Flyin' Frogs Head West For Texas Tech Invitational
4/8/2009 12:00:00 AM
April 8, 2009
FORT WORTH, Texas - The TCU track and field program will travel west on Thursday to compete at the Texas Tech Invitational.
"We are going over to Texas Tech and are really going to put an emphasis on individuals this week," said head coach Darryl Anderson. "Really, we are on a short week this week and are coming off a good meet at the Texas Relays, so our objective is to have the kids compete hard and then come back on Friday and have a long weekend to rest up before our home meet next weekend."
Action is slated to begin at 3 p.m. with the women's hammer throw, while running events will begin at 5:30 p.m. with the men's steeplechase at R.P. Fuller Stadium.
In it's last outing, the men's and women's 4x400 relays finished third overall last Saturday to lead the Flyin' Frogs on the final day of the 82nd annual Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays.
Earning NCAA regional qualifying marks in Austin were the women's 4x400, Neidra Covington (women's triple jump), Candis Kelley (women's shot put), Kishelle Paul (women's 400-meter hurdles), Jessica Young (women's 100 meters), Tommy Killen (men's discus) and the men's 4x100 and 4x400.
Meet Information
Fans not able to attend the Texas Tech Invitational this week can follow the action live by logging onto www.gofrogs.com. There you will find a link to the live results tab, which is located on the schedule page. Following action in Lubbock, a full recap and final results will be posted daily on the TCU athletics website.
TCU Representing In The World Standings
Following a solid performance at the Texas Relays, TCU has begun to show up in the IAAF World Standings.
Overall, the Purple and White are ranked in the men's top-10 in the 4x200 and 4x400, while the women's 4x400 is currently ranked No. 7 in the world standings.
Individually, Jessica Young currently has the sixth-fastest time in the world in the women's 100 meters. Former Flyin' Frog great Virgil Hodge is also ranked in the 100 meters. Hodge is sitting at No. 11 in the world standings with a time of 11.33 seconds.
Horned Frogs Leap Into National Rankings
The Flyin' Frogs women opened the outdoor season with a national ranking of No. 21 in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Association (USTFCCCA) national rankings.
The TCU men round out the men's top 30 at No. 27, led by the men's 4x400 unit, who are currently ranked No. 8 on the descending order list.
The USTFCCCA Division I indoor track and field rankings are compiled solely from NCAA descending order lists.
Flyin' Frogs On The National Scene
TCU has had a strong contingent that have fared well early this spring season nationally. Heading into the Texas Tech Invitational, the Flyin' Frogs have posted seven top 30 NCAA rankings on the men's side, while the women currently have 10 individuals, including the women's 4x100 and 4x400, ranked in the top 30 on the NCAA Descending Order List. On the men's side, Mychal Dungey has posted the 22nd-best 200 meters time, while Sean Zurko clocked the seventh-best 800 meters time at the LSU Relays in Baton Rouge.
In the relays, the men's 4x100 and 4x400 are currently No. 13 and No. 8, respectively in the nation. Also ranked for the Flyin' Frogs is sophomore Jordan Pitts, who has the 34th-best time in the 110-meter hurdles and the 20th-best mark in the 400-meter hurdles. Finally, Tommy Killen has tossed the discus 179 feet, 8 inches to claim the 16th-best throw in the NCAA.
Jessica Young leads the TCU women with the sixth-fastest time posted in the women's 100 meters in the NCAA, while senior Kishelle Paul currently has the 24th-best time in the 100-meter hurdles and the No. 18 ranked time in the 400-meter hurdles.
In the field events, TCU has dominated the women's long and triple jump nationally early on with Whitney Gipson and Neidra Covington having posted the nations 14th and 25th-best long jumps overall, respectively. In the triple jump, Covington has soared to the nation's No. 11 leap in the NCAA, while senior Candis Kelley currently has the No. 17 throw in the NCAA in the women's shot put. Sophomore Stormy Harrison rounds out the TCU rankings in the women's shot with the 30th-best toss in the nation.
Finally, the women's 4x100 crossed the finish line with the 12th-best time in the NCAA, while the 4x400 is No. 3 in the country heading into action this weekend in Lubbock.
TCU In The MWC
Entering this week's meet in Lubbock, TCU has the top mark posted in 19 different events in the conference, including both 4x100 and 4x400 relays. Overall, the Purple and White have nine of the top marks posted on the men's side and 10 for the women.
Overall, the Flyin' Frogs have the top times in the 100, 400, 800, 110m high hurdles, 400-meter hurdles 4x100, 4x400, 4x800 and discus on the men's side. The Purple and White women claim the top spot in the 100, 200, 100m high hurdles, 400m hurdles, 4x100, 4x400, long jump, triple jump, shot put and heptathlon.
Up Next
TCU will return home next weekend for the TCU Invitational. The two-day meet will begin next Friday with the men's discus at the Lowdon Track and Field Complex.
Players Mentioned
