Texas Tech Track and Field Hosts Red Raider Classic
June 21, 1999 | Indoor Track
February 8, 1999
LUBBOCK, Texas - About the Red Raider Classic...
The Red Raider Classic is the third and final home meet for Texas Tech during the 1999 indoor track and field season. It should provide a tune up for the for the Big 12 indoor championships that will be held on Feb. 19-20 in Manhattan, Kansas.
The Red Raider Classic is slated to be a two day meet with most of the field events and distance runs taking place on Friday and all other events going on Saturday.
The meet will begin at approximately 6 p.m. on Friday and start at 9 a.m. on Saturday.
Red Raider Notes
*Daniel Top in the Nation Leigh Daniel (Lubbock, Texas), running in the 5,000 meters, posted the first automatic national qualifying time by any Texas Tech runner this season. Daniel won the 5,000 over 34 other runners with a time of 6:15.29. The mark places her in the NCAA indoor national championships held in Indianapolis on March 6-7. Further more, the time is the best by any womens runner in the nation or Big 12 this season, and is the fastest time ever run by a Red Raider women in the 5,000 meters in either indoor or outdoor competition. It was the first time Daniel had competed in the event during the indoor season.
"It was one of the most amazing performance I've ever seen," Dave Smith Texas Tech cross counrty/distance coach said."It was a great p.r. in her first performance of the year. She showed great speed at the end of the race. Leigh passed three women in the last 200 meters. I am very pleased with her and believe she could go under 16:00 by the end of the indoor season."
*Mens 4X400 Qualifies The mens 4X400 relay team of Shameron Turner, Rohan McDonald, Desmond Johnson and Josephus Howard provisionally qualified for the indoor national championships with a time of 3:08.66 this weekend at the Cannon IV Classic. The team took second out of 14 teams competing in the event.
*McDonald Does It Again Junior Rohan McDonald posted his second provisional qualifying time in the 400-meters at the Cannon IV Classic. The 1998 indoor All-America performer ran at time of 46.94 and took second out of 35 runners competing in the event. His top mark came earier this season at the Rocky Mountain Cup when he ran a 46.73.
*No Sophomore Slump for Iwu After having a solid freshman campaign in 1998, Ngozi Iwu is showing her to one of the most dominant forces on the womens indoor track team in 1999. Already, she has set two school records in two events. Iwu claimed the top mark in the 400-meters with a time of 55.21 at the Cannon IV Classic on Feb. 6. She also earned the top mark and the Athletic Training Center record in the 600-yard dash with a run of 1:22.85 at the Red Raider Open on Jan. 16.
*Sham Slams the 200 Sophomore Shameron Turner improved on his personal best in the 200-meters by almost one second at the Rocky Mountain. Turner recorded a time of 20.98 to provisionally qualify for NCAA indoors. He has recorded the top two times in the 200 this season. His best time last season in the 200 indoor was 21.58.
1999 Top Men's Performances
D. Johnson, S. Turner, J. Howard, R. McDonald 4X400 Relay 3:08.66 2/5/99 *Provisionally qualified for NCAA Indoor Champ.
Rohan McDonald 600-yard 1:10.61 1/16/99 Red Raider Open *Texas Tech Indoor Record *Athletic Training Center Record 400-meters 46.73 1/23/99 Rocky Mountain Cup *Provisionally qualified for NCAA Indoor Champ. 400-meters 46.94 2/6/99 Cannon IV Classic *Provisionally qualified for NCAA Indoor Champ.
Shameron Turner 200-meters 20.98 1/23/99 Rocky Mountain Cup *Provisionally Qualified for NCAA Indoor Champ. *Personal best time in the event
1999 Top Women's Performances Leigh Daniel 5,000 meters 16:15.29 2/7/99 Cannon IV Classic *First automatic NCAA indoor national championships time posted by a Red Raider in 1999 *Top time in nation, Big 12 and team *Fastest time by a women in the 5,000 meters indoor or outdoor ever *Improved on personal best time by over 45 seconds *First time running the event during 1999 indoor season
Ngozi Iwu 600-yard 1:22.85 1/16/99 Red Raider Open *Texas Tech Indoor Record *Athletic Training Center Record 400-meters 55.21 *Texas Tech Indoor Record
Sherri Colemen 60-meters 7.45 1/23/99 Rocky Mountain Cup *Texas Tech Indoor Record