The first Texas Tech home meet is 20 days from today -- the Corky Classic! I am pumped that I will be there (at least right now, I should be able to attend). The Red Raider T&F preview will be divided into 4 sections this year: 1) sprints/hurdles; 2) middle distance/distance; 3) throws; and 4) jumps/vault/multis. Middle distance conference races are 800, 1000, mile (indoors) and 800, 1500 (outdoors) and distance conference races are 3K, 5K (indoors) and steeplechase, 5K, and 10K (outdoors).
WOMEN - the Red Raiders definitely lost some firepower for the women in the distances. 1) Nokuthula Dlamini was 3rd last year in the 5K indoors and had scored a total of 21.5 points in 3 conference meets and she could have run one last outdoor, but apparently opted out. 2) Seselia Dala was 6th in the 5K indoors last year and 6th in the outdoor 10K in 2019 -- she has 1 more outdoor season she could compete and she has transferred to WTAM (she is from Amarillo originally). 3) Jessica Gallardo never scored at conference, although she competed at conference 3 times. 4) Bret Leigh Nance - never scored at conference, although she did get 9th in the steeplechase in 2019. I thought she might return for the spring, but then she got into TAMU Law School and decided not to hold off another full year. 5/6) the Halloran twins never competed at a conference meet. And, 7) Natalie Parks, who never competed at conference (or at meet away from campus), but ran in 15 meets at home over 4 years and worked as hard as anyone on the team.
RETURNEES
MEN - the men lost a little bit. 1) Grant LaSelle scored 2 points last year running a solid 1200 meter leg on the 2nd place distance medley relay - Grant was one of those solid kids who always worked hard and who filled in the gap on relays. 2) Jett Buchanan scored 2.75 points in 2019 running on both the 4x4 and distance medley relay indoors. He was on the roster in 2020, but did not compete in any meets. He is not on the roster any longer. 3) Steven Duran got 17th in the 2017 indoor 800 and never ran another conference meet again. 4) Nathan Gift -- 33rd in the Big 12 XC meet in 2019, he never got to run at a conference track meet.
RETURNEES
WOMEN - the Red Raiders definitely lost some firepower for the women in the distances. 1) Nokuthula Dlamini was 3rd last year in the 5K indoors and had scored a total of 21.5 points in 3 conference meets and she could have run one last outdoor, but apparently opted out. 2) Seselia Dala was 6th in the 5K indoors last year and 6th in the outdoor 10K in 2019 -- she has 1 more outdoor season she could compete and she has transferred to WTAM (she is from Amarillo originally). 3) Jessica Gallardo never scored at conference, although she competed at conference 3 times. 4) Bret Leigh Nance - never scored at conference, although she did get 9th in the steeplechase in 2019. I thought she might return for the spring, but then she got into TAMU Law School and decided not to hold off another full year. 5/6) the Halloran twins never competed at a conference meet. And, 7) Natalie Parks, who never competed at conference (or at meet away from campus), but ran in 15 meets at home over 4 years and worked as hard as anyone on the team.
RETURNEES
- Claudrice McKoy -- Sr/Jr - the former JC national 1500 champ never got to show her stuff in that race last year. She scored 1/2 of a point at the Big 12 indoor meet, missing the finals in the 1000 by a fraction of a second, but running a solid 1200 meter leg on the distance medley relay. I do think she can score at conference in the mile indoors and 1500 outdoors
- Suzanne Sides - Jr/Soph - a HS quartermiler that is being converted to a halfmiler -- she scored 1/2 point on the distance medley relay
- A bunch of runners who have never gotten to race at a conference meet yet: Binta Ka -- Jr/Soph; Natalie Gomez - Sr/Jr; Kaitlyn Irving - Jr/Soph; Jazmyn Martinez -- Sr/Jr; Sydney White - Jr/Soph; and Kyra Young - Jr/Soph. Particularly Binta Ka, who ran pretty well in XC (38th at the Big 12 meet) has potential of scoring if she continues to progress in the steeplechase
- Redshirts - Mattie Lovell redshirted indoors after graduating from Claude - she has yet to run a race of any kind at Tech -- even unattached. I am glad that she got to redshirt last year -- Texas HS kids usually need to train for 2-3 years before they can be competitive at the college level. Maybe we can see Mattie run a few times this year and see if she can make the transition to college racing. Hanna Sanchez has run for both Oral Roberts and Sam Houston before coming to Tech. Don't know if she can contribute.
- Joanna Archer -- Jr/Soph - the JC national champ in the 800 outdoor in 2019 and 2nd in the indoor 800 in 2020 for Monroe College (in Queens). In 3 JC national meets, she scored 39 points. She should be a serious contender for scoring in the 800 indoors and outdoors. From Guyana originally.
- Sharon Chumo - Jr/Soph - also ran at Monroe College in NYC (with Joanna Archer and Claudrice McKoy) and scored at JC indoor nationals in the 3K and 5K indoors and the 5k and 10K outdoors. Could help fill the 5k/10K void left by Seselia Dala's departure. I got to see her run at 1 XC meet and she did not look good. Hoping she has progressed in the past few months
- Cammy Jenkins - freshman from Lubbock Cooper - she won the Dist 3-5A 1600 and 3200 in 2019. In a perfect world she redshirts outdoors this year.
MEN - the men lost a little bit. 1) Grant LaSelle scored 2 points last year running a solid 1200 meter leg on the 2nd place distance medley relay - Grant was one of those solid kids who always worked hard and who filled in the gap on relays. 2) Jett Buchanan scored 2.75 points in 2019 running on both the 4x4 and distance medley relay indoors. He was on the roster in 2020, but did not compete in any meets. He is not on the roster any longer. 3) Steven Duran got 17th in the 2017 indoor 800 and never ran another conference meet again. 4) Nathan Gift -- 33rd in the Big 12 XC meet in 2019, he never got to run at a conference track meet.
RETURNEES
- Taki Hedeilli had a brilliant debut for Tech, winning the 1000 and mile indoors, plus qualifying for nationals by running a school record mile. I am looking forward to seeing him run outdoors, where he has been ranked as high as 99th in the whole world in the 1500. I am worried about 1 thing -- he did not get to run XC this fall. I think he needed to take some summer classes to be eligible for the fall and he ended up spending all summer in Algeria with his Mother as she started cancer treatments. Tech applied for a waiver for the fall and the NCAA would not cut Taki any slack. I think he is on track to be eligible this spring.
- Sven Cepus - Jr/Soph - 7th in the Big 12 800 indoors in 2020 and 7th outdoors as well in 2019. He showed some of his immense potential by qualifying for indoor nationals in the 800 and getting All-American last winter.
- Cornelius Kiprotich - Jr/So - 8th in the Big 12 steeplechase in 2019 and in the indoor mile in 2018. He has fought a lot of injuries, but has the capacity to be top-3 in the steeple
- Alfred Chawonza - Soph/Fr - I really like this kid, be is a battler. Just missed finals in the 600y (getting 9th and missing finals by a few tenths), but he scored by running on the 2nd place distance medley relay. Alfred could be a top 5 kind of runner in the 800 or its related races.
- Trent Nolen - Soph/Fr - pleasant surprise last year, getting 13th in the Big 12 800 after getting 6th in the 6A 800 in 2019. Tech has a lot of 800 runners because Coach Kittley was an All-American for ACU in the 800 and that is the one event that Coach K coaches personally
- Other returnees who have never competed at a conference track meet - Reece Skinner, Bennett Barnett, Luke Estes, and Eric MacLean. Redshirts who will compete for Tech for the first time in 2021 are Walker Hendricks, Ret Taylor, and Bryce Boggs.
- Owen Likins - freshman from Texarkana Texas HS - at the 5A state meet in 2019, he was 2nd in the 800 and 4th in the 1600. Indoors in 2020, he ran extremely well at the TAMU HS Classic, he won the 800 and mile and ended up ranked #15 in the U.S. in the indoor 800! One of the better Texas HS distance runners Tech has recruited in recent years
- Paul Sherrill - freshman from Cedar Park Summit Christian - he dominated TAPPS 1A winning the 800, 1600, and 3200 handily in 2019. In 2020, he ran his meets against runners from 5A nd 6A and held his own, even ranking #66 in the U.S. in the 1600 in the shortened 2020 season. Very interesting prospect
- TJ Gregg - freshman from Clovis, NM, where he was the 1st in the NM 4A 1600 in 2019 and 7th in the TTU HS inv mile in 2020
- Edward Rush - freshman from Castle Rock, CO, where he was 6th in the CO 5A 1600
- Several other distance running newcomers - Noah Creighton - Tr from Mesa Col; Thomas Velvin - freshman from Manhattan Beach, CA; Kirk Zuber - freshman from Smithson Valley; Michael McCabe - freshman from Southlake Carroll; Jaden Tumale - freshman from Buda Hays Consol; and Andy and Noah Hamilton - twin freshmen from New Braunfels Canyon. Tumale is particularly interesting after he ran a really good 2000 meter steeplechase (the usual distance for HS runners vs the college distance of 3000 meters). Tumale finished #9 in the U.S. in the event in the truncated 2020 season.
