TCU
Big 12 Championships
Preview: Big 12 Championships
2/27/2020 12:13:00 PM | Men's Indoor Track, Women's Indoor Track
FORT WORTH — TCU's men's and women's track and field teams begin postseason competition at the 2020 Big 12 Indoor Track & Field Championship in Ames, Iowa, from Feb. 28-29.
Meet Day Information
Date: Feb. 28-29, 2020
Location: Ames, Iowa
Venue: Lied Recreation-Athletic Facility
Teams attending: Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech, West Virginia (women only)
TV: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ will carry the Big 12 Championship on Friday and Saturday featuring live running event finals and field event coverage on tape delay.
Day 1 - https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=87655fae-96a4-470f-b6f2-15ddf0751abb
Day 2 - https://www.espn.com/watch/player?id=6314b19a-85a6-4083-b511-4601ae8addd5
Live Results: https://live.pttiming.com/?mid=1924
USTFCCCA Rankings
TCU's men's track and field program was ranked No. 18 in the nation by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Association's (USTFCCCA) Rankings final regular season update. The Horned Frog men entered the indoor season at No. 17.
Top 15
Chengetayi (Du) Mapaya, the defending outdoor triple jump national champion, jumped a season-best 16.48m (54-1) at the Texas Tech Shootout for the fourth best mark in the country.
Senior Derrick Mokaleng went sub-46 to earn a second-place finish at the Texas Tech Shootout with a season-best 45.97. The Johannesburg, South Africa native slots in at fifth in the nation.
TJ Brock set a career-best twice on the same day at the Texas Tech Shootout. The senior ran a 6.63 to win his heat and qualify for the finals. He then bested that time with a 6.61 to win the event. Brock's time is tied for seventh nationally and leads the Big 12 Conference.
Freshman Jill Johnson owns the top high jump mark in the Big 12 (1.81m), which is also tied for 9th nationally.
Tinotenda Matiyenga posted the 11th best time in the NCAA after running a 20.80 in the men's 200m in Lubbock.
Destiny Longmire jumped 6.40m (21' 0") and placed second in the women's long jump at the Red Raider Invitational. Her jump ranks 11th nationally.
The 4x400 team consisting of Jostyn Andrews, Matiyenga, Simbarashe Maketa and Mokaleng clocked in at 3:06.10 which ranks 5th in the nation this season and best in the Big 12.
Record Breakers
Jill Johnson broke TCU's women's indoor high jump record by clearing 1.81m (5-11 1/4) at the Texas Tech Shootout. She won the event and owns the top mark in the Big 12, which is also tied for 9th nationally. The freshman has now won the high jump in back-to-back weekends.
She joins sophomore Tysen Townsend, who broke fellow teammate Kendahl Shue's pole vault record by clearing 12-11 3/4, as a 2020 record breaker.
Returning Indoor All-Americans
Destiny Longmire - First-Team - Long Jump
Chengetayi (Du) Mapaya - First-Team - Triple Jump
Derrick Mokaleng - First-Team - 400m
Returning Outdoor All-Americans
Destiny Longmire - First-Team - Long Jump
Chengetayi (Du) Mapaya - First-Team - Triple Jump
Derrick Mokaleng - Second-Team - 400m
Andrews, Bender, Matiyenga and Mokaleng - Second-Team - 4x400
Returning Big 12 Champions
In last year's Big 12 Indoor Championship, Mapaya rose to the occasion, taking home the title with a school-record jump of 16.83m (55-2.75). His jump also broke Scotty Newton's conference meet record from 2017-18.
Mapaya led last season's outdoor Big 12 field from the opening jump, reaching 16.54m (54-2.5) and never trailed. That jump was all he needed as he held on to win his second career conference title. TCU has dominated the triple jump in the Big 12 the last two seasons. Newton won both the indoor and outdoor titles in 2017-18, while Mapaya finished third at both meets and won both indoors and outdoors in 2018-19.
TCU's mile relay capped off the 2018 Big 12 Championship indoor meet with a title as well. Jostyn Andrews, Tinotenda Matiyenga, Glenn Bender and Derrick Mokaleng teamed up for the first time and ran a season-best 3:04.86 for the win. It was the third 4x400 conference title for TCU in the last two seasons, adding to the titles from the 2018 indoor and outdoor conference meets.
Senior Destiny Longmire took women's indoor long jump a year ago en route to her first Big 12 Conference title. Longmire set the standard for the field with her opening jump, setting a personal-best 6.39m (20-11.75). That jump was all she needed as she never trailed in the meet. The Moreno Valley, Calif. native also won a Mountain West title in the long jump while she was at San Jose State.
Just Du It
Chengetayi (Du) Mapaya returns for his junior campaign to defend his national title in the outdoor triple jump. He also garnered a bronze medal at the 2019 NCAA Indoor Championships as well. As a freshman in 2018, Mapaya reached the championship in the triple jump and finished third with a 16.38m (53-9) jump.
Mapaya secured the national championship in the most dramatic fashion possible. Going into his sixth and final jump of the night, Mapaya was in third place after a jump of 16.94m (55-7) in his fifth attempt. On the final jump of the competition, Mapaya jumped 17.13m (56-2.5) passing up event leader Jordan Scott of Virginia (17.01m, 55-9.75) and winning the national championship. It was TCU's first national title in track and field since Ronnie Baker won the 60m dash in 2016.
Mapaya, who also earned First Team All-America Honors, shattered his own school record of 16.64m (54-7.25), which was set earlier in the season at the National Relay Championships in Fayetteville, Ark.
The Harare, Zimbabwe native is a four-time All-American.
The Bowerman
Mapaya was named to The Bowerman's Preseason Watch List. He is the third student-athlete from TCU to appear on the watch list (Ronnie Baker, 2016) (Whitney Gipson, 2012). Charles Silmon was a semifinalist for the award in 2013, but did not appear on a watch list -- a distinction that is announced after the season is over.
The Bowerman is the highest honor bestowed to collegiate track & field's most outstanding athletes of the year. This is the 12th year of the award program, having started in 2009.
Only ten men and ten women will be on the official watch list during each update. Semifinalists from the previous year are automatically on the preseason watch list provided they are returning.
TCU Indoor History
TCU has a tradition of national success during the indoor season. One year ago, the Horned Frogs left the NCAA meet with a third-place finisher, three First-Team All-America individuals and one Second-Team honor. Two years ago, TCU left the NCAA meet with a third-place finisher, four total First-Team All-America honors, and three additional Second-Team honors.
Players Mentioned
