Texas Tech University Athletics
Tech Looking to Advance at NCAA West Prelim
May 25, 2011 | Track and Field
May 25, 2011
EUGENE, Ore. -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
The No. 5 Red Raiders and No. 18 Lady Raiders are headed to Eugene, Ore., to compete in the NCAA West Preliminary starting on Thurs., May 26, for a chance to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
The top 48 individuals and top 24 relays will head to the West and East Preliminary sites hoping to be in the top 12 to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, held this year in Des Moines, Iowa.
Tech will be travelling 13 women and 12 men to the NCAA West Preliminary. Tech has a total of 17 ranked in the top 12 of their respective events including the men's 4x400M, women's 4x100M and women's 4x400M relays.
Omo Osaghae (110M hurdles) and Julian Wruck (discus) both lead the NCAA West Preliminary in their respective events. Bryce Brown and Jamele Mason are second and third in the 400M hurdles and the men's 4x400M relay sits at No. 4.
The Lady Raiders have Shade Weygandt at No. 2 in the pole vault and both the 4x100M and 4x400M relays sitting in the top eight. Ifeatu Okafor is No. 2 in the shot put and No. 11 in the discus going into the meet.
Competition for the Red Raiders and Lady Raiders begins on Thurs., May 26 at 12 p.m. (PST) with the men's long jump. Running events will start at 3:30 p.m. (PST).
Webcast
The University of Oregon will provide a free webcast of the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds on its website, www.goducks.com. The webcast will start at 3:30 p.m. (PST) Thursday, 3 p.m. (PST) Friday and 1 p.m. (PST) Saturday.
USTFCCCA Rankings
The Red Raiders stayed at No. 5 in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association and the women dropped to No. 18. The men have been as high as No. 3 and the women have been No. 9.
National Descending Order Top 10 List
Gil Roberts, 6th, 400M
Omo Osaghae, 2nd, 110M H
Bryce Brown, 2nd, 400M H
Jamele Mason, 3rd, 400M H
Men's 4x400M, 5th,
Shade Weygandt, 2nd, Pole Vault
Bryce Lamb, 8th, Long Jump
Ifeatu Okafor, 2nd, Shot Put
Julian Wruck, 1st, Discus
Big 12 Champions
Tech won four Big 12 titles in the men's discus, men's 110M hurdles, men's 400M hurdles and women's shot put. All four titles set new school records and two were Big 12 Championships meet records. Ifeatu Okafor and Julian Wruck won their first titles while Bryce Brown and Omo Osaghae won their second.
Big 12 Meet Records
Omo Osaghae and Julian Wruck put their names in the Big 12 record books with some outstanding performances at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships. Osaghae's 13.23 in the 110M hurdles broke Oklahoma's Ronnie Ash's mark of 13.31 set in 2010. Wruck broke Nebraska's Carl Myerscough 2004 record with a throw of 208'-1" (63.42M).
Hurdle Crew
The Texas Tech hurdle crew had a successful weekend as nine student-athletes were put into the finals. Three Lady Raiders made the final of the 100M hurdles. The Red Raiders swept the 110M hurdles and 400M hurdles for the third time in Big 12 history. Tech is also the only school to win both the 110M hurdles and 400M hurdles in the same year.
Hurdling to the Top
Omo Osaghae is slowly putting his name with some of the greatest collegiate hurdles in history. His time of 13.23 at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships was the fifth-fastest wind legal time ran by a collegian. His wind-aided 13.18 is the fifth-fastest time under any condition by a collegian. The collegiate record is 13.00 held by Maryland's Renaldo Nehemiah and set in 1979.
Penn Relays Outstanding Male Collegian
Omo Osasghae's senior season keeps getting better with ever meet. The senior was named the Penn Relays College Men's Athlete of the Meet for Individual Events. He won the 110M hurdles with a 13.35, the second-fastest time ever run at the relays.
Bowerman Watch List
Osaghae has started off his senior season with his best marks of his career and kept getting faster. Most recently, Osaghae has won the 110M hurdle titles at the Penn and Mt. SAC Relays. But, it was at the Texas Tech Open where he would run a collegiate-leading 13.18 (altitude). Osaghae has won six hurdle titles this season. Additionally, Texas Tech claimed the title in the shuttle hurdle relay at the Penn Relays in a time of 54.67 with Osaghae as the leadoff man. The time moves Texas Tech to No. 4 all-time in the event. The Bowerman Award is collegiate track and field's equivalent to the Heisman Trophy, and is awarded to the top male and top female athlete in the country each season.
Texas Relays Champion
Bryce Brown won the men's 400M hurdle title at the Texas Relays. It marks the first time a Red Raider had won the event since 1982.
Vaulting High
Sophomore Shade Weygandt has rewrote the Tech record books in the women's pole vault. Last season she broke the school record numerous times. This season she has set the school record at a rather lofty standard. Weygandt cleared 14'-7.25" (4.45) at the Texas Relays. It improves her previous best by five inches.
School Records Broke
Tech has had seven school records set so far this season. The men have seen the 110M hurdles, 400M hurdles, discus and shuttle hurdle relay all broke. The women have reset the 100M hurdles, pole vault and 4x800M relay.
Returning All-Americans
The Texas Tech track team will have 16 student-athletes returning from last season that earned All-America honors. A total of 26 honors were gained by those 16 student-athletes.
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. Bryce Brown and Jamele Mason continued the streak earned All-America status in the 400M hurdles.
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.
Players Mentioned
