Texas Tech track and field will be back in action this weekend after last Saturday’s dual meet at Nebraska was canceled after poor weather conditions in Lubbock hampered Tech’s travel plans.
The bulk of the Red Raiders’ team will be in Lubbock for the second Texas Tech Invitational of the season at 10 a.m. on Saturday in the Athletic Training Center.
However, Tech also will send several competitors to the New Balance Collegiate Invitational in New York City and the New Mexico Classic and Combined Events in Albuquerque, N.M.
Tech coach Wes Kittley said the unexpected week off should help the athletes in their meets this weekend, and he does not expect his runners to be rusty.
“I think what it allowed us to do, with a lot of kids who were a little bit sore with a hamstring strain or with whatever, we planned on running a bit, we got them all fresh again,” Kittley said. “We had some really good practices this Monday and Tuesday and so I don’t think it hurt as much.”
Tech is sending a slew of athletes across the nation to compete this weekend in order to see how they stack up against some of the nation’s top competitive teams.
Among the athletes traveling to New York City are the women’s distance medley relay team of Purity Biwott, Trudeann Clarke, Gladys Kipsang and Caroline Karunde.
The women’s team has a time of 11 minutes, 24.10 seconds, which is good enough to rank them sixth nationally. They will look to improve on that mark against some of the top teams in the nation, including defending national champion Tennessee.
The men’s distance medley relay team of Zach Dawson, Silas Kemboi, Zach Plinario and Gilbert Limo also is headed to the Big Apple to compete against top teams including No. 1 Texas A&M’s relay team.
Tech will face Texas A&M again on Feb. 13 in College Station at the Texas A&M Challenge.
Staying in Lubbock for the Texas Tech Invitational is senior All-American hurdler Omo Osaghae.
“It wouldn’t be surprising to see faster times this weekend with the extra preparation we’ve had, with more time to rest up,” Osaghae said.
Teams competing in Lubbock on Saturday include North Texas, McMurry, and reigning junior college national champion South Plains.
Some athletes have had more than just one week to make sure they are 100 percent healthy. Senior pole-vaulter Brian Porter has not competed since the first meet of the season on Jan. 16.
Porter will be traveling to Albuquerque along with fellow pole-vaulters Amanda Alley and freshman standout Shade Weygandt.
Kittley said he expects his team to continue to improve each weekend until the end of the season.
“What we’re looking for is consistency with our hurdlers, consistency with our runners and also some better marks,” Kittley said. “They don’t have to be fantastically better but I would like to see some improvement.”
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