TECH RUNNING AT NCAA MIDWEST REGIONAL
May 28, 2009 | Track and Field
May 28, 2009
NORMAN, Okla. -
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The No. 14 Red Raiders and Lady Raiders take the next step towards the NCAA Outdoor Championships as the group travels to Norman, Okla., for the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships starting on Friday morning.
Tech has 35 student-athletes competing for a spot in the NCAA Outdoor Championships on June 10-13, in Fayetteville Ark. Last year the Lady Raiders finished second and the Red Raiders were fourth.
Five of the student-athletes have the top marks in the Midwest Region. Harrison Benjamin and Patience Knight both lead the shot put, while Sandra Iwunze (400M H), Omo Osaghae (110M H) and Gil Roberts (400M) are tops in their respective events.
Tech begins competing at 11 a.m., on Friday with the women's hammer throw and running preliminaries at 3:30 p.m., at John Jacobs Field in Norman, Okla. Live results of the meet can be followed at www.soonersports.com
Last Week
Texas Tech impressed the crowd numerous times as it hosted its first Big 12 Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The Lady Raiders finished a program=best second place scoring 111 points. The men scored 75 points to place fourth overall. Tech won six Big 12 titles as Harrison Benjamin (shot put), D'Andra Carter (discus), Patience Knight (shot put), Sandra Iwunze (400M H), Gil Roberts (400M) and Omo Osaghae (110M H) all were victorious.
Two-School Records Broke
Two Red Raiders set new school records during the Big 12 Championships. Harrison Benjamin threw 62'-1.75" breaking his previous school record in the shot put67 and putting him eighth in the nation overall. Gil Roberts ran a blazing 44.86 to win the 400M Big 12 title and broke Andrae Williams record set in 2005.
Back to Back
Tech's three female student-athletes successfully defended thier Big 12 Championships. Patience Knight (shot put), D'Andra Carter (discus) and Sandra Iwunze (400M H) all won for the second year in a row. It is the first time Tech has won consecutive titles in all three events.
Five Years Straight
Texas Tech's dominance of the hurdles continued with Omo Osghae winning Tech's fifth-straight 110M hurdle title. Marlon Odom started the tradition winning from 2005-2007 with Shawon Harris winning in 2008.
USTFCCCA Rankings
The Texas Tech men's and women's track squads both stayed in the USTFCCCA rankings compiled by Tom Lewis. The Red Raiders are No. 14 this week, moving up one spot from last week. The men are the fourth-ranked Big 12 school. The Lady Raiders fell out of the Top 25 for the first time all season.
Blazing Freshman
Terra Evans has the 14th fastest time in the nation with a time of 11.33 in the 100M. She also has the best time of any freshman in the 100M this season.
School Record
Tori Smith broke a 12-year-old record with her 13.44 in the 100M hurdles last Thursday. Ami Peters held the record previously at 13.63. Smith also set a new stadium record as she broke a 22-year-old record set by Karen Nelson of Texas back in 1987.
Top 10 Throwers
All three of the women throwers in the discus, hammer and shot put are ranked in the top 10 in the nation. D'Andra Carter is ranked fifth in the discus. Patience Knight is currently fifth in the shot put and Ozie Okolie is ninth in the hammer.
National Rank/Regional Qualifiers
100M Bill Lawhorn 52nd 100M Rashad Hawk 102nd 200M Gil Roberts 72nd 200M Markus Henderson 88th 200M Omo Osaghae 102nd 200M Bill Lawhorn 141st 400M Gil Roberts 2nd 400M Rodney Mims 35th 1500M Gilbert Limo 142nd 3K SC Gilbert Limo 21st 110M H Omo Osaghae 2nd 110M H Brandon Tucker 30th 110M H Nathan Lowry 33rd 110M H Jamele Mason 40th 400M H Jamele Mason 35th 400M H Zach Plinario 86th 4x100M Men 35th 4x400M Men 15th HJ Justin Turner 27th HJ Darrell Roddick 85th PV Brian Porter 27th LJ Darrell Roddick 26th LJ Waylon Randolph 35th LJ Anthony Flemons 70th TJ Darrell Roddick 10th SP Harrison Benjamin 7th DT Brett McDaniel 76th 100M Terra Evans 14th 200M Jonisha Boleware 92nd 400M Trudeann Clarke 55th 800M Asia Diaz 27th 800M Gladys Kipsang 80th 800M Shannon Jackson 113th 1500M Gladys Kipsang 36th 1500M Asia Diaz 66th 1500M Lillian Badaru 87th 5000M Lillian Badaru 81st 100M H Tori Smith 36th 100M H Sandra Iwunze 103rd 400M H Sandra Iwunze 22nd 400M H Kelsey Lloyd 82nd 4x100m Women 37th 4x400M Women 28th HJ Kelsey Lloyd 66th PV Amanda Alley 41st PV Sage Lasater 110th SP Patience Knight 5th SP D'Andra Carter 62nd DT D'Andra Carter 5th DT Patience Knight 39th DT Ozie Okolie 87th HT Ozie Okolie 9th
Two Weeks in a Row
Patience Knight was named the Big 12 Female Athlete of the Week for her performance at the ACU Invitational. She won both the shot put and discus at the meet with NCAA Regional marks. She threw 164'-06" and 53'-11.25". It is the second-straight week a Texas Tech athlete has won the athlete of the week award from the Big 12.
Freshman Debut
Freshman Jamele Mason, in only two meets so far during the outdoor season, has regionally qualified for two events. At the TCU Invitational he ran a 14.23 to qualify in the 110M hurdles and he turns around a week later to run a 52.22 to qualify in the 400M hurdles.
Female Athlete of Week
D'Andra Carter, the two-time All-American won the discus throw with a NCAA Regional mark of 172'-11" and is the second best in the nation currently. Carter followed it up by placing third in the shot put with throw of 49'-6.5". Her shot put marks qualifies for the NCAA Regional meet as well.
An Amazing Career
Senior Sally Kipyego ended her career at the NCAA Indoor Championships becoming only the second female in NCAA Division I track & field history to win nine NCAA titles. She tied Suzy Favor as she won her third-straight 5,000M title, which no other female has done.
Program Best Finishes
The Texas Tech track & field program had its best NCAA Indoor Championship in history. The women finished in ninth with 21 points. It is the highest finish and most points scored in the program's history. The men made history as they finished in 13th place with 18 points.
Another Level
Sally Kipyego became the first female in NCAA Division I history to win three NCAA Division I Indoor 5,000M titles.
All-Americans
Tech earned nine All-American honors at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Sally Kipyego earned her 11th and 12th All-American honor in her illustrious career. Gil Roberts earned his second and third All-American award in the 400M and 4x400M relay. Tim Foster and Rodney Mims both earned their second award in the 4x400M relay. Patience Knight earned her second as well in the shot put. Omo Osaghae earned his first indoor and second All-American honor overall. Markus Henderson collected his first All-American honor in the 4x400M relay.
Star Studded Returners
Texas Tech started the season with a total of eight All-Americans returning for the 2009 season. The group is highlighted by eight-time NCAA champion Sally Kipyego. Two-time All-American throwers Patience Knight and D'Andra Carter are the other women retuning. The men have Anthony Flemons, Tim Foster, Rodney Mims, Omo Osaghae and Gil Roberts.
Newcomers
Tech has 27 newcomers for the season. The men boast the fifth-best recruiting class in the nation by Track and Field News and the class is highlighted by Markus Henderson, Jamele Mason and Brandon Tucker. The women have a strong group of freshmen and transfers. Lillian Badaru has already made a name for herself as she earned her first All-American honor in cross country last fall.
New Additions
The Texas Tech track program added a new face as Roy Williams, a former TCU All-American, was hired to coach sprints and relays. Williams spent the last three years at the University of Texas at Arlington as the associate head coach of sprints, relays, jumps and hurdles. He coached an Olympic qualifier in the 200M and 4x100M relay and an All-American in the 110M hurdles during his tenure.
Ten-Year Anniversary
This season marks the 10th year that head coach Wes Kittley has been with the Texas Tech track & field program. Since then, his program has had nine NCAA champions and 97 All-American honors.
Players Mentioned
