The preliminary heat sheets are on the Big 12 meet webpage and there are two huge surprises for the men's team - I can't find either Jansen Hyde or Wouter LeRoux entered in a race. Both are ranked highly in the hurdle races. Injured? Disciplinary action? Grades? Simple oversight by the people inputting the meet entries? If they don't run, the Red Raider chances of winning conference on the men's side are reduced. Neither one would probably win, but both were counted on for big points in the 4th, 5th, 6th range and those points are crucial to Tech winning the conference!
On the women's side, Irene Kimaiyo is attempting a brutal 10K-steeple-5K triple for the weekend. Irene has been running amazingly well and if she pulls off that triple and places in the top 3 in all three events, Tech has a legit chance of pulling off the huge upset. That is a big task for that young lady!
MEN (current rank in the conference in parentheses)
100 - Julius Walker (3), Rashad Hawk (12), Skye Green (13) - if Julius is relatively healthy, he will challenge to win it all. Rashad is a nice addition and Skye is coming on at the right time. PRediction - Julius gets 3rd and either Rashad or Skye squeezes into the finals for 8th. 7 points for the Red Raiders.
200 - a huge shock - no one is entered in this race for the Red Raiders. I thought that either Bill Lawhorn or Omo Osaghae would run this.
400 - Gil Roberts (3), Lamont Adams (10), Rodney Mims (11), Tim Foster (26), Bill Lawhorn (no time) - if Bill Lawhorn is healthy, he could make the finals, but he is not close to 100%. Prediction: Gil gets 5th place (he is also not 100% - next year, he wins this race!), Lamont grabs 7th and Rodney makes the finals and picks up 8th, for 7 points.
800 - Silas Kemboi (5), Edwin Sang (20), Gilbert Limo (no time) - this will be the best race for Silas to pick up some points. Prediction: Silas finishes 6th for 3 points.
1500 - Silas Kemboi (16), Cory Higgins (53), Logan Culotta (67) - Cory has improved dramatically this year, but not enough to vie for points at this level. Silas has a better shot in the 800. Prediction: no points.
5K - Gilbert Limo (15), Silas Kemboi (21), Edwin Sang (no tome) - I really think this is Edwin's best chance for points all weekend. Prediction: Edwin slips in for 8th place and 1 point.
10K - as TTUJavee predicted, Tech has no one in this race.
110H - Shawon Harris (1), Omo Osaghae (tie for 5th), Nathan Lowry (tie for 9th) - ouch, Jansen Hyde could really help here. Prediction: Shawon wins it all (he is the LEADER of this team!), Omo steps up and pulls his weight in Jansen's absence by getting 4th and Nathan slips in for 8th place for 16 huge points.)
400H - Shawon Harris (4) -- double ouch! Both Wouter LeRoux and Jansen Hyde probably make the finals in this race. Prediction: Shawon makes a run at winning it and falls just short with a 2nd place for 8 points.
Steeple - Gilbert Limo (4), John Means (26) - Gilbert is one of the most pleasant surprises in 2008. John is a tough kid, but no real chance for points here. Prediction: Gilbert pulls out 3rd place for 6 points.
4X100 (3) - Tech gets to run in the faster 2nd heat. The relay is probably made up of Skye Green, Rashad Hawk, Julius Walker and probably Gil Roberts. PRediction: If Rashad gets his handoff from Skye, this relay moves up to 2nd place for 8 points.
4X400 (3) - Tech could run a 3:04 and still probably get 3rd in the conference. The relay will run 3 freshman - Lamont Adams, Gil Roberts, Bill Lawhorn (2 are running at less than 100%) and either Shawon Harris or Rodney Mims, with Tim Foster on hand of alternate work. PRediction: They run a great race and still finish 3rd for 6 points.
Shot Put - Harrison Benjamin (5), Tyler Menges (8) - Prediction: "Tank" Benjamin gets 4th and Tyler picks up 8th for 6 points.
Discus - Brett McDaniel (1), Tyler Menges (15) - Redshirt freshman McDaniel goes in with the best throw of the year, but that throw came in the first meet of the year 2.5 months ago. He has thrown pretty well all year, but not consistently over 180 feet. Prediction: 5th place for 4 points.
Hammer - no Red Raiders entered
Javelin - Michael Cast (3), Paden Behrens (21) - Michael is considerably better than last year, when he finished 3rd. Unfortunately, the field is also considerably better than last year. Paden is right on the verge of competing consistently at the conference level, but he is still a year away. Prediction: Michael gets 3rd for 6 points.
High Jump - Lyle Leong and Justin Turner (both tied for 7th) - Lyle jumped great indoors before football. Justin still can't quite make that jump to a really great jumper. PRediction: Lyle gets 5th and Justin 7th for 6 points.
Long Jump - Waylon Randolph (3), Bobby Evers (4), Anthony Flemons (6), Lyle Leong (9). Waylon has improved light-years this year now that he is healthy. Prediction: All four make the finals and get 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th for 10 points the hard way.
Triple Jump - Anthony Flemons (6), Bernard Hammonds (18) - this field is really loaded. I still think that Anthony wins conference in this event, but not this year. Redshirt freshman Hammonds has improved, but is not ready for this caliber of competition. PRediction: Anthony picks up 5th place for 4 points.
Pole Vault - Brian Porter (7), Kelly Wilson (13) - Brian had a lull in the middle of the season, but seems to be vaulting better of late. Prediction: Brian gets 6th place for 3 points.
Team PRediction - 2nd place with an identical 100 points to last year. This prediction means that Tech scores points in an astounding 16 events. I am convinced that Tech could beat ANYONE in the country in a head-to-hear dual meet.
WOMEN
100 - no Tech entries (Tech needs women sprinters BADLY. Terra Evans will help here a lot in 2009)
200 - Jonisha Boleware (22), Erica Worthy (26) - Prediction: no points.
400 - Jonisha (11), Keshima Starks (23), Erica Worthy (18) - Prediction: Jonisha finally runs a regional qualifying time and in doing so, picks up 8th place for 1 point.
800 - Asia Diaz (10), Gladys Kipsang (12), Shannon Jackson (19), Kearci Jobe (44) - Asia and Gladys are both coming on late in the year. Shannon has shown great promise as a freshman and Kearci has looked better late in the year after she dropped the heptathlon and concentrated on the 800. PRediction: Asia gets 7th and either Gladys or Shannon make the finals and gets 8th for 3 points.
1500 - Sally Kipyego (NT) - she has not run this event all year, but does that really matter? Prediction: Sally wins again for 10 points.
5K - Sally (1), Irene Kimaiyo (2), Michelle Guzman (19), Chep Boit and Gladys Kipsang (no time) - it will be SO tough for Irene to run all three distance races in one weekend, but if anyone can do it, Irene can. Michelle Guzman is also one tough kid, but not ready to compete at conference in the 5K YET. PRediction: Sally 1st and Irene runs a tough 3rd for 16 huge points.
10K - Irene Kimaiyo (no time), Michelle Guzman (20) - the Tech coaches are rolling the dice running Irene in the first race at the high altitude of Boulder. They are betting that Irene responds and along with the hammer throw, Tech gets off to a strong first day start. Prediction: Irene gets 4th for 5 points.
110H - Sandra Iwunze (12) - Prediction: Sandra is running so well this year, I just think she makes the finals in this, her secondary race. 7th for 2 points.
400H - Sandra Iwunze (1), Jasmine Flournoy (9) - a lot of pressure on the sophomore Iwunze. Sandra has improved by leaps and bounds this year. Jasmine has also improved dramatically from last year. Prediction: 2nd for Sandra and 7th for Jasmine, so the Red Raiders still pick up 10 points in this event.
Steeple - Irene Kimaiyo (1), Chep Boit (10) - can Irene pull off the tough triple? I just don't know. Chep has also improved tremendously in this event as the year has gone along. PRediction: Irene 3rd and Chep 7th for 8 points.
4X100 (6) - at least Tech gets to run in the faster 2nd heat in this timed finals race. Prediction: 6th place for 3 points.
4X400 (7) - painful to see Tech run in the slower 1st heat. I figure that Tech gets 2nd in the slow heat and 8th overall for one lone point in the last event of the day.
Shot Put - Patience Knight (1), DeDe Carter (6) - huge load to be carried by the might Tech throwers, but they are up to it! PRediction: Patience wins it and DeDe picks up a 4th place for a total of 15 points.
Discus Throw - DeDe (1), Patience (4), Ozie Okolie (7) - PRediction: they fall just like the rankings, 1st, 4th and 7th for 17 points.
Hammer Throw - Ozie (3) - Ozie is another person improving exponentially this year. Prediction: 3rd place for 6 points. That means that the weight corps accounts for 38 points. Astounding!
Pole Vault - Kelley Schulz (4), Jessie Gibbs (17) - the wily veteran Schulz is ready to go out with a bang (she is a senior). Tech was REALLY hurt this year by injury redshirts for Amanda Alley and freshman phenom Katie Veith. Jessie would have probably redshirted this year if both Amanda and Katie are healthy. Prediction: Kelley gets 3rd for 6 points.
High Jump - Kelsey Lloyd (tie for 7) - Prediction: Kelsey finally busts loose to get her first regional qualifying jump and in the process, grabs a 6th place for 3 points.
Jumps - Janell Appelhans (22 in LJ) and Veronica DiLullo (22 in TJ and 29 in LJ) have not been able to move to the next level. They simply are still overmatched at the conference meet. Prediction: no points here.
Team Prediction: 94 points for 3rd place in the team race. This team could have been even better with the kids who are injured and will probably redshirt - Katie Veith and Amanda Alley in the vault, Tori Smith in the 100H, Louise Cox in the 400 and both relays and Julianne Kennedy in the hep and HJ (Tech will seek a medical redshirt for her.) With those 5 women, this team makes a real run at the championship that now TAMU runs off with.
This will be an exciting conference meet for Tech. There is still a shot, albeit a very slim one, but a shot nonetheless for both teams to win the conference title. I surely don't count them out, particularly the men.
AND, don't forget, I am almost always overly conservative with my predictions.
On the women's side, Irene Kimaiyo is attempting a brutal 10K-steeple-5K triple for the weekend. Irene has been running amazingly well and if she pulls off that triple and places in the top 3 in all three events, Tech has a legit chance of pulling off the huge upset. That is a big task for that young lady!
MEN (current rank in the conference in parentheses)
100 - Julius Walker (3), Rashad Hawk (12), Skye Green (13) - if Julius is relatively healthy, he will challenge to win it all. Rashad is a nice addition and Skye is coming on at the right time. PRediction - Julius gets 3rd and either Rashad or Skye squeezes into the finals for 8th. 7 points for the Red Raiders.
200 - a huge shock - no one is entered in this race for the Red Raiders. I thought that either Bill Lawhorn or Omo Osaghae would run this.
400 - Gil Roberts (3), Lamont Adams (10), Rodney Mims (11), Tim Foster (26), Bill Lawhorn (no time) - if Bill Lawhorn is healthy, he could make the finals, but he is not close to 100%. Prediction: Gil gets 5th place (he is also not 100% - next year, he wins this race!), Lamont grabs 7th and Rodney makes the finals and picks up 8th, for 7 points.
800 - Silas Kemboi (5), Edwin Sang (20), Gilbert Limo (no time) - this will be the best race for Silas to pick up some points. Prediction: Silas finishes 6th for 3 points.
1500 - Silas Kemboi (16), Cory Higgins (53), Logan Culotta (67) - Cory has improved dramatically this year, but not enough to vie for points at this level. Silas has a better shot in the 800. Prediction: no points.
5K - Gilbert Limo (15), Silas Kemboi (21), Edwin Sang (no tome) - I really think this is Edwin's best chance for points all weekend. Prediction: Edwin slips in for 8th place and 1 point.
10K - as TTUJavee predicted, Tech has no one in this race.
110H - Shawon Harris (1), Omo Osaghae (tie for 5th), Nathan Lowry (tie for 9th) - ouch, Jansen Hyde could really help here. Prediction: Shawon wins it all (he is the LEADER of this team!), Omo steps up and pulls his weight in Jansen's absence by getting 4th and Nathan slips in for 8th place for 16 huge points.)
400H - Shawon Harris (4) -- double ouch! Both Wouter LeRoux and Jansen Hyde probably make the finals in this race. Prediction: Shawon makes a run at winning it and falls just short with a 2nd place for 8 points.
Steeple - Gilbert Limo (4), John Means (26) - Gilbert is one of the most pleasant surprises in 2008. John is a tough kid, but no real chance for points here. Prediction: Gilbert pulls out 3rd place for 6 points.
4X100 (3) - Tech gets to run in the faster 2nd heat. The relay is probably made up of Skye Green, Rashad Hawk, Julius Walker and probably Gil Roberts. PRediction: If Rashad gets his handoff from Skye, this relay moves up to 2nd place for 8 points.
4X400 (3) - Tech could run a 3:04 and still probably get 3rd in the conference. The relay will run 3 freshman - Lamont Adams, Gil Roberts, Bill Lawhorn (2 are running at less than 100%) and either Shawon Harris or Rodney Mims, with Tim Foster on hand of alternate work. PRediction: They run a great race and still finish 3rd for 6 points.
Shot Put - Harrison Benjamin (5), Tyler Menges (8) - Prediction: "Tank" Benjamin gets 4th and Tyler picks up 8th for 6 points.
Discus - Brett McDaniel (1), Tyler Menges (15) - Redshirt freshman McDaniel goes in with the best throw of the year, but that throw came in the first meet of the year 2.5 months ago. He has thrown pretty well all year, but not consistently over 180 feet. Prediction: 5th place for 4 points.
Hammer - no Red Raiders entered
Javelin - Michael Cast (3), Paden Behrens (21) - Michael is considerably better than last year, when he finished 3rd. Unfortunately, the field is also considerably better than last year. Paden is right on the verge of competing consistently at the conference level, but he is still a year away. Prediction: Michael gets 3rd for 6 points.
High Jump - Lyle Leong and Justin Turner (both tied for 7th) - Lyle jumped great indoors before football. Justin still can't quite make that jump to a really great jumper. PRediction: Lyle gets 5th and Justin 7th for 6 points.
Long Jump - Waylon Randolph (3), Bobby Evers (4), Anthony Flemons (6), Lyle Leong (9). Waylon has improved light-years this year now that he is healthy. Prediction: All four make the finals and get 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th for 10 points the hard way.
Triple Jump - Anthony Flemons (6), Bernard Hammonds (18) - this field is really loaded. I still think that Anthony wins conference in this event, but not this year. Redshirt freshman Hammonds has improved, but is not ready for this caliber of competition. PRediction: Anthony picks up 5th place for 4 points.
Pole Vault - Brian Porter (7), Kelly Wilson (13) - Brian had a lull in the middle of the season, but seems to be vaulting better of late. Prediction: Brian gets 6th place for 3 points.
Team PRediction - 2nd place with an identical 100 points to last year. This prediction means that Tech scores points in an astounding 16 events. I am convinced that Tech could beat ANYONE in the country in a head-to-hear dual meet.
WOMEN
100 - no Tech entries (Tech needs women sprinters BADLY. Terra Evans will help here a lot in 2009)
200 - Jonisha Boleware (22), Erica Worthy (26) - Prediction: no points.
400 - Jonisha (11), Keshima Starks (23), Erica Worthy (18) - Prediction: Jonisha finally runs a regional qualifying time and in doing so, picks up 8th place for 1 point.
800 - Asia Diaz (10), Gladys Kipsang (12), Shannon Jackson (19), Kearci Jobe (44) - Asia and Gladys are both coming on late in the year. Shannon has shown great promise as a freshman and Kearci has looked better late in the year after she dropped the heptathlon and concentrated on the 800. PRediction: Asia gets 7th and either Gladys or Shannon make the finals and gets 8th for 3 points.
1500 - Sally Kipyego (NT) - she has not run this event all year, but does that really matter? Prediction: Sally wins again for 10 points.
5K - Sally (1), Irene Kimaiyo (2), Michelle Guzman (19), Chep Boit and Gladys Kipsang (no time) - it will be SO tough for Irene to run all three distance races in one weekend, but if anyone can do it, Irene can. Michelle Guzman is also one tough kid, but not ready to compete at conference in the 5K YET. PRediction: Sally 1st and Irene runs a tough 3rd for 16 huge points.
10K - Irene Kimaiyo (no time), Michelle Guzman (20) - the Tech coaches are rolling the dice running Irene in the first race at the high altitude of Boulder. They are betting that Irene responds and along with the hammer throw, Tech gets off to a strong first day start. Prediction: Irene gets 4th for 5 points.
110H - Sandra Iwunze (12) - Prediction: Sandra is running so well this year, I just think she makes the finals in this, her secondary race. 7th for 2 points.
400H - Sandra Iwunze (1), Jasmine Flournoy (9) - a lot of pressure on the sophomore Iwunze. Sandra has improved by leaps and bounds this year. Jasmine has also improved dramatically from last year. Prediction: 2nd for Sandra and 7th for Jasmine, so the Red Raiders still pick up 10 points in this event.
Steeple - Irene Kimaiyo (1), Chep Boit (10) - can Irene pull off the tough triple? I just don't know. Chep has also improved tremendously in this event as the year has gone along. PRediction: Irene 3rd and Chep 7th for 8 points.
4X100 (6) - at least Tech gets to run in the faster 2nd heat in this timed finals race. Prediction: 6th place for 3 points.
4X400 (7) - painful to see Tech run in the slower 1st heat. I figure that Tech gets 2nd in the slow heat and 8th overall for one lone point in the last event of the day.
Shot Put - Patience Knight (1), DeDe Carter (6) - huge load to be carried by the might Tech throwers, but they are up to it! PRediction: Patience wins it and DeDe picks up a 4th place for a total of 15 points.
Discus Throw - DeDe (1), Patience (4), Ozie Okolie (7) - PRediction: they fall just like the rankings, 1st, 4th and 7th for 17 points.
Hammer Throw - Ozie (3) - Ozie is another person improving exponentially this year. Prediction: 3rd place for 6 points. That means that the weight corps accounts for 38 points. Astounding!
Pole Vault - Kelley Schulz (4), Jessie Gibbs (17) - the wily veteran Schulz is ready to go out with a bang (she is a senior). Tech was REALLY hurt this year by injury redshirts for Amanda Alley and freshman phenom Katie Veith. Jessie would have probably redshirted this year if both Amanda and Katie are healthy. Prediction: Kelley gets 3rd for 6 points.
High Jump - Kelsey Lloyd (tie for 7) - Prediction: Kelsey finally busts loose to get her first regional qualifying jump and in the process, grabs a 6th place for 3 points.
Jumps - Janell Appelhans (22 in LJ) and Veronica DiLullo (22 in TJ and 29 in LJ) have not been able to move to the next level. They simply are still overmatched at the conference meet. Prediction: no points here.
Team Prediction: 94 points for 3rd place in the team race. This team could have been even better with the kids who are injured and will probably redshirt - Katie Veith and Amanda Alley in the vault, Tori Smith in the 100H, Louise Cox in the 400 and both relays and Julianne Kennedy in the hep and HJ (Tech will seek a medical redshirt for her.) With those 5 women, this team makes a real run at the championship that now TAMU runs off with.
This will be an exciting conference meet for Tech. There is still a shot, albeit a very slim one, but a shot nonetheless for both teams to win the conference title. I surely don't count them out, particularly the men.
AND, don't forget, I am almost always overly conservative with my predictions.
