 8.07 to finish third.
The remaining Red Raiders rested in preparation for the conference meet, which will feature five ranked women's teams along with four on the men's side. For the women, Texas A&M enters with a top rank of ninth. No. 11 Texas, No. 12 Tech, No. 16 Kansas and No. 21 Kansas State round out the Big 12 women's rankings. No. 3 Texas is the top men's team according to the Trackwire Top 25 poll. Baylor is at No. 4, Oklahoma is No. 18 and Nebraska is tied for 22nd.
In last year's running of the Big 12 Indoor Championships, which took place in Lincoln, Neb., the Longhorns of Texas swept the titles, taking both the men's and women's championship. The Longhorn men finished with 127 points, with host Nebraska in second with 100. The Red Raider men tallied 72 points to finished in fourth, only seven points from third-place Baylor. For the women, Texas notched 125 points, ahead of the Huskers who finished with 118 points. The Texas Tech women finished in third, well behind the top two teams with 68 points.
Twenty-five Red Raider women and 23 men are scheduled to make the trip for Texas Tech to compete in the 11th edition of the Big 12 indoor meet. Competition is set to get underway on Friday at 9 a.m. with the 60M hurdles for the women's pentathlon. The women's preliminary heats of the 60M hurdles will be the introductory running event at 1:40 p.m. with the women's weight throw beginning at 2 p.m. for the field events. Saturday begins with the 60M hurdles for the men's heptathlon at 9 a.m. At 12 p.m. the men's high jump will take place, along with the women's triple jump. The finals of the women's 60M hurdles will begin at 1:30 p.m. to start the running events. For a complete schedule of events, please check page three of the Texas Tech track and field notes.
For more information on the Big 12 Indoor Championships, please visit www.big12sports.com or host Iowa State's website at www.cyclones.com. Complete Texas Tech results will be posted on Texas Tech's website, www.texastech.com, after each day's completion.
Players Mentioned
