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Texas Tech track and field teams added to their trophy case two weeks ago, sweeping the men's and women's titles at the Big 12 indoor championships. More trophies are the goal this week as the sixth-ranked Tech men's team and the eighth-ranked Tech women compete at the NCAA championships in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
The competition unfolds Friday and Saturday at the Virginia Beach Sports Center.
The Tech men are reigning national champions. Realistically, though, repeating is probably out of reach. Gone from last year's team are three-time NCAA champion sprinter Terrence Jones and 2024 Bowerman Award finalist Caleb Dean, who scored 34⅟₄ of the Red Raiders' 50⅟₂ points at the 2024 indoor championships in Boston.
The next best thing is to finish in the top four, which yields hardware for the trophy case.
More: Texas Tech track and field teams sweep Big 12 titles; Malachi Snow co-high-point scorer
More: Fanny Arendt, Shelby Frank break Texas Tech records in Red Raider Invite
Whereas the Tech men won their third Big 12 indoor title in a row and fifth in eight years, the women won their first Big 12 title after a combined six runner-up finishes indoor and outdoor.
"Coming off the Big 12 championships, both of them — I think our girls especially — gained a lot of confidence kind of getting over that hurdle," Tech coach Wes Kittley said last week. "I think they've got in their mind they want to be a trophy team, they want to be a final-four team, and that's our goal."
Both Tech teams are without a key weapon. The women's team last month lost Ruta Lasmane, the 2024 NCAA indoor champion in the triple jump, to a ruptured Achilles tendon. Her season-best mark ranks third in Division I.
On the men's side, sprinter Shawn Brown was scratched after he suffered a hamstring injury in the Big 12 meet. He was qualified for the NCAA indoor in two events with season bests ranking seventh in Division I in the 60 meters and 12th in the 200.
"If we had Ruta, we'd be ranked really high," Kittley said. "I think that's the most important thing is the depth showing up, whether we lose one great one or not.
"That's kind of where our men are. Shawn, if he's able to run or not run, he's eight or nine points. That's the difference of being top four or being eighth or ninth. At that meet, every point is valuable."
To score in individual events, an athlete must finish in the top eight of a final. Not counting Lasmane and Brown, Tech has five women with top-eight rankings and three men in individual events, plus the 1,600-meter relay. On the women's side, Shelby Frank goes in third in the weight throw, Temitope Adeshina fourth in the high jump, Naomi Krebs fifth in the 60-meter hurdles and Success Umukoro and Brianna Howard seventh, Umukoro in the 60 meters and Howard in the 200.
"I think how our kids are ranked, we've at least got to (match) that," Kittley said. "For us to be top four, I think we've got to score about 30 points. We could do that with three seconds and get 24 and then just have a little bit from each. There's a lot of scenarios of how you get there, but we've got to really be on fire, kind of like we were at Big 12."
On the men's side, Malachi Snow and Antoine Andrews are ranked third and sixth, respectively, in the 60-meter hurdles, and Sean Gribble is fifth in the pole vault. The 1,600-meter relay team's season-best is eighth.
Arkansas and Southern California are projected to battle for the championship on the men's side. Arkansas is a heavy favorite for the women's title.
More: All-American transfer Malachi Snow sizzles in Texas Tech track and field debut
When: Friday-Saturday
Where: Virginia Beach Sports Center, Virginia Beach, Virginia
Online streaming: ESPN+
With event, ranking and season-best time or mark. An "a" denotes a time converted to account for altitude.
Women
Field Events
High jump: 4. Temitope Adeshina, 6 feet, 4 inches; 12. Evelyn Lavielle, 6-1 1/2.
Triple jump: 3. Ruta Lasmane, 45-11 1/4 (not competing; injury); 10. Tamiah Washington, 44-3 1/2; 13. Suzan Ogunleye, 44-2 1/2.
Weight throw: 3. Shelby Frank, 76-11 1/4.
Running Events
60 meters: 7. Success Umukoro, 7.15-a seconds
200: 7. Brianna Howard, 22.74-a
800: 18. Fanny Arendt, 2:01.99-a
60 hurdles: 5. Naomi Krebs, 7.98-a
Men
Field Events
High jump: 14. B.J. Jennings, 7 feet, 3 inches
Pole vault: 5. Sean Gribble, 18-6 1/2
Triple jump: 12. Stacy Brown Jr., 52-11; 15. Garison Breeding, 52-7 1/2
Running Events
60 meters: 7. Shawn Brown, 6.54-a (not competing; injury); 10. Malachi Snow, 6.55-a seconds.
200: 12. Shawn Brown, 20.58-a (not competing; injury)
400: 17. Shaemar Uter, 45.88
60 hurdles: 3. Malachi Snow, 7.48-a; 6. Antoine Andrews, 7.54-a
1,600 relay: 8. Jonathan Crawford, George Garcia, Josh Bour, Shaemar Uter, 3:04.87-a (alternates: DeSean Boyce, Charlie Bartholomew)
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech track and field teams take top-10 rankings to NCAA indoor
Continue reading...
The competition unfolds Friday and Saturday at the Virginia Beach Sports Center.
The Tech men are reigning national champions. Realistically, though, repeating is probably out of reach. Gone from last year's team are three-time NCAA champion sprinter Terrence Jones and 2024 Bowerman Award finalist Caleb Dean, who scored 34⅟₄ of the Red Raiders' 50⅟₂ points at the 2024 indoor championships in Boston.
The next best thing is to finish in the top four, which yields hardware for the trophy case.
More: Texas Tech track and field teams sweep Big 12 titles; Malachi Snow co-high-point scorer
More: Fanny Arendt, Shelby Frank break Texas Tech records in Red Raider Invite
Whereas the Tech men won their third Big 12 indoor title in a row and fifth in eight years, the women won their first Big 12 title after a combined six runner-up finishes indoor and outdoor.
"Coming off the Big 12 championships, both of them — I think our girls especially — gained a lot of confidence kind of getting over that hurdle," Tech coach Wes Kittley said last week. "I think they've got in their mind they want to be a trophy team, they want to be a final-four team, and that's our goal."
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Injuries to Ruta Lasmane, Shawn Brown hurt Texas Tech chances
Both Tech teams are without a key weapon. The women's team last month lost Ruta Lasmane, the 2024 NCAA indoor champion in the triple jump, to a ruptured Achilles tendon. Her season-best mark ranks third in Division I.
On the men's side, sprinter Shawn Brown was scratched after he suffered a hamstring injury in the Big 12 meet. He was qualified for the NCAA indoor in two events with season bests ranking seventh in Division I in the 60 meters and 12th in the 200.
"If we had Ruta, we'd be ranked really high," Kittley said. "I think that's the most important thing is the depth showing up, whether we lose one great one or not.
"That's kind of where our men are. Shawn, if he's able to run or not run, he's eight or nine points. That's the difference of being top four or being eighth or ninth. At that meet, every point is valuable."
Texas Tech has 5 women, 3 men and relay ranked in top eight
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To score in individual events, an athlete must finish in the top eight of a final. Not counting Lasmane and Brown, Tech has five women with top-eight rankings and three men in individual events, plus the 1,600-meter relay. On the women's side, Shelby Frank goes in third in the weight throw, Temitope Adeshina fourth in the high jump, Naomi Krebs fifth in the 60-meter hurdles and Success Umukoro and Brianna Howard seventh, Umukoro in the 60 meters and Howard in the 200.
"I think how our kids are ranked, we've at least got to (match) that," Kittley said. "For us to be top four, I think we've got to score about 30 points. We could do that with three seconds and get 24 and then just have a little bit from each. There's a lot of scenarios of how you get there, but we've got to really be on fire, kind of like we were at Big 12."
On the men's side, Malachi Snow and Antoine Andrews are ranked third and sixth, respectively, in the 60-meter hurdles, and Sean Gribble is fifth in the pole vault. The 1,600-meter relay team's season-best is eighth.
Arkansas and Southern California are projected to battle for the championship on the men's side. Arkansas is a heavy favorite for the women's title.
More: All-American transfer Malachi Snow sizzles in Texas Tech track and field debut
NCAA indoor track and field championships
When: Friday-Saturday
Where: Virginia Beach Sports Center, Virginia Beach, Virginia
Online streaming: ESPN+
Texas Tech track and field athletes competing
With event, ranking and season-best time or mark. An "a" denotes a time converted to account for altitude.
Women
Field Events
High jump: 4. Temitope Adeshina, 6 feet, 4 inches; 12. Evelyn Lavielle, 6-1 1/2.
Triple jump: 3. Ruta Lasmane, 45-11 1/4 (not competing; injury); 10. Tamiah Washington, 44-3 1/2; 13. Suzan Ogunleye, 44-2 1/2.
Weight throw: 3. Shelby Frank, 76-11 1/4.
Running Events
60 meters: 7. Success Umukoro, 7.15-a seconds
200: 7. Brianna Howard, 22.74-a
800: 18. Fanny Arendt, 2:01.99-a
60 hurdles: 5. Naomi Krebs, 7.98-a
Men
Field Events
High jump: 14. B.J. Jennings, 7 feet, 3 inches
Pole vault: 5. Sean Gribble, 18-6 1/2
Triple jump: 12. Stacy Brown Jr., 52-11; 15. Garison Breeding, 52-7 1/2
Running Events
60 meters: 7. Shawn Brown, 6.54-a (not competing; injury); 10. Malachi Snow, 6.55-a seconds.
200: 12. Shawn Brown, 20.58-a (not competing; injury)
400: 17. Shaemar Uter, 45.88
60 hurdles: 3. Malachi Snow, 7.48-a; 6. Antoine Andrews, 7.54-a
1,600 relay: 8. Jonathan Crawford, George Garcia, Josh Bour, Shaemar Uter, 3:04.87-a (alternates: DeSean Boyce, Charlie Bartholomew)
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Tech track and field teams take top-10 rankings to NCAA indoor
Continue reading...
