With the national championship on the line, sophomore Gabby Mayo knows she has to do everything she can to win.
“I don’t feel like it depends on me, but I feel like I have to give it my all,” Mayo said. “I just have to run my fastest than I’ve ever ran in my whole life. I just feel like it’s my job and it’s what I’m supposed to do, so that’s what I’m going to do.”
Mayo will look to lead the No. 1 ranked Texas A&M women’s track team in the NCAA Indoor Championships today and Saturday at the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium.
Mayo is one of nine women competing for the Aggies in six events, running in the 60-meter dash, 60-meter hurdles and the 200-meter dash. At the Big 12 Championship, she won the 60-meter dash with a personal best time of 7.28 seconds and also won the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.20 seconds.
Junior Porscha Lucas, who came in third place behind Mayo in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.33 seconds, will also be a factor for the Aggie women as she is coming off a first place finish in the 200-meter dash at the Big 12 Championship with a season-best time of 22.94 seconds, which leads the nation as the only sub-23 time recorded.
“We just know that we have to do our best for our team to come out No. 1,” Mayo said.
Lucas will also compete in the 4×400-meter relay with teammates senior Allison George, junior Sandy Wooten and sophomore Jessica Beard.
Beard will look to contend for the 400-meter crown and senior Yasmine Regis, freshman Vashti Thomas and junior Ashika Charan will be strong competitors in the triple jump.
The Aggie women are coming off their third consecutive Big 12 Championship and look to win the school’s first national indoor championship.
“Our team is ready to compete,” said A&M Head Coach Pat Henry. “Our athletes are ready and are relatively healthy. We have competed at meets that have prepared you for this meet. We are not walking in here like this is a surprise.”
The men’s team will have nine athletes competing in five events and are coming off a third place finish at the Big 12 Championships. Sophomore Gerald Phiri and junior Zuheir Sharif lead the team.
Phiri will look to place strong in the 60-meter as he holds the school record with a time of 6.59 seconds.
Sharif will compete in the triple jump and is coming off his second Big 12 Championship with a jump of 16.38 meters, with his first title coming as a freshman in 2007.
“This is another one of those steps up a big ladder in a person’s career,” Henry said. “This is about repeating some efforts that you have had during the year and maybe getting a little bit better.”