TECH TRACK OFF TO 82ND CLYDE LITTLEFIELD TEXAS RELAYS

TECH TRACK OFF TO 82ND CLYDE LITTLEFIELD TEXAS RELAYS

March 31, 2010 | Track and Field

March 31, 2010

LUBBOCK, Texas -

The Texas Tech Red Raiders and Lady Raiders are off to face stiff competition at the 83rd Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays in Austin, Texas, held at Mike A. Myers Stadium.

Last season Tech won three titles at the Texas Relays with titles coming in the 110M hurdles, shot put and discus. Tech's first day of competition at the meet will be Thursday with the women's hammer throw at 12:30 p.m.

The Red Raiders will have some outdoor debuts and veterans competing this weekend. Bryce Lamb will jump in the long jump for the first time this season. The freshman was named All-American in the long jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships.

The Lady Raiders will run the women's distance medley relay with its All-American's Purity Biwott, Caroline Karunde and Gladys Kipsang. Those three along with Trudeann Clarke set the school record during indoors.

Senior Tori Smith and sophomore Terra Evans looks to continue their strong starts to the season. Smith is ranked eighth in the NCAA in the 100M hurdles and Evans is the top 100M runner in the NCAA.

Live results of the meet can be found at www.texassports.com and live updates during the meet can be viewed on techathletics via Twitter.

National Descending Order List
Tech has six student-athletes ranked in the top 10 of the nation on the NCAA descending order list. 1. Terra Evans, 100M, 11.22w 6. Darrell Roddick, High Jump, 2.15/7'-0.5" 10. Shade Weygandt, Pole Vault, 4.11/13'-5.75" 3. Julian Wruck, Men's Discus, 61.02/200'-2" 4. Ozie Okolie, Women's Hammer, 60.86/199'-8" 8. Tori Smith, 100M Hurdles, 13.43w

Big 12 Athlete of the Week
Freshman Julian Wruck was named the Big 12 Male Athlete of the week after his performance at the Texas Tech Open. The Australian native won the discus at the Tech Open with a throw of 61.02M (200'-02"). It is a personal best for Wruck and the best throw in the NCAA this season. He improved his personal best by almost 10 feet and its second-straight meet title.

Tops in the Nation
Sophomore Terra Evans and freshman Julian Wruck jumped to the top of the 100M and discus lists this past weekend with solid performances. Evans ran a personal best wind-aided 11.19 to win the 100M. The time is adjusted for altitude is 11.22. Wruck improved on his discus personal best with a throw of 61.02M (200'-2"). The mark put him at the tops of the NCAA in the discus throw.

For Starters
Shade Weygandt wasted no time rewriting the indoor record books in the pole vault and it didn't take her long during the outdoor season to do the same. In her first meet of the outdoor season the freshman in her second bar of the season cleared 4.11M (13'-5.75"). She broke the outdoor record set by Kelly Schulz set in 2005.

Indoor All-Americans
Tech set a record for All-Americans at the NCAA Indoor Championships with 15. Three relays and three individuals earned the honors. On the women's side Caroline Karunde earned the honor in the mile as well as the women's 4x400M relay (Candace Jackson, Trudeann Clarke, Erica Alexander, Taylor Evans) and women's distance medley relay (Purity Biwott, Clarke, Gladys Kipsang, Caroline Karunde). On the men's side was the Bryce Lamb in the long jump and Omo Osaghae in the 60M hurdles as well as the 4x400M (Bryce Brown, Jamaal Butler, Zach Plinario, Latoy Williams).

Big 12 Postseason Awards
Freshman Bryce Lamb and Shade Weygandt were honored by the Big 12 with postseason honors. Lamb was named the Big 12 Indoor Performer of the Year and Outstanding Freshman while Weygandt was named the women's Big 12 Outstanding Freshman.

Record-Breaking Performances
Two freshmen won Big 12 titles with clutch record breaking performances. Shade Weygandt had to set a new personal best and Big 12 meet record of 4.33M (14'-2.50") and had to beat the Big 12 Indoor defending champion to win her first title. Bryce Lamb won the men's triple jump on his final jump with a mark of 16.47M (54'-00.50"). His mark is a school record and Big 12 meet record. Lamb's long jump title was secured when he ran down the runway on his final attempt, but he let people know who won after the jump. His last jump sent him to No. 2 on the NCAA list and No. 7 in the world with a jump of 8.14M (26'-8.50").

High-Point Performer
Freshman Bryce Lamb won the Big 12 High Point Performer of the Big 12 Indoor Championships with his wins in the long jump and triple jump. He is the first Red Raider to win the award on the men's side and first since Sally Kipyego in 2008.

Seven Titles for Tech
The seven Big 12 titles that Tech won at the Big 12 Indoor Championships is the most at an indoor conference meet since last season when the squad won six. The titles came from Purity Biwott (800M), Caroline Karunde (mile), Bryce Lamb (triple jump and long jump), Shade Weygandt (pole vault), Latoy Williams (600M) and the women's distance medley relay of C. Karunde, Biwott, Gladys Kipsang and Taylor Evans.

New School Records
Tech had two new records set this weekend. The women's distance medley relay of Purity Biwott, Trudeann Clarke, Gladys Kipsang and Caroline Karunde broke a year-old record by running an 11:10.28 at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational. The other school record was set by Latoy Williams in the 600Y at the Texas Tech Open. Williams ran a 1:08.53 to place second. Ironically he finished second to the previous record holder Jonathan Johnson.

Family Connections
Texas Tech has some unique family connections in the track and field family. The Lady Raiders have two sets of twins on the team with Caroline and Winrose Karunde and Terra and Taylor Evans. The Karunde are both transfers to the program with Caroline from Wayland Baptist and Winrose from ACU. Terra has been here from the start of her collegiate career while her sister Taylor transferred from LSU this past summer.

Hurdle All-Americans
The Red Raiders have had an All-American hurdler every year since 2005. The streak began with Marlon Odom in 2005 in the 110M hurdles. Odom earned All-America honors in the 110M hurdles in 2006 and 2007 while also earning the honor in the 60M hurdles in 2007. Other names such as Bryan Scott, All-American in the 400M hurdles in 2006 and 2007, and Shawon Harris, All-American in 2006 in the 60M hurdles and 600M hurdles, have kept the streak alive. Harris was also named an All-American in the 110M hurdles and 60M hurdles in 2008. Omo Osaghae continued the streak for Tech in the 110M hurdles in 2008 and then the 60M hurdles in 2009. Osaghae recently was named All-American in the 60M hurdles making it five years in a row that Tech has had an All-American hurdler.

13 NCAA Individual Champions
Tech has compiled 13 NCAA Individual Champions in its program history. The most recent was from D'Andra Carter as she won the 2009 NCAA Discus title in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It was the first field event national title in program history and the 12th title on the female side.

Facility Honors
The Terry and Linda Fuller track was named the American Sports Builders Association's Facility of the Year Award in December. The facility was renovated and a Super Mondo X track was put down and Tech hosted the 2009 Big 12 Outdoor Championships the past May.