Texas Tech University Athletics
Red Raiders Primed And Ready For NCAA West Preliminaries
May 25, 2016 | Track and Field
May 25, 2016
LUBBOCK, Texas - The No. 10 men's and No. 19 women's Texas Tech track & field teams sends 32 entries to the NCAA West Preliminaries at Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence, Kansas, on May 26-28, with the opportunity to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon, on June 8-11.
The three-day meet will begin on Thursday, May 26, with the women's javelin at noon. Friday's action will also start at noon with the women's discus and Saturday's events will get rolling at 3 p.m. with the men's triple jump. Coverage of the running events will be streamed live on KUAthletics.com.
NCAA West Prelims begin Thursday! Here's a look at each of #TexasTech's 32 entries https://t.co/x9VBgu8AmY #WreckEm pic.twitter.com/VCKqvsynAw
- TTU Track & Field/XC (@TTU_TF_XC) May 23, 2016
Most running events will have two rounds of qualifying at this weekend's meet, minus distance and relay races; while field events other than pole vault and high jump will only allow competitors three attempts in the competition. The top 12 from each event will move on to the NCAA Outdoor Championship in Eugene, Oregon.
The men's & women's teams stayed put No. 10 & No. 19, respectively, in this week's U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) computer rankings. The Red Raiders have been ranked in the top 25 of every outdoor poll since 2008.
The Red Raiders brought home six individual titles at the Big 12 Outdoor Championship on May 13-15, as the men's team placed third and women finished fifth. Natalie Thompson & Chris Caldwell successfully defended their heptathlon & 110-meter hurdle titles. Trey Culver won Tech's third-straight high jump outdoor conference crown, while Benard Keter won the program's first ever 3000-meter steeplechase championship. Sophomore C.J. Jones also tallied gold in the 800 meters and freshman Charles Brown took home the title in the men's long jump.
NOT ONE NOT TWO NOT THREE NOT FOUR NOT FIVE
With every championship, there are superlatives that surround the victory. Each 2016 Big 12 champion will compete at the NCAA West Preliminaries this weekend. Below is what their individual titles meant to Texas Tech's records:
- Heptathlon: Natalie Thompson became the fifth Big 12 student-athlete to win back-to-back titles in the heptathlon. With a 1-2 finish by her and Kaylee Hinton, the duo became the first teammates since 2010 to earn gold & silver at the meet.
- 110m Hurdles: Chris Caldwell became the first to go back-to-back in the event since Red Raider alum Marlon Odom in 2006-07. It was also the eighth championship in the event in school history.
- High Jump: Trey Culver's win gave Tech its fourth outdoor men's high jump title and made it the third-year Tech has won the event at the outdoor meet. It also marked three-straight years the Red Raiders have finished 1-2 in the outdoor event (Bradley Adkins & JaCorian Duffield in 2014 and JaCorian Duffield & Bradley Adkins in 2015).
- Long Jump: Charles Brown won the program's third outdoor long jump title, marking three of the last four years Tech has won the event at the outdoor meet (Shujaa Benson in 2014 and Bryce Lamb in 2013).
- 3000m Steeplechase: Benard Keter became the first ever 3000-meter steeplechase Big 12 champion in school history.
- 800 Meters: C.J. Jones became the seventh outdoor men's 800m champion and first since Nick Rivera in 2013
TWO DEEP
The Red Raiders will roll into the NCAA West Preliminaries with multiple entries in eight events. Texas Tech has four competitors in the women's long jump this weekend, tying for the most with Nebraska. Gionna Jackson leads the group, followed by Viershanie Latham, Amani Nesmith & Kaylee Hinton. Jackson & Latham will also compete in the women's triple jump. Two other women's events will have two competitors: the javelin (Hannah Carson & Natalie Baker) and the high jump (Natalie Thompson & Zarriea Willis). On the men's side, 2016 NCAA Indoor Champion Trey Culver and 2015 NCAA runner-up Bradley Adkins will represent Tech in the men's high jump. On the track, the Red Raiders will send two each in the 400 meters (Kyle Collins & Joseph Richards III), 800 meters (C.J. Jones & Vincent Crisp) and the 400-meter hurdles (JW Smith & Caleb Richmond).
SPLIT PERSONALITIES
Texas Tech will also have several competitors who will compete in more than one event this weekend. Hannah Carson will take on both the javelin and the discus, a rare combo that she ranks No. 1 (javelin) and No. 2 (discus) in the country coming into the meet. She is the only athlete in the region entered in both. Another regional leader, Viershanie Latham, and Gionna Jackson will compete in both the triple and the long jump at this weekend's meet. Also in the horizontal jumps, Charles Brown, the Big 12 long jump champion will take on both events. With the men's & women's 4x100 relay and the men's 4x400-meter relay also qualified to the meet, most of the Red Raiders competing in the sprints and hurdles events will also have the opportunity to compete on the relay as well on the final day of competition.
BEEN HERE BEFORE
16 Red Raiders have experience competing at the NCAA West Preliminaries, with nine having earned All-America honors at the NCAA Championships. Ten Red Raiders will be making their debut at the regional meet, including eight freshmen. Benard Keter may be making his first appearance at the West Prelims, but he is no stranger to the big stage, claiming national titles at the both the NAIA and NJCAA levels over the last two years.
27 + 25
By the end of the indoor season, the Red Raiders had 27 new top 10 all-time marks in their record books, including two school records. After the conference championship, the Red Raiders have added 25, including three school records. At the Big 12 Championship, Benard Keter clocked in with the third-fastest time in school history in the 3000-meter steeplechase at 8:41.21. Viershanie Latham notched the fourth-best triple jump mark at 13.13m/43-1. Another No. 4 mark came in the javelin thanks to Hannah Carson at 56.86m/186-6. In the heptathlon, Natalie Thompson (5471) and Kaylee Hinton (5287) recorded the fifth and 10th-best scores, respectively. The Red Raiders have recorded at least one top 10 mark in every outdoor meet this season.
CHANGING THEIR STARS
During the 2016 outdoor season, the Red Raiders have recorded a total of 134 PR's. Tech added 24 during the three-day Big 12 Championship on May 13-15.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
Last year's Prelims resulted in 16 athletes in 12 events punching their ticket to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon. At the 2015 Championships, the men's team took home a ninth-place finish with 18 points, while the women placed 26th with 10 points. JaCorian Duffield captured the NCAA title in the men's high jump for Texas Tech's 15th individual championship. The Red Raiders have a prime opportunity to improve those numbers from last year's meet with a strong showing this weekend in Lawrence.
Players Mentioned
