Horned Frogs Close Regular Season At Texas
4/29/2010 12:00:00 AM
April 29, 2010
SCHEDULE | MEET INFORMATION
FORT WORTH, Texas - The TCU track and field program will close its regular season this Saturday at the Texas Invitational in Austin.The meet will provide an opportunity for the Horned Frogs to make or improve upon their NCAA top 48 marks before heading to the 2010 Mountain West Conference Championships in two weeks, which will take place in Albuquerque, N.M.
"We are going down to Austin this weekend after a productive showing at the Penn Relays in Philadelphia," said head coach Darryl Anderson. "It is always great to go into Big 12 country and get on the track against some of the best in the nation. We are really looking forward to it. This meet will allow our whole team one last final preparation before we head into the Mountain West Conference Championships."
TCU will open competition in Austin at 11:30 a.m. with the women's javelin outside Mike A. Myers Stadium. Running events on Saturday are slated to begin at approximately 4 p.m. with the women's 4x100. Competition will conclude on Saturday night at approximately 8:40 p.m. with the running of the men's 4x400.
Overall, a handful of teams will be in action this Saturday in Austin, including nationally ranked Baylor, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M. Other teams competing at Mike A. Myers Stadium include Colorado, Houston, North Texas and SMU.
Meet Information
Fans not able to attend the Texas Invitational this weekend can follow all 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 Austin on Saturday, a full recap and final results will be posted on the TCU athletics website.
History Repeating Itself With Men's 4x100
Heading into the final regular season meet, the men's 4x100 continues to make strides. Last weekend, the quartet finished fourth overall at the historic Penn Relays, marking the highest finish in a Championship of America final by a men's 4x100 unit since 2006. When you break down the two relays, the results are very similar. Overall, the 2010 version of the 4x100, who has clocked a seasonal-best time of 39.20, has recorded a time under 40 seconds three different times this season. The 2006 unit, which earned third-place in Philadelphia, only crossed the finish line under 40 seconds twice during the course of the outdoor campaign, clocking a seasonal-best time of 39.19 seconds. Upon further review, the 2006 unit finished fourth at the NCAA Championships, marking the highest finish by a men's 4x100 relay during head coach Darryl Anderson's tenure in Fort Worth. The 2010 relay, which consists of Skye Dawson, Charles Silmon, Mychal Dungey, Mark Barnes and Clemore Henry, will try and better that mark in a few weeks.
Covington Closing Career In Style
Neidra Covington became the first female student-athlete in TCU history last week to win the women's triple jump at the Penn Relays. With only one regular season meet remaining, the Florida native and four-time All-American will look to add another first to her remarkable career next month, capturing the first outdoor conference title in the women's triple jump in program history. Overall, the senior soared 43 feet, 4 ½ inches to claim championship accolades at Franklin Field in front of 38,904 spectators last Friday. By winning the women's triple jump, Covington also became only the second student-athlete ever at TCU to win a triple jump title at the Penn Relays. Convington's seasonal-best mark is currently No. 2 in the Mountain West Conference and No. 8 in the NCAA this spring.
Getting Comfortable In Austin
TCU will compete at Mike A. Myers Stadium for a second time this season on Saturday. Earlier this year, the Frogs posted a strong showing at the 83rd running of the Texas Relays with the men's 4x100 crossing the finish line in second-place, while the women's 4x100 clocked a seasonal-best time of 45.26 seconds. Individually, Charles Silmon led the Purple and White with a fourth-place showing in the men's 100 meters, while Sean Zurko became the first Horned Frog in TCU history to win the men's 800 meters at the Texas Relays. With that success in hand, the Frogs will look to improve upon or better those performances this weekend.
TCU will return to Austin on May 27-29 for the preliminary round of the 2010 NCAA Championships.
Last Year At The Texas Invitational
TCU closed out its 2009 regular season recording six NCAA regional qualifying marks at the Texas Invitational. Earning NCAA regional qualifying marks were Dell Guy (200 Meters), Tommy Killen (Discus), Otis McDaniel (200 Meters), Andon Mitchell (100 Meters) and Justyn Warner (100 Meters). On the women's side, Whitney Gipson posted her first NCAA regional qualifying mark in the triple jump.
Killen claimed the men's discus title with a seasonal-best and NCAA regional qualifying mark of 180 feet, 11 inches in Austin. Killen's toss at that point was the top-throw in the Mountain West Conference. Mitchell led the Frogs in the 100 meters, clocking a seasonal-best and NCAA regional qualifying time of 10.49 seconds to place 15th overall.
Top Marks In The Mountain West Conference
Heading into the final regular season meet, TCU currently holds the top spot in the Mountain West Conference in eight different events. Overall, the Horned Frogs lead the conference in the men's 100, 200, 400, 110-meter hurdles, 4x100 and 4x400. On the women's side, the Purple and White top the conference in the 4x100 and 100-meter hurdles. In addition, TCU has the top-four times posted in the men's 100 and 200 meters.
Regionally Ranked Horned Frogs
The men's outdoor track & field team stayed put in the South Central regional rankings this week, heading into the Texas Invitational as the No. 7 ranked squad in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Association (USTFCCCA) South Central rankings.
TCU currently ranks in the top 20 in the West Region in nine different events. Overall, the Horned Frogs are regionally ranked in the men's 100, 200, 110-meter hurdles, 4x100 and discus. On the women's side, the Purple and White sit inside the top 20 in the 5,000 meters, long jump, triple jump and shot put.
TCU In World Rankings
With only one meet before postseason competition begins, TCU has recorded two marks that currently rank in the top 30 in the world standings according to IAAF.
Sophomore Whitney Gipson is ranked in the top 30 in the world in the women's long jump, while the men's 4x100 clocked the No. 15 ranked time in the world rankings at the Texas Relays according to IAAF.
The National Rankings Breakdown
Heading into the Texas Invitational , the Frogs have nine student-athletes and two relays ranked in the top 45 in the national rankings. Freshman Charles Silmon leads TCU in the men's 100 meters, ranking No. 16 in the nation, while junior Mychal Dungey currently sits No. 33 in the men's 200 meters. In the men's 5,000 meters, junior Festus Kigen recently broke out, climbing to No. 26 at the Mt. SAC Relays. On the women's side, Rose Tanui is currently No. 24 in the NCAA after her showing at Mt. SAC.
Junior Kristal Juarez heads into this weekend ranked No. 37 in the women's 400 meters. In the 110-meter hurdles, fellow junior Jordan Pitts is currently ranked No. 26 in the NCAA, while the men's 4x100 sits No. 5 in the NCAA. On the women's side, TCU sits No. 44 heading into the Texas Invitational in the 4x100.
TCU has excelled in the women's long jump rankings with both Whitney Gipson and Neidra Covington ranked in the top 30 in the NCAA. Gipson is currently No. 9, while Covington follows at No. 31. Covington also moved into the top 10 in the women's triple jump at the Penn Relays, soaring to the No. 8 jump in the country.
Senior Tommy Killen leads the Frogs in the men's discus, ranking No. 11. He will look to improve his standing this weekend in Austin.
Up Next
TCU will open postseason competition on May 13-15 at the 2010 Mountain West Conference Championships in Albuquerque, N.M.
Players Mentioned
