Texas A&M competes at the SEC Indoor Championships this weekend in Fayetteville, Arkansas, with the men’s team contending for its first-ever SEC Indoor Championship team title.
The action this Friday and Saturday at the Randal Tyson Track Center features six teams who rank in the top 10 teams in the nation. The men’s field includes the host as well as No. 1 Arkansas, No. 3 LSU, No. 4 Tennessee, No. 5 Texas A&M, No. 8 Georgia and No. 10 Florida. The top women’s teams include No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Florida, No. 4 Arkansas and No. 8 Tennessee while Texas A&M enters the meet as No. 20.
A&M aims to continue the same success they have had in past SEC Indoor Conference Championships. Shamier Little returns as the defending conference champion in the 400m. In the 4×400 relay, the men have won three consecutive SEC Indoor 4×400 titles while the A&M women placed third in the 4×400 last year.
Texas A&M’s talented pole vault crew includes Jacob Wooten, Audie Wyatt, Chase Wolfe and Carl Johansson — one of which will have a chance to be crowned as the SEC pole vault champion if they take down Tennessee’s Jake Blankenship, the current collegiate leader for pole vault.
Freshman Donavan Brazier, who broke A&M’s school record and the U.S. indoor junior record in the 800m, clocking 1:45.93, tops all SEC and 800m runners by more than a second. Other Aggies competing in the 800m are Hector Hernandez, Efrain Hernandez and JaQwae Ellison. In the men’s long jump, Latario Collie enters the meet as the fourth-best jumper with a mark of 52-3 ¼ .
Running in the women’s sprints, teammates Jennifer Madu and Aaliyah Brown will race in the 60m and lead a group of less-experienced Aggies, Briyahna Desrosiers, Krsytal Sparling and Diamond Spaulding, who have posted times among the best for freshman and sophomores in the SEC.
Katie Willard, who broke the 800m women’s school record, will have a chance to score points in the 800 along with teammate Jazmine Fray. In the women’s pole vault, Brittany Wooten leads Aggies Emily Gunderson and Sara Kathryn Stevens as A&M’s top vaulter. Annie Kunz and Shaina Burns will compete in the women’s heptathlon, challenged by Georgia’s Kendall Williams and Arkansas’ Taliyah Brooks.
Devin Jenkins, who posted a U.S. leading 20.58 in the 200 this season, will be a strong favorite to win the men’s 200m. Sam McSwain has jumped 7-0 ¼ two times this season — putting him a good position to score for the men. The new school record holder for the heptathlon, Lindon Victor, will be accompanied by teammates Nathan Hite and Daniel Martin, who rank among the best in A&M history.
Will Williams is set to compete in the the long jump while he enters the meet posting a 25-9 ¼, placing him as the third seed. Fred Kerley, who clocked in at 46.48 in the 400m, will have a chance to lower his time this weekend. Cameron Villarreal, who placed last year in the mile, will return with teammates Alex Riba and Ryan Teel.
