Spring Break
New stride
Track and field to take on Texas and Tennessee at indoor stadium
By: David Arno
Issue date: 1/23/09 Section: Sports
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On Saturday, the Aggie men's team will host Texas and the women's team will take on Tennessee in a dual meet at the recently completed Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium at the McFerrin Athletic Center.
The Aggies come into the meet having posted nine event wins and produced seven provisional NCAA marks to open the season at the Arkansas Invitational in Fayetteville. At the meet, sophomores Jessica Beard and Gerald Phiri each set career best indoor marks in winning the 200 meters, earning them both Big 12 track and field Athlete of the Week honors.
"I think that it's key that for the first time in history, we get to run a track meet indoors at Texas A&M," said Head track and field Coach Pat Henry. "We have a senior class that has never gotten to run at home, indoors or outdoors, so it's great that our seniors get to run in front of their peers."
The No. 6 A&M men's squad will be lining up against a Texas men's track and field team that begins the 2009 season with a No. 7 ranking by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association preseason poll. The Longhorns finished in third place at the NCAA Indoor Championships in 2008.
"I think in this community, as well as in Austin, there is a big emphasis on beating each other," Henry said. "It's a measured competition; it's one that gets the juices flowing and people get excited about trying to compete against these people and beat them.
"Texas has a long, long history of an established track program, and although A&M has had good individuals, we've never had a good team here, and we're trying to develop that team. So a dual meet starts showing what kind of depth is in the program, and what's happening with the program itself."
The No. 1 A&M women's team will face off against No. 4 Tennessee in the Lady Volunteers' first dual meet in 13 years.
"Tennessee has been a top program forever," Henry said. "They've been in that top group for as long as I can remember. They bring in a really balanced team. They bring in good sprinters, good hurdlers and good distance-runners, so it will be very hard to beat Tennessee in the meet here."
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