I am getting this posted in the nick of time - the Big 12 indoor meet starts in minutes. The fact that the conference does not post the heat sheets on-line until late the night prior to the meet always means my predictions are last minute! This should be a good meet for the Tech men, not so much for the Tech women. Here are the Tech entries (with their current ranking in the Big 12 in parentheses), with my best guess of how the teams will place in the team race.
WOMEN - I will start with the women, who are reeling from the loss of Cierra White to graduation and LeTristan Pledger to defection (to Northern Illinois). The female Red Raiders are simply not going to score many points in the running events - the points will almost all come in the pentathlon and the field events. The Tech coaches have chosen to leave most of the freshmen at home - they have performed so poorly indoors thus far this year.
I have to attend a staff meeting at my real job, so I will post my predictions for the men after that meeting, which means that will happen after the first men's events (the heptathlon) has already begun.
WOMEN - I will start with the women, who are reeling from the loss of Cierra White to graduation and LeTristan Pledger to defection (to Northern Illinois). The female Red Raiders are simply not going to score many points in the running events - the points will almost all come in the pentathlon and the field events. The Tech coaches have chosen to leave most of the freshmen at home - they have performed so poorly indoors thus far this year.
- 60 - 21 entries - Marika Brown (27) -- freshmen Tiffani Johnson and Talajah Murrell left at home
- 200- 24 entries - freshman Sara Limp (10), Marika Brown (26) -- thank goodness Tech picked up Sara late from California at the last moment - she is by far the strongest freshman on the track thus far this year
- 400- 17 entries - Sara Limp (13), freshman Taylor Rockwell (20), Adria Parker (22)
- 600y - 11 entries - freshman Maygen Smith - she has looked pretty good as well this year and could slip into the finals
- 800- 11 entries - Kelly McQuaid (19) - how can a kid be ranked #19 and there only be 11 entries? It occurs when many ranked higher choose to run in other races
- 1000 - 10 entries - no Tech entries -- freshmen Lauren Landry and Hannah Bradley both left at home
- Mile - 20 entries - Jasmine Torres (55) - why is Jasmine running the mile when she is ranked much higher in the 3K and 5K? Tech needs a decent miler to anchor the distance medley relay. The other options - Jocelyn Caro and Hattie Schunk - are both running the 5K, which is run immediately prior to the DMR.
- 3K- 59 entries - Jocelyn Caro (24), Hattie Schunk (29), Jasmine Torres (32) - all running in the slower 1st section of 2 sections
- 5K- 25 entries - Jocelyn Caro (8), Hattie Schunk (11)
- 60H - 15 entries - Shanice Stewart (6), freshman Kaylee Hinton (12), freshman Raygen Smith (13), Amani Nesmith (15)
- 4x4 - 9 teams entered - freshmen Sara Limp, Taylor Rockwell, Maygen Smith and senior pentathlete Natalie Thompson (7) - Tech will run in the slower 1st section, with TCU, which has a virtually identical best time - win that first section and they finish no lower than 6th place
- DMR - 8 entries - Kelly McQuaid running the 1200 meter; Taylor Rockwell on the 400, Maygen Smith on the 800 and Jasmine Torres on the 1600. Tech just has to finish the race and they get a point.
- HJ - 18 entries - Natalie Thompson (4), Zarreia Willis (7), and Kaylee Hinton (9)
- PV - 16 entries - Haley Cook (5), Reece Timmons (8), Tayler Jameson (11t), Blake Wood (11t), Megan Wood (18)
- LJ - 14 entries - Shanice Stewart (3), Kaylee Hinton (6), Viershanie Latham (10), Gionna Jackson (12), Amani Nesmith (14)
- TJ - 16 entries - Viershanie Latham (1), Gionna Jackson (6)
- SP - 13 entries - Hannah Carson (10)
- WT - 17 entries - Alexis Lewis (9)
- Pentathlon - 13 entries - Kaylee Hinton (2), Natlalie Thompson (5), Amani Nesmith (11), Andi Morgan (14) AND unranked Shanice Stewart, who has done a full pentathlon this year. The national leader in the event, Akela Jones from Kansas State is NOT entered at this meet. I did not think that Shanice would compete here either, but the very real chance of Tech getting 1st, 2nd and 3rd was too tempting for the Tech coaches.
I have to attend a staff meeting at my real job, so I will post my predictions for the men after that meeting, which means that will happen after the first men's events (the heptathlon) has already begun.
