After accepting two individual titles in the SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships last weekend, Texas A&M is making the transition into the outdoor season with the UTSA Texas Challenge Invitational held in the Park West Athletics Complex in San Antonio Friday and Saturday.
Finishing the indoor season with a NCAA Indoor title in the 400 meters with a world-leading time of 45.03, Deon Lendore is scheduled to run the 400 and the 4×400 relay. Lendore has a personal best of 44.94, which placed him second at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Championships. He will be joined in the 400 by teammates Carlyle Roudette and Deon Hickey.
Lendore realizes what he needs to accomplish after winning a national title.
“Being a national champion is the best feeling there is,” Lendore said. “You work so hard to reach the top. When you get there you have to work twice as hard to stay on top, because staying on top is the hardest thing to do. I’m willing to work and do all that needs to be done to be an outdoor national champion as well.”
Wayne Davis II is a defending NCAA Outdoor champion in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 13.14, the second-fastest winning time ever in a NCAA final.
Another defending A&M outdoor champion is the women’s 4×100 relay, which set the collegiate leading time of 42.56 at the 2013 Texas Relays. Other victories included Penn Relays, SEC Championships and NCAA Championships.
Some Aggies to watch are junior Dalton Rowan, who scored in the NCAA Championships the past two seasons in the discus, placing eighth and seventh respectively. In women’s discus sophomore Shelbi Vaughan broke the A&M school record in her first meet last season and was undefeated among collegians, claiming the SEC title, but three fouls in the NCAA preliminary rounds ended her season.
Jena Hemann, NCAA Indoor Championship qualifier and current A&M record holder in the pentathlon, will compete in javelin as well as the 100 hurdles to prepare for the Texas Relays where she will participate in the heptathlon.
For the running events, freshman Shamier Little will be a top competitor in the 400 hurdles. Little, who placed third at NCAA Indoor in the 400 last week, claimed a 2012 US Junior title.
Action will begin at noon Friday with A&M’s Daniel Martin competing in the decathlon. Running events will start at noon Saturday and the meet is scheduled to conclude at 4 p.m.