Track and field: Red Raiders carry high hopes into NCAA outdoor – LubbockOnline.com
Wes Kittley’s one NCAA team championship with the Texas Tech track and field program came three years ago, courtesy of the men’s team.
It’s unlikely the Tech women can pull off a team title this week, but, on paper, they have one of the strongest contingents for the four-day NCAA outdoor championships that get under way Wednesday in Eugene, Oregon. The Tech women are No. 4 in last week’s ranking by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
To score, an athlete has to make the finals of an event and finish in the top eight. The Tech women have entries with top-eight national rankings in 10 events.
“I think this is the very best (Tech) women’s team ever,” Kittley said, “so we’ll see how we do this weekend.”
Men’s competition unfolds Wednesday and Friday, the women’s on Thursday and Saturday, at Oregon’s Hayward Field.
Texas, Florida and Texas A&M are the teams ranked ahead of Tech on the women’s side, and the Longhorns are the favorite. They have 18 entries, 14 in the top 10 in their events.
Asked if the Tech women could win a national championship to match the one the men won in 2019, Kittley said, “I guess we could if everything was perfect and everything went bad for a couple of other schools.
“I think realistically we have a chance to be a top-four team. Texas would really have to flounder, I think, to not be in the position to win, but there are some other good teams.”
The top four teams earn a trophy, making that a goal. The Tech women’s chances of cracking that tier rest largely on their jumpers and sprinters. They have five entries in the horizontal jumps, led by top-ranked Monae’ Nichols in the long jump and defending champion Ruth Usoro in the triple jump.
South Plains College transfer Rosemary Chukwuma in the 100 meters and Big 12 meet record holder Demisha Roswell in the 100-meter hurdles are ranked No. 2 in their events, and thrower Seasons Usual is No. 3 in the discus, which was the place she finished at last year’s NCAA outdoor.
Sidney Sapp in the high jump and Callie Jones in the heptathlon are No. 5 in their events. Both are transfers, Sapp from Wichita State and Jones from Southern Mississippi.
“There’s all types of possibilities for us to score,” Kittley said. “On paper, from day one, our jumps have been the strength and what we thought would be the strength of the team. And what’s happened is these other people have just come on to make us a little bit more well-rounded.”
Between the 2021 indoor and outdoor seasons, Usoro went 46 feet-plus in the triple jump in seven meets and swept the titles at the NCAA indoor and outdoor. Though the Tech women’s jumpers have continued to flourish after a transition from James Thomas, who left for Georgia, to Keith Herston, who came in from Florida State, Usoro has yet to go 46 feet in competition this year.
She said she’s “going back to the drawing board every meet” and “learning the technique I really need to learn.”
“By the grace of God, I’m close to getting to that level and even beyond,” she said of the 46-foot mark. “I believe that everything that has gone on this season is just a steppingstone. I’ve definitely gone through my share of trials this season, but this is just a steppingstone to be greater and to be better.
“So going into this meet knowing that I have not even gotten close to what I jumped last season, it’s a motivation for me, because this is not my last meet of my life. This is my last meet for Texas Tech, so I tend to give them my very best.”
The Tech men are ranked No. 7 by the USTFCCCA. Georgia, Texas, Florida State, Brigham Young and LSU make up the top five. Florida is the other team in front of the Red Raiders.
The Tech men’s top hopes, all running Wednesday in semifinal rounds, are Moad Zahafi, ranked No. 1 in the 800 meters; Courtney Lindsey, ranked No. 2 in the 200, and Malik Metivier, ranked No. 5 in the 800.
The next highest-ranked Red Raider, Chris Welch, is No. 8 in the triple jump.
Track & field
What: NCAA outdoor championships
When: Wednesday through Saturday
Where: Hayward Field, Eugene, Oregon
Online streaming: Daily on ESPN3.
TV: 6:30 p.m. CDT Wednesday and 7:30 p.m. CDT Thursday on ESPNU, 8 CDT p.m. Friday on ESPN2 and 4:30 p.m. CDT Saturday on ESPN.
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TEXAS TECH ATHLETES’ SCHEDULES
All times CDT
Event finals unless noted otherwise
Note: Each athlete’s ranking in NCAA Division I is in parentheses, followed by the athlete’s season-best mark or time. An “x” means the athlete must qualify through the previous round. An “a” means mark or time is converted to account for performances at higher altitude.
Wednesday
Men
Field Events
Javelin: 23. Markim Felix, 232 feet, 2 inches, 7:45 p.m.
Running Events
400-meter relay semifinals: 10. Texas Tech (Adam Clayton, Courtney Lindsey, Ashton O’Conner, Jacolby Shelton), 38.82 seconds, 6:32 p.m.
100 semifinals: 11. (tie) Terrence Jones, 10.03; 19. (tie) Courtney Lindsey, 10.08-a, 7:46 p.m.
800 semifinals: 1. Moad Zahafi, 1 minute, 43.69 seconds, 8:14 p.m.
400 hurdles semifinals: 5. Malik Metivier, 48.98, 8:30 p.m.
200 semifinals: 2. Courtney Lindsey, 19.88-a, 8:44 p.m.
Thursday’s Events
WOMEN
Field Events
Pole vault: 13. Chloe Wall, 14 feet, 3 1/4 inches, 8 p.m.
Long jump: 1. Monae’ Nichols, 22-10 1/2; 5. Ruth Usoro, 22-3; 19. Ruta Lasmane, 21-0 3/4, 9 p.m.
Running Events
100-meter hurdles semifinals: 2. Demisha Roswell, 12.48-a seconds, 8:32 p.m.
100 semifinals: 2. (tie) Rosemary Chukwuma, 10.82, 8:46 p.m.
200 semifinals: 6. (tie) Rosemary Chukwuma, 22.40-a, 9:44 p.m.
1,600 relay semifinals: 20. Texas Tech (Nayanna Dubarry-Gay, Aneesa Scott, Kiah Dubarry-Gay, Knowledge Omovoh), 3 minutes, 32.75 seconds, 10:48 p.m.
Friday’s Events
MEN
Field Events
High jump: 16. (tie) Caleb Wilborn, 7 feet, 1 3/4 inches, 7:30 p.m.
Triple jump: 8. Chris Welch, 54-0; 10. Jalen Seals, 53-7, 8:20 p.m.
Running Events
400-meter relay: 10. x-Texas Tech (Adam Clayton, Courtney Lindsey, Ashton O’Conner, Jacolby Shelton), 38.82 seconds, 8:02 p.m.
100: 11. (tie) x-Terrence Jones, 10.03; 19. (tie) x-Courtney Lindsey, 10.08-a, 8:42 p.m.
800: 1. x-Moad Zahafi, 1 minute, 43.69 seconds, 9:14 p.m.
400 hurdles: 5. x-Malik Metivier, 48.98, 9:27 p.m.
200: 2. x-Courtney Lindsey, 19.88-a, 9:37 p.m.
WOMEN
Combined Events
Heptathlon: 5. Callie Jones, 5,864 points, four events with start times from 3 p.m. to 9:43 p.m.
Saturday’s Events
WOMEN
Field Events
High jump: 5. Sidney Sapp, 6 feet, 2 1/4 inches, 4 p.m.
Discus: 3. Seasons Usual, 195-2; 28. Malin Smith, 183-8, 4:05 p.m.
Triple jump: 4. Ruth Usoro, 45-9; 7. Ruta Lasmane, 45-3 1/2, 4:50 p.m.
Combined Events
Heptathlon: 5. Callie Jones, 5,864 points, remaining three events with start times from 12:30 p.m. to 6:13 p.m.
Running Events
100-meter hurdles: 2. x-Demisha Roswell, 12.48-a seconds, 5:12 p.m.
100: 2. (tie) x-Rosemary Chukwuma, 10.82, 5:22 p.m.
200: 6. (tie) x-Rosemary Chukwuma, 22.40-a, 6:07 p.m.
1,600 relay: 20. x-Texas Tech (Nayanna Dubarry-Gay, Aneesa Scott, Kiah Dubarry-Gay, Knowledge Omovoh), 3 minutes, 32.75 seconds, 6:51 p.m.