The Red Raider men’s track & field team received a fourth-place week one ranking, as announced this afternoon by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
This is the highest first week ranking since 2011 when the Red Raiders were placed fourth. This also ties the highest indoor ranking held by the Red Raiders, dating back to week five of the 2013 season.
Serious records have been rewritten these past two weekends in the Sports Performance Center, the most recent entry being Divine Oduduru in the 200-meter dash.
Oduduru clocked a 20.49, calculated to 20. 56 with altitude, race that knocked down a twenty-year old record from Josephus Howard at the Rocky Mountain Cup in January of 1998. This time holds the second-fastest ranking both in the country, and in the world so far this year.
Trey Culver was making history the weekend before at the Corky Classic, clearing an astonishing 2.33m/7-7.75 to claim the national lead. This leap currently ranks third in the world.
Charles Brown also had a standout opening weekend performance, hitting an 8.03m/26-4.25 mark in the long jump to secure first in the meet and in the nation. This distance is also the third-farthest in the world. Brown also holds a No. 3 nationally ranked triple jump mark of 16.03m/52-7.25.
Joining Brown in the vertical jumps is sophomore Justin Hall, who had a 7.79m/25-6.75 leap at the Red Raider Invitational for first place at the meet, and sixth in the national rankings.
Steven Champlin and Tyreek Mathis both hold top-15 ranked 400-meter times, clocking runs of 46.46 and 46.48 respectively. Both times were personal-bests and hold top-15 world rankings.
Thrower Duke Kicinski also contributed to this week-one ranking for his 18.99m/62-3.75 launch in the men’s shot put at the Corky Classic. This holds the No. 11 spot on the indoor qualifying list.
The Texas Tech men held 10 spots in the top-ten marks from this past weekend’s collegiate meets around the country.=
The Red Raiders will host two separate meets this weekend, the Red & Black Open on Friday, and the Texas Tech Classic and Multis on Friday and Saturday. Tickets are available for purchase at $5 for children (2-17) and $8 for adults. Tickets can be purchased both online and at the ticket window of the Sports Performance Center on meet day.
(Courtesy: Texas Tech Sports Communications Department)
