Aggies seek Big 12 Indoor titles in Ames

Aggies seek Big 12 Indoor titles in Ames
Texas A&M women enter meet as three-time defending champions

Feb. 22, 2010


AMES, Iowa - The 14th edition of the Big 12 Indoor Championships will take place on the campus of Iowa State University in its Lied Recreation-Athletic Facility on the February 26-27 weekend. The Cyclones last hosted the Big 12 meet in 2007 when Texas A&M women claimed their first-ever conference title in the history of the program.

Aggie women have successfully defended the Big 12 Indoor title twice since that historic day in Ames and will be favored for a fourth consecutive conference crown on the return visit to the Lied Recreation center. Currently ranked No. 2 in the nation, Texas A&M will face two other Big 12 teams ranked among the top 25 in Oklahoma (13) and Nebraska (14).

For the A&M men, who placed ninth on the last visit to Iowa State in 2007, recent Big 12 Indoor competitions had the Aggies finishing fourth in 2008 and third in 2009. Ames could become a special location for the second time in A&M's track and field history.

Currently ranked No. 1 in the nation the A&M men will be one of the favored teams for the league title amid a field that includes five teams ranked in the top 25 - Nebraska (8), Texas Tech (9), Baylor (10), Oklahoma (16) and Oklahoma State (25). Texas, who enters the meet as defending champions, has won or shared the Big 12 title the past four years.

For the 2010 version of the Big 12 meet the Aggies will have five individuals returning as defending champions in six events along with the women's 4 x 400 relay.

Among a team of 26 athletes per gender, the A&M women will return 10 athletes who scored in the Big 12 Indoor last season while the Aggie men have 14 athletes coming back after contributing points a year ago.

Gabby Mayo is a defending double champion and high-point scorer. She won the 60 and 60 hurdles last season as Texas A&M played host to the conference meet and scored 23 points. In addition to her two victories, Mayo placed sixth in the 200.

Defending A&M champions also include Porscha Lucas (200), Jessica Beard (400), Sandy Wooten (600y) and Zuheir Sharif (Franklin High School, Elk Grove, CA (triple jump).

Lucas has claimed the 200 title the past two seasons after placing second as a freshman. Beard will seek her third straight indoor 400 title. Wooten, who placed fourth in the 400 as a freshman and sophomore, moved up to the 600 yards last season and won with a school record effort.

Sharif will also seek a third Big 12 title in the triple jump. His first win came as a freshman at Iowa State and he also won last year in College Station. He is the only member of the men's team to have scored at the past three indoor conference meets.

The women's 4 x 400 has won the Big 12 Indoor title three consecutive years. Wooten has been a member of the relay all three seasons while Lucas and Beard have run on the relay the past two years.

Heading into the conference meet the Aggies currently have the top mark in 11 events (5 men, 6 women). In four of those events - the men's 400, men's triple jump, women's 60 and women's 60 hurdles -- Texas A&M also has the top three marks among Big 12 competitors.

Event leaders among the Aggie men include Gerald Phiri (60), Curtis Mitchell (200), Tabarie Henry (400), Sharif (triple jump) and the 4 x 400 relay consisting of Tran Howell, Bryan Miller, Henry and Demetrius Pinder.

A&M women event leaders include Jeneba Tarmoh (Mt. Pleasant High School, San Jose, CA (60), Lucas (200), Beard (400), Natasha Ruddock (60H), Vashti Thomas (Mt. Pleasant High School, San Jose, CA) (long jump) and the 4 x 400 relay of Tarmoh, Lucas, Andrea Sutherland and Beard.

In addition to leading the conference, the men's triple jump trio of Sharif (54-3.75), Julian Reid (53-11.75) and Tyron Stewart (53-10.25) have the top three collegiate marks in the nation this season. In the men's 400, the Aggie trio of Henry (45.81), Demetrius Pinder (46.01) and Bryan Miller (46.47) rank 3-5-8 nationally. Ruddock (8.06) and Mayo (8.08) are currently 2-3 nationally in the women's 60 hurdles.

Aggies who also lead their event nationally include Mitchell (20.69) in the 200, Lucas (23.06) in the 200, Beard (52.27) in the 400 and the men's 4 x 400 relay (3:04.86).

Courtesy Texas A&M