Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Primed for Texas A&M Quadrangular
January 22, 2016 | Track and Field
Jan. 22, 2016
LUBBOCK, Texas - Texas Tech track & field looks to build off a solid debut when they return to the track for the Texas A&M Quadrangular on Saturday, Jan. 21, at Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium in College Station.
Along with host Texas A&M, the Red Raiders will take on Arizona State and conference foe Oklahoma in a scored meet. The scoring system by finish follows for individuals: 9, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 and for relays: 9, 7, 6, 5. The meet will be streamed live on SEC Network+, WatchESPN.com or the WatchESPN app.
Field and running events will begin at the same time on Saturday. The men's weight throw, women's shot put, men's high jump, men's pole vault, men's and women's long jump and the women's mile all start at noon.
The men's team is ranked No. 17 in the first set of the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) computer rankings. It marked the first time since 2010 and 2011 that the Red Raiders opened the season with a top 20 ranking in the poll. The Aggies join the Red Raiders in the first poll, with the men's team at ninth and the women at 21st.
Congrats to Chris Caldwell on being named @Big12Conference Co-Athlete of the Week! https://t.co/9XWJFhx7YT #WreckEm pic.twitter.com/i6Vsqq2Hbv
- TTU Track & Field/XC (@TTU_TF_XC) January 20, 2016
Chris Caldwell was named Big 12 Co-Athlete of the Week after an impressive opening performance in the 60-meter hurdles. The Wildwood, Missouri, native rattled off a time of 7.75 seconds to earn the victory, which ranked first in the Big 12, second in the NCAA and eighth in the world this season. It was the second conference accolade of his career at Texas Tech and continued a streak of finishing first or second in every hurdle-final he's competed in while donning the Scarlet & Black.
LEAVING HER MARK
Viershanie Latham wrote her name in the Texas Tech record books again last weekend in the women's triple jump. Her mark of 12.57m/41-3 not only won her the event, but was also the seventh-best jump in school history. She also holds the third, fourth and ninth-best leaps in program history, with her top mark coming in at 12.71m/41-8.5 last year at the UNM Classic. At that same meet, Gionna Jackson and Paetyn Revell reached the top two marks in school history at 12.81m/42-0.5 and 12.74m/41-9.75, respectively.
JUMPMAN JUMPMAN JUMPMAN
Tech took to the air and found a lot of success in the jumps events at the Arkansas Invite. The #JumpSquad swept the top spots in the men's and women's triple jump, the women's long jump and the men's high jump in Fayetteville. Shanice Stewart put up the fifth-best mark in the country on the way to her long jump, hitting a distance of 6.29m/20-7.75, which was an inch and a half from her personal-best. Gionna Jackson and Kaylee Hinton each placed second after each recording marks of 5.92m/19-5.25. In the triple jump, Viershanie Latham leaped to the seventh-best mark in school history at 12.57m/41-3. Jackson placed second in the event as well. On the men's side, Trey Culver won the high jump with an indoor PR clearance of 2.18m/7-1.75. It was the second-straight meet at the Randal Tyson Track Center that Texas Tech teammates went 1-2 in the men's high jump, with Bradley Adkins placing second at 2.15m/7-0.5. In the men's triple jump, Charles Brown kicked off his collegiate career with a victory after landing at 15.38m/50-5.5.
INTO THE RANKINGS
The Texas Tech men's team opened the 2016 season ranked No. 17 in the country, according to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) computer rankings. It is the first time since 2010 and 2011 that the Red Raiders have posted a top 20 ranking in the indoor preseason poll in back-to-back years, debuting at No. 9 last season. Tech is one of five Big 12 schools in the top 20 in this week's poll, as Texas leads the way at No. 2, followed by TCU (7), Oklahoma State (16) and Kansas State (20). On the women's side, Texas and Kansas State are at the top of the leaderboard at third and fourth, respectively, while Baylor also checks into the poll at No. 11. Also ranked in the poll are this weekend's competitors from Texas A&M, the men at ninth and the women at 21st. The next ranking will be released on Jan. 25, giving both squads ample time to climb in the poll.
VAULTING TO THE TOP
After being recognized by the Texas Track & Field Coaches Association as the top high school field athlete of the year the week before, Brandon Bray began his college career with a win in the pole vault in Fayetteville. Bray passed until the bar reached 5.05m/16-10.75 and sailed into a tie for first with fellow Red Raider Kyle Thompson after clearing there and 5.15m/16-10.75. Bray would cruise to the win after clearing 5.25m/17-2.75 on his first attempt, putting the cap on his first collegiate meet. It's the best mark in the Big 12 and ranks 15th in the NCAA this season.
FOUR HORSEMEN
All four members of the indoor first team and outdoor honorable mention men's 4x400-meter relay team are back in 2016. During last year's indoor season, the quartet of Steven Champlin, Kyle Collins, C.J. Jones and Joseph Richards III posted the seventh-best time in school history at 3:07.00 at the Arkansas Open. The group would finish third at the Big 12 Indoor Championships and seventh at the NCAA meet. Last week, the quartet ran on two separate relays, with Richards and Jones joining forces with Darien Tennon and JW Smith to run the fastest time of the meet at 3:10.79. Time time is currently ranked seventh in the NCAA this season, while the fastest split among all three sections at the meet came from Richards at 46.74.
ONE STEP AHEAD
Up next for the Red Raiders will be the first of two trips in back-to-back weeks to Albuquerque for the New Mexico Team Invitational (Jan. 30) and the New Mexico Classic (Feb. 5-6) at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
Players Mentioned
