Texas Tech University Athletics
Tech Track Looking for Trophy at NCAA Championships
June 07, 2011 | Track and Field
June 7, 2011
LUBBOCK, Texas -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
The Lady Raiders and No. 5 Red Raiders will start competition on Wed., June 8 at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, with the men looking to challenge for its first NCAA team title.
The men will be sending nine student-athletes to compete in seven different events. Eight of the nine have experience at the NCAA Outdoor championships the only one who hasn't competed is mid-year transfer Shane Brathwaite.
Four Red Raiders have times ranked in the top three of the NCAA going into the meet. Julian Wruck has led the discus all season with his best throw being 208'-1" (63.42M). Omo Osaghae has the fastest wind-legal time at 13.23 in the 110M hurdles but is No. 2 in the NCAA with a wind-aided 13.22. Bryce Brown (2nd) and Jamele Mason (3rd) both are threats in the 400M hurdles as well.
The teams Tech will be battling with are No. 1 Texas A&M, No. 2 Florida, No. 3 Florida State and No. 4 LSU. Texas A&M won last year's NCAA title over Florida.
The Lady Raiders will be sending seven student-athletes to compete in five different events. Ifeatu Okafor has the No. 2 throw in the NCAA in the shot put at 58'-3.75" (17.77M). Kelly Closse has peaked at the right time throwing a personal best of 175'-5" (53.46M) to place fourth at the NCAA West Preliminary.
Both the 4x100M and 4x400M relays of the women have a chance to earn its second-straight All-America honor. Candace Jackson, who is a member of both relays, will be after a top eight finish in the 400M as well.
The first event will be the women's 4x100M and will be on Wed., June 8 at 5:30 p.m. Fans can watch a live stream of the broadcast at www.ncaa.com.
Webcast/TV Coverage
The entire event will be streamed live through both NCAA.com and GoDrakeBulldogs.com. CBS Sports will televise the meet live on Friday from 6:30-8:30 p.m. and Saturday from Noon-2 p.m.
USTFCCCA Rankings
Brandon Tucker. Add Bryce Brown and Jamele Mason in the 400M hurdles and the Red Raiders have the most combined hurdles of any school at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
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, 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 earning All-America status in the 400M hurdles in 2010.
Triple Jump
Bryce Lamb will compete in the long jump and triple jump at the NCAA Championships. Not a big deal considering he did the same thing a year ago, but the interesting thing is that the NCAA Championships will be his third competition of the season in the triple jump. The sophomore worked on long jump and didn't debut in the triple jump until the Big 12 Championships.
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. The men's only national title holder is Jonathan Johnson. He won the outdoor 800M title in 2004.
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 Big 12 meet 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/?b>br> 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.
Players Mentioned
