Tech Splits Between Red Raider Open & Arkansas Open
February 19, 2015 | Track and Field
Joseph Richards III will look to lead the Tech men's 4 x 400m relay to an NCAA-qualifying time at the Arkansas Open.
LUBBOCK, Texas -- The Texas Tech No. 13 men's and No. 14 women's track & field teams will play host to the Red Raider Open on Friday, Feb. 20, in Lubbock, with a small faction traveling to Fayetteville, Ark., for the Arkansas Open, on Feb. 21.
The Arkansas Open will be the last chance for many athletes to put up a national qualifying mark before the conference championships. Tech will be joined in Fayetteville by Baylor, TCU, Arkansas, Tulsa, Iowa State and Oklahoma State, among others.
The Red Raider Open will feature athletes from Texas Tech and Abilene Christian, and the Red Raiders will face competition from some of the upper-level athletes representing the area's junior colleges and smaller schools.
"Our kids always look forward to competing at home," Texas Tech head coach Wes Kittley said. "A lot of our big guns will be taking this weekend off to prepare for the Big 12 meet, but we still have plenty of our kids who will be out here chasing marks. It will be good competition as always. I'm also looking forward to seeing what our kids do in Fayetteville with a chance to qualify for nationals on the line."
In Lubbock, field events will begin at 3 p.m. on Friday, with running events to follow at 3:30. On Saturday in Fayetteville, Tech will compete in the long jump at 1 p.m. and run the 4 x 400 meter relay at 3:10 p.m. The Arkansas Open will be broadcast live on SEC Network+ (Watch ESPN).
Out of the Blocks
• The Randal Tyson Center, host of the Arkansas Open, will also be the site for the 2015 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, March 13-14.
• The Tech men's 4 x 400 meter relay stands two positions away from qualifying for the NCAA Championships. Also, Jerome Wilson and Keniel Grant are both within five spots of qualifying in the long jump, hence their trip to the Arkansas Open, to compete against some of the best in the nation.
• The Red Raiders will host more than 500 athletes from more than a combined 15 schools and clubs at this weekend's Red Raider Open.
• Texas Tech has had three athletes--JaCorian Duffield, Le'Tristan Pledger and Cierra White (twice) combine for four Big 12 Athlete of the Week awards, the most in the Big 12 this season. White became the first Lady Raider to win the award twice in the same indoor season since Sally Kipyego in 2007.
• The men's and women's teams have a combined 19 nationally (Top 50) ranked athletes and two ranked relays. Eight of those athletes are currently in position to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships. The top 16 athletes in each event, along with the top 12 relays in each relay event will make the cut.
• The Texas Tech men's and women's track & field teams remained ranked in the U.S Track & Field And Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) computer rankings this week, checking in at No. 13 and No. 14, respectively. Week 4 of the indoor rankings is the latest into the season that both teams have held top-15 rankings since 2009, when the men took 13th at the NCAA Indoor Championships, and the women placed ninth.
Who's Got Next?
Texas Tech track & field will travel to Ames, Iowa for the Big 12 Indoor Track & Field Championships, to be held Feb. 27-28.
Aiming For Arkansas
The top 16 individuals and top 12 relays in each event qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships, in Fayetteville, Ark. Texas Tech currently has a combined eight individuals in position to qualify, with another five athletes and two relays within 12 spots of qualification.
Making History
Texas Tech has already had six individuals combine to break seven school records this season, with two of those, the men's high jump and the women's 200m dash, having been broken twice already. The Red Raiders had seven athletes break school records in the entirety of the 2014 season.
Last Year At The Red Raider Open
Early on the track, freshman Lady Raider Kayla Coley advanced to the finals of the women's 55-meter hurdles where she finished fourth overall with a new season-best time of 8.21 seconds.
Natalie Thompson followed with a third place finish in the women's 800-meter run crossing the finish line with a season-best time of 2:18.45. She was followed by teammates Lauren Jackson in 10th (2:25.68), Madeline Raney in 17th (2:30.32) and Audrey Alambar in 24th (2:35.82).
Also in the distance events, the Lady Raiders took three of the top-5 spots in the women's 1,000-meter run led by Kelly McQuaid in second with a time 3:00.07. She was followed by McKenzie Archer in fourth (3:04.80) and Macy Schulte in fifth (3:05.26).
Hannah Carson picked up a win in the women's shot put with a career-best throw of 14.98-meters (49'-1.75") - a mark that moves her into the top-10 of the Big 12.
Representing the Red Raiders in the shot put, senior Jorge Garcia won the men's competition with a throw of 17.76-meters (58'-3.25").
Last Time Out
A couple of great finishes in the 60 meter hurdles led the way for the No. 12 women's and No. 14 men's Texas Tech track & field teams on day one of the Tyson Invitational.
Le'Tristan Pledger improved in each round of the 60 meter hurdles, running an 8.24 in the prelims and an 8.13 in the semis before running an 8.12 in the finals to take third. She remains No. 3 in the nation in the event.
On the men's side in the 60 meter hurdles, Chris Caldwell improved in each round as well, running a 7.90 in the prelims before running a collegiate-best 7.80 to win his semifinal heat. In the finals, Caldwell blazed down the track in 7.74, to take second. That collegiate-best time moves him to No. 5 in the nation.
In arguably the most loaded field of the day, the men's seeded 400 meter dash, Joseph Richards (46.62) placed seventh, after running in a heat containing three of the nation's top 15 in the event.
In the men's long jump, Jerome Wilson leaped a season-best 7.66m/25-1.25 to take second place. His jump currently ranks 14th in the nation. Keniel Grant placed third, with a jump of 7.50m/24-7.25.
In the men's high jump, Bradley Adkins matched his personal best with a clearance of 2.25m/7-4.5, to take second place. JaCorian Duffield earned third place overall with a leap of 2.21m/7-3.0.
Tech picked up two solid finishes in the 200 meters, as Cierra White won her heat in an extremely quick 23.10, good enough for third place overall. On the men's side, Trevor Mackey placed ninth, with a collegiate-best 21.18.
Program Notables
• Tech has had nine individual first or second team indoor All-Americans in the past two years.
• The Red Raiders return six athletes who scored at least eight points at the 2014 Big 12 Indoor Championships.
• In 2014, seven Texas Tech track & field athletes were able to break school records.
• In 2015, Texas Tech returns six athletes, who at some points in their careers, have earned first team All-American indoor status.
• The Tech men's 2014 Big 12 outdoor team title was the fifth team title between the track & field and cross country programs since 1999.
Players Mentioned
