Red Raiders Continue Indoor with Texas Tech Open

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech track and field will continue its indoor season with a two-day, 28-team meet at the Sports Performance Center. The Red Raiders will use the meet to continue to develop the team as the Big 12 Championships approach later in February.

Director of Track & Field Wes Kittley will compete 31 Red Raiders throughout the weekend. He is beginning the process of peaking certain athletes at different times, depending on how they can contribute to the team in the postseason. A lot of NCAA point hopefuls will be rested this weekend, while several with the potential to score at the Big 12 Championships will be in action.

Tech's Big 12-leading pole vaulter Chinne Okoronkwo will be long jumping for the first time since the Corky Classic. In the season opener, she landed 19'-11.75" (6.09m) to place her third in the Big 12. Okoronkwo will look to continue the stellar season that she has put together in her first year in Lubbock. She ranks top-three in the Big 12 in three events: the pole vault (first), triple jump (second) and long jump (third). She has set personal records in at least one of those events each week this season.

To Associate Head Coach James Thomas, Okoronkwo's top-of-the-conference marks are just the beginning.

"She's somebody that will show up to a meet, and you put her in an events and she's going to do something she's never done before," he said. "She's somebody I'm really looking forward to because we're still just knocking at the door of what she's capable of."

Conference top-three shot putter and weight thrower Duke Kicninski will be back in action in both events, as he has been each week this season. The graduate student is in great form, PR'ing in the weight throw last weekend with a 64'-10.5" (19.77m). At the Red Raider Invite, he came back and won the shot put on his final toss, recording a 59'-6.75" (18.15m). On the women's throws side, Seasons Usual will be competing in both throwing events as well after only doing weight throw at the Texas Tech Classic. The sophomore looks to boost her conference fifth-ranked weight throw mark of 60'-5" (18.41m).

Making his anticipated Texas Tech debut will be freshman decathlete Axel Hubert. The Paris, France, native will get his collegiate career underway with the high jump and the 60m hurdles. The commitment of Hubert to Tech was a big factor in securing a number-one ranking by FloTrack.

Friday's action will get underway at 3 p.m. with the weight throw and distance medley relay. Tickets are available here.

Red Raiders Continue Indoor with Texas Tech Open

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Players Mentioned

Axel Hubert

Chinne Okoronkwo

Seasons Usual

Texas Tech University Athletics