Texas Tech University Athletics
Tech Track & Field Prepares For UNM Collegiate Classic
February 05, 2015 | Track and Field
Darien Tennon and the Red Raiders look to hit big qualifying marks at this weekend's UNM Collegiate Classic.
LUBBOCK, Texas -- The Texas Tech No. 14 men's and No. 18 women's track & field teams hit the road this weekend, traveling to Albuquerque, N.M. for the New Mexico Collegiate Classic, to be held Feb. 6-7, at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
Friday afternoon, the running events begin at 4 p.m. MST, while the field events will get started at 5 p.m. The field events get underway at 9:30 a.m., MST on Saturday, and the running events begin at 10:45 a.m.
"A lot of the better teams from across the country will be at this meet, so it will be a test," Texas Tech head coach Wes Kittley said. "But, the track is fast and we're at altitude, so I'm hoping for some really big marks this weekend. We have to come together as a team and become consistent if we are going to contend for a championship. That starts this weekend."
The Red Raiders are coming off a great overall performance at the Masked Rider Open, where they chalked up one event win after another, and had school records fall for the third-straight meet.
Le'Tristan Pledger (7.58) bettered her own school and facility records in the 55 meter hurdles, and Shanice Stewart (4,152) broke the school and facility pentathlon records, earning her place in the nation's top-10 pentathlon scores.
Texas Tech currently has eight athletes and a relay in position to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships, and will look to increase that number this weekend.
Out of the Blocks
• The Albuquerque Convention Center, which will play host to this weekend's meet, was also the host site for the 2014 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships.
• The Red Raiders combined to break two more school records last weekend, giving them a total of six for the season, meaning they are averaging two broken school records per meet in 2015.
• Texas Tech has claimed three of the six possible Big 12 Athlete of the Week honors in 2015--the most of any school in the conference--and is the only school with more than one winner.
• Texas Tech seniors JaCorian Duffield and Cierra White were named the Big 12 Indoor Male and Female Athletes of the Week on Jan. 28, following their performances at the Texas A&M Quadrangular. Duffield's jump of 2.28m/7-5.75, which he cleared on his first attempt, didn't just break his own school and meet record, it also vaulted him into a tie for the top mark in the NCAA, and put him into a tie for the No. 7 indoor mark in the world. As for White, aside from placing third in both the 60 meter dash and 4 x 400 meter relay, she sped down the track in the 200 meter dash, clocking a personal-best and school record time of 23.18, which not only ranked second in the NCAA at the time, but also the world.
• Texas Tech junior Le'Tristan Pledger was named the Big 12 Female Track & Field Athlete of the Week on Jan. 21, after her performance at the Texas Tech Open. Pledger had a busy weekend for Tech. Her 55m hurdles mark of 7.60 was just .01 off her own school and facility record of 7.59, set last year. The time converts to 8.20 in the 60m hurdles, giving her the No. 4 mark in the nation and what would be the No. 10 mark in the world at the time. She also ran the third leg on Tech's 4 x 400m relay, which put up a 3:40.48, the No. 9 time in the country at the time. Her personal collegiate-best 55m dash (6.95) converts to 7.55 for the 60 meter dash and lands her just outside the nation's top 50 in the event.
• 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. 14 and No. 18, respectively. This marks the third time since the inception of the USTFCCCA rankings in 2008 that Tech has had both the men's and women's teams start the indoor slate by being ranked in three-straight weeks.
Who's Got Next?
Texas Tech will travel to Fayetteville, Ark., next weekend for the Tyson Invitational, to be held Feb. 13-14.
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 and one relay in position to qualify.
Making History
Texas Tech has already had five individuals break school records this season, and three of them accomplished the feat at the Texas A&M Quadrangular, on Jan. 24--JaCorian Duffield (high jump), Cierra White (200 meter dash) and Kole Weldon (Weight throw).
Last Year At The UNM Classic
Texas Tech set three school records on the final day of action Saturday inside the Albuquerque Convention Center at the New Mexico Classic.
A pair of Lady Raiders in Le'Tristan Pledger and Cierra White took down school records early in the second day of the meet before junior thrower Kole Weldon broke his second record in as many events on the weekend.
White twice broke the 60-meter dash mark, clocking a 7.35 in the preliminaries before going on to finish runner-up in the finals with a time of 7.32 seconds. Pledger, meanwhile, clocked a record time of 8.07 in the preliminaries 60-meter hurdles before going on to finish third overall, and first among collegians, in the finals crossing the finish line in 8.10 seconds.
Weldon went on to break his own school record in the shot put with a throw of 20.11-meters (65'-11.75"). The performance came after breaking the school weight throw record on Friday night.
The three record setting performances highlighted a productive final day of competition at the New Mexico Classic. In all, Tech athletes broke school records in four events at the two-day meet, while 16 Lady Raiders and 12 Red Raiders posted season-best performances.
Last Time Out
Texas Tech's Shanice Stewart set school and facility records on her way to winning the women's pentathlon at the Masked Rider Open, in Lubbock, Texas.
Stewart's total of 4,152 not only gave her the win for the second-straight year at the Masked Rider Open, but was also a school and facility record.
In the women's 55 meter hurdles, Le'Tristan Pledger ran a 7.58 in the semifinal round, breaking her own school and facility records in the process, before running a 7.63 in the final to win the event.
On the men's side, Chris Caldwell improved in each round of the 55m hurdles, running a 7.22 to win the event. Both Pledger and Caldwell's times, when converted to 60 meter times, should place among the nation's top 10.
The men's high jump took center stage once again, but this time it was Bradley Adkins who was the headliner. His personal-best jump of 2.25m/7-4.5 won the event, and places him at No. 3 in the nation.
On Saturday, a total of 461 fans watched as Joseph Richards III continued his incredible start to 2015, winning the 400 meter dash in a blazing personal-best 46.48, which is currently the No. 8 time in the nation. Steven Champlin was not far behind, taking third place, finishing in 47.41, good enough for 40th in the nation.
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
