The Texas A&M track and field team travels to Lubbock for this weekend’s two-day Texas Tech Invitational. The Aggies will compete against Texas Tech, Baylor, Kansas, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas, Arizona and Arizona State.
The meet will kick off on Friday, Jan. 29, with multi-events at 11 a.m. followed by field events beginning at 3:30 p.m. Track and field events begin at noon on Saturday at the Sports Performance Center. The invitational will be aired on Big 12 Now and ESPN+, although tickets will not be available to the public for in-person attendance.
The maroon and white is highly ranked heading into the season. A&M’s women’s team is currently ranked No. 2 in the USTFCCCA national rankings, while the men’s team sits at No. 11. The Aggies have about 40 athletes entered into this weekend’s invite.
So far this spring, A&M has participated in the Ted Nelson Invitational and Aggie Invitational at their home stadium in preparation for the season. A&M coach Pat Henry said this weekend’s performance will be telling and a good opportunity to improve from last weekend.
“I think this is another step up on the ladder of the season, each athlete is thinking about what they did last week and how they can improve,” Henry told 12thman.com. “We have a great mix of teams to compete against. It’s a really good field, and just about every event will be very competitive.”
Tyra Gittens, a senior multi-event athlete, led the NCAA in the pentathlon last season and is scheduled to make her 2021 debut in the event this weekend.
“It will be her first multi-event of the season, and I know she has been looking forward to this weekend,” Henry told 12thman.com. “This will be a pretty good field for her to get the first pentathlon under her belt.”
Gittens said she’s looking forward to competing this weekend and getting back into the routine.
“I’m definitely excited to shake the rust off because the first pentathlon is about having to get your body back in the rhythm of doing multiple events in one day,” Gittens told 12thman.com. “The excitement is there. I cannot sleep because I’m so excited, but I have to control my energy and stay focused.”