May 8, 2007

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LUBBOCK, Texas - After a weekend void of competition to make room for final semester exams, the Texas Tech track and field team will begin its championship rundown of events beginning with the conference meet on Fri., May 11th. The three-day Big 12 Championships will be hosted by the University of Nebraska, which has held the indoor event seven times, at the Ed Weir Stadium in Lincoln, Neb.

The 11th running of the event is set to get underway with the decathlon and heptathlon Friday afternoon. The only other events featured on the opening day are the men's and women's 10000M and discus. Saturday contains a full slate of events, including the conclusion to the multis competitions, prelims for running events and both men's and women's hammer throw and long jump. Track finals will take place on Sunday, as well as the javelin, shot put and triple jump. The team championship presentation is tentatively scheduled for 5:45 p.m. Sunday.

FSN Southwest will air the event on tape delay on Fri., May 18th, at 11:30 a.m., and repeat the broadcast at 1 p.m. on Sat., May 19th.

The Red Raiders are coming off of their first break since having six consecutive weeks of competition. Prior to the halt in action, the Tech team split to three different locations, finding favorable results at each. While many team members traveled to either the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, or the Sooner Invitational in Norman, Okla., the headline taker occurred in Stanford, Calif., at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational.

Two of Tech's oldest school outdoor records were broken at the Payton Jordan, including the women's 10000M time that also marked an NCAA record. Sophomore Sally Kipyego ran a mark of 31:56.72 to break the previous Tech record of 32:53.95 set by Leigh Daniel in 1999 and the NCAA record of 32:19.97 from Stanford's Alicia Craig in 2004. Also setting a school mark was senior Kevin Chelimo, breaking a 27-year-old record in the men's 5000M. Chelimo ran a time of 13:40.83 to erase Greg Lautenslager's 1980 time of 13:44.1.

Not only were school records broken at the Payton Jordan, but they were as well at both other sites that weekend. At the Drake Relays, Marlon Odom broke the wind-legal 110M hurdle record with a run of 13.57. The previous mark belonged to Shawon Harris with a time of 13.60. Odom now owns the top five times in Tech history, including the wind-aided mark with a run of 13.45 last year.

At the Sooner Invitational, redshirt freshman Ozie Okolie reset her own school record. Earlier this year, the Houston, Texas, native threw for 178'-1" at the Texas Tech Open. In Norman, Okla., Okolie added over four feet to the distance with a toss of 182'-9".

ADDITIONAL QUALIFIERS
During the last week of competition, the Red Raiders added five athletes to the list of those qualifying for post-season meets. Earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships with her record time was Sally Kipyego in the women's 10000M. The NCAA-record mark sits as the top time in the country by over half of a minute.

Reaching first-time marks for the NCAA Midwest Regional from the Drake Relays were Anthony Flemons and Zach Glavash. Flemons, a freshman from Childress, Texas, met the distance in both the long and triple jump. Earning his first legal marks in the long jump, Flemons finished with a distance of 24'-1.5" to place ninth. In his first triple jump competition of the outdoor season, the indoor national qualifier took the crown with a top mark of 52'-9.25". The distance, the third best in Tech history, currently sits as the fifth longest in the nation, second in the Midwest region.

Also qualifying in Des Moines, Iowa, was senior Zach Glavash in the men's 800M. The 2006 indoor All-American finished sixth with a run of 1:49.88. He is currently third in the Big 12 standings.

Throwing a season best in the shot put was sophomore Patience Knight. The San Antonio, Texas, product qualified with a toss of 48'-7.25" at the Sooner Invitational in Norman, Okla.

BIG 12 HISTORY
• Tech Outdoor Titles:
The Red Raider men have claimed 13 titles by 11 different athletes. For the women, Tech has nine titles from five athletes.
• Returning Big 12 Outdoor Titlists:
Hurdlers Marlon Odom and Bryan Scott are Tech's only returning champions. Odom won the 110M hurdles in 2005 and 2006. Scott took the 400M hurdle crown in 2004 and 2005.
• Top Outdoor Finishes:
1st: The men took the title at the 2005 event, defeating Nebraska 149.50 to 136.
2nd: During 2004, the men's team was runner up to Nebraska (172 to 106.50).
3rd: The women had their highest finish in 2005, taking third behind Nebraska and Texas (126.67 to 117 to 95).
4th: In 2003, the men placed fourth after finishing in the bottom half the previous six years.
5th: The women cracked the top half of the standings for the first time in 2004, finishing fifth with 61.50 points.
• 2007 Indoor Champions to Watch:
*Eyes will be on sophomore Sally Kipyego who not only titled the women's mile and 3000M at the Big 12 Indoor Championships, but also became the national champion in the 3000M and 5000M. Kipyego also was a member of the conference champion distance medley relay team this past February.
*Irene Kimaiyo won her first Big 12 title during the indoor season as she captured the 5000M crown.
*Julianne Kennedy started the women's team on the right foot when she won the first completed event of the championships, the women's pentathlon.
*Marlon Odom not only sits as the reigning 110M hurdle champion, but he also titled the 60M hurdles at the indoor meet.
• Playing Host:
Nebraska will be hosting the outdoor meet for the first time. The Huskers have held the indoor meet at their facility seven times. Last year's meet took place in Waco, Texas, being hosted by Baylor.
• 2006 Team Results:
The Longhorns of Texas swept the team titles, winning the men's by 44.50 points and the women's by 19.50. For the men, the remainder of the conference finished as follows: Nebraska, Missouri, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Baylor, Texas Tech, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State and Oklahoma State. On the women's side, the teams finished as Texas A&M, Nebraska, Kansas State, Baylor, Missouri, Texas Tech, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Colorado, Oklahoma and Iowa State. The Tech men's eighth-place finish was their lowest since 2001 when they placed 10th. The women, who took seventh, had their lowest since finishing 10th in 2003.

RED RAIDER STANDINGS
After six weeks of regular competition, a number of Red Raiders are in position to score points for the Tech team this weekend. Several Tech members lead the conference in their respective events: Kevin Chelimo (10000M), Marlon Odom (110M H), Bryan Scott (400M H) and Sally Kipyego (5000M and 10000M). The men currently have 17 listed in possible scoring position, while the women have 16.

A complete listing of the Red Raiders standings on the Big 12 performance list can be found on page four of the track and field notes.