A&M senior Katy Doyle has been looking forward to Saturday for nearly two years. It’s not that she particularly enjoys the Tom Tellez Invitational Track and Field Meet, or that she will be competing in her hometown of Houston.
Doyle is simply excited to compete at all.
For the first time since undergoing surgery to repair a tendon in her elbow, the two-time All-American will be competing in the women’s javelin. Doyle had won the Big 12 individual championship in the women’s javelin and finished fourth in the 2000 Olympic Trials before the injury sidelined her with 18 grueling months of rehabilitation.
“It was a very long process and it was hard, because the one thing that I loved to do the most was to throw,” Doyle said. “I’m ready to start throwing again. I don’t have to worry about anything, so I’m not going to. I just want to throw.”
Doyle will be one of many members of the Texas A&M men’s and women’s track and field teams heading south this weekend to the University of Houston’s Lewis/Tellez Track and Field Complex. The Aggies hope to duplicate the success they enjoyed last weekend at the College Station Relays where they won nine gold medals on the way to picking up 12 NCAA regional qualifying bids.
Leading the way for A&M will be Doyle and the formidable Aggie javelin corps. Junior Luke Marrs, sophomore Jarrod Mathews and freshman Anthony Alfier all finished among the top four collegians competing on the men’s side, while freshman Rachel Walker was named Big 12 Track and Field Female Athlete of the Week for her first-place regional qualifying performance last week.
“Posting a victory in your first-ever collegiate competition is a great way to start your college career,” said A&M Associate Head Coach Ed Marcinkiewicz. “This is a tremendous honor for Rachel. I’m proud of the way she competed last weekend. She’s a tremendous talent and her best days are still ahead of her.”
In the track events, the Aggies will be trying out some athletes in new events and mixing up the relay teams. Though the Aggie men’s 400-meter relay team took home first place last week, A&M Head Coach Ted Nelson believes they can do better.
“We are going to be running different teams this week to see how they can improve their times. They ran well last week, but we believe they can do better,” Nelson said. “Track is such a psychological sport… It will be interesting to see how well they mesh.”
Also tightening its screws in Houston this weekend will be perennial track and field powerhouse Texas Christian University. The Horned Frogs captured three NCAA regional qualifying bids last week in the Dr. Pepper Invitation at Baylor University’s Hart/Patterson Complex.
“I think this is the best shape our women have been in, in a long time,” said TCU Head Coach Monte Stratton. “With warmer weather this weekend, I expect them to do extremely well.”
Teams competing in the Tom Tellez Invitational include Baylor, Seton Hall, Syracuse, A&M and TCU, along with Texas men’s and Illinois women’s teams. The meet kicks off at 10 a.m.