COLLEGE STATION – The Texas A&M Aggie Invitational is the final home meet for the track and field team as they host eight teams at Gilliam Indoor Stadium this Friday and Saturday. The meet includes a pentathlon and heptathlon as well as Olympic development events for post collegians.
An Aggie senior class of 28 athletes will be introduced on Saturday prior to the start of 2 p.m. finals. Members of this senior class have been part of NCAA Outdoor championship team titles for the men in 2013 and women in 2014 as well as SEC Outdoor team championships for the women in 2013 and men in 2014.
Teams entered in the meet include Baylor, Clemson, Houston, Rice, TCU, Texas State and UTEP. The A&M men and women are ranked fourth nationally. In the men’s field ranked schools include Baylor (15th), Houston (21st) and TCU (23rd) while Clemson (24th) women are ranked nationally.
Coverage of the meet is available through the SEC Network + with can be accessed through the Watch ESPN app if you have a compatible cable service. Here is the link for Saturday – http://es.pn/1uBbpU0.
Events held on Friday include the women’s pentathlon (2:30 p.m. start), men’s heptathlon (3:30 p.m. start) along with the distance medley relay (6:30 p.m.) and 5,000 meters (7 p.m.). On Saturday the heptathlon continues at 10:30 a.m. as field events and running prelims begin at 12:30 p.m. with finals starting at 2 p.m.
2014 Bowerman Award winner Deon Lendore makes his indoor debut in the 400 meters after relay duty the past couple of weeks. During the Razorback Invitational last weekend Lendore ran a 400m leg on the distance medley relay that produced a 9:34.30, the third fastest time in school history, and anchored the 4×400 squad to a 3:03.23 clocking, the second fastest time in collegiate history.
Following a 1-2 finish in the 60 meters at the Razorback Invitational, Shavez Hart and Devin Jenkins face another talented field. Hart squares off in the same section of the 200m with Houston’s Cameron Burrell and Tevin Hester of Clemson.
Kamaria Brown, who set the meet record of 52.73 last year, races in the 400m and is in the same section with Clemson’s Natoya Goule, the 2013 NCAA indoor and outdoor champion at 800m who transferred to Clemson from LSU.
Anthony Rotich of UTEP, the defending NCAA champion in the mile and steeplechase, will run the mile at Gilliam and offer a stern test for the A&M group that includes Aaron Murray, Alex Riba, Isaac Spencer, Cameron Villarreal, and Ryan Teel.
In the distance medley relay Rotich is scheduled to anchor the UTEP foursome while the Aggies plan to run Ian Cazares, Tarik Tyler, Efrain Hernandez and Riba.
The women’s mile will have Hillary Montgomery running for the Aggies as she challenges the Baylor pair of Rachel Johnson and Maggie Montoya. A&M’s Grace Fletcher and Karis Jochen race in a 3,000m field that includes Cali Roper of Rice and the Baylor duo of Alex Davis and Sofia Pitouli.
Defending NCAA weight throw champion Brea Garrett aims for a fourth consecutive victory this indoor season. Austin Cook, who has finished runner-up three times this season with one victory, gets another challenge in the weight throw this week with the Texas State pair of Darian Brown and Jordan Huckaby.
Jena Hemann, the school record holder in the pentathlon, leads a crew of five Aggies in action in the women’s multi-event. The rest of the crew includes Lauren Bedrich, Shaina Burns, Annie Kunz and Ashtin Zamzow. In the heptathlon there is a trio of Aggies competing with Daniel Martin, Ioannis Kyriazis, and Lindon Victor.
Aggie post collegians in the meet include Prezel Hardy, Jr. (200m), Michael Bryan (200m), Janeil Bellille (400m), Kanika Beckles (400m), Gabby Mayo (60m, 60 hurdles), and Ibukun Mayungbe (200m, 400m).
Stoy courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics