Jan. 9, 2008
Arkansas Invite Release
Live Results
FORT WORTH, Texas - The TCU track and field team will begin its 2008 campaign on Friday by opening the indoor season at the Arkansas Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark.
"The expectations for this weekend are that the kids go through the competition routine and are able to get on the bus come Friday night healthy," said head coach Darryl Anderson. "Overall, we as a coaching staff are excited to see how the kids perform against actual competition. We expect to see some solid performances."
The Arkansas Invitational will begin with the men's shot put at 12 p.m., while the women will begin competition at 12 p.m. with the high jump at the Randal Tyson Track Center. Running events will begin at approximately 1 p.m. with the women's mile run.
Competing against the Flyin' Frogs will be a list that includes the likes of Arkansas, Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and a few additional teams.
Friday's meet will mark the third consecutive season in which the Flyin' Frogs have opened their indoor season at the Arkansas Invitational. Overall, the trip to Fayetteville will mark the first of potentially three competitions, including the 2008 NCAA Indoor Championships, TCU will make to Arkansas this indoor season. The Flyin' Frogs will return to the Randal Tyson Track Center on Feb. 15 for the Tyson Invitational.
TCU returns three All-Americans from a 2007 campaign that produced 11 All-America certificates, six school records and Jonathan Jackson's NCAA third-place showing in the triple jump. The 2007 season was also a banner year for TCU in the Mountain West Conference as they secured 20 event titles between the indoor and outdoor seasons, including numerous individual honors. In 2008, the Flyin' Frogs will host the Mountain West Conference Outdoor Championships from May 14-17.
2008 Preview
Coming off a 2007 campaign that saw TCU post 11 All-American honors, break six school records and have all four relay teams compete at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, the Flyin' Frogs are in position to make some real noise this season at both the conference and NCAA level.
Overall, the TCU teams will have plenty of experience to lean on during the early portion of the indoor season as a talented crop of newcomers test themselves against collegiate level competition for the first time.
This season the women return four individual conference champions and half of the 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams. Included in that trio of conference champions are 2007 NCAA All-Americans Virgil Hodge and Kishelle Paul. Also back for the Flyin' Frogs are 2007 MWC Freshman of the Year Neidra Covington and four-time conference champion Candis Kelley.
On the men's side, leadership will play a key role during the entire 2008 season as TCU will look to 2007 NCAA qualifiers Justyn Warner, Jonathan Jackson, Raymond Jones, Clint Renfro and Dell Guy to carry the torch during the early portion of the track and field season. Add in that 2006 All-American Otis McDaniel returns from a redshirt season and that TCU added two Track and Field News All-Americans in Mychal Dungey and Matthew Love and the Flyin' Frogs could steadily become a well balanced machine midway through the year.
Back In Time
When the TCU women last stepped on an indoor track they left a lasting impression that hopefully can be duplicated and improved upon during the 2008 indoor season. The women ended the 2007 indoor season breaking two school records en route to a 41st place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships. In all, returnees Virgil Hodge and Kishelle Paul earned All-America status. Hodge, a St. Kitts native, set a TCU record with a time of 22.99 in the 200 meters to place seventh overall, while Paul was part of a sixth-place 4x400 relay team that ran 3:34.75 at the NCAA's.
The TCU men's team closed out the 2007 season with a strong showing at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. The Flyin' Frogs were led in Sacramento by then-junior Jonathan Jackson who posted a third-place showing in the triple jump with a leap of 52 feet, 9 1/2 inches in the fifth round.
TCU Spotlight
No other runner in the prestigious history of the TCU women's track and field program has had the type of success that Virgil Hodge has had entering her final indoor season at TCU. The St. Kitts native is one of the most decorated athletes to ever come through TCU in any sport and is the only athlete in the history of TCU to be named a five-time All-American. Last indoor season, Hodge broke her own school record en route to placing seventh in the 200 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships with a time of 22.99. She also won the 60 meters and 200 meters at the MWC Indoor Championships, which helped her earn the Female High-Point Award at the MWC Indoor Championships. After breaking her own school record in the 60 meters with a time of 7.31 in the prelims at the MWC Indoor Championships, she qualified for the 60 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships, placing fourth in the prelims. This winter, Hodge has a legitimate shot to win the national championship in multiple events and cap her indoor career at TCU the way she deserves, as a champion.
Home Meet Information
TCU for the first time in school history will host three meets this spring at the Lowdon Track & Field Complex, including the Mountain West Conference Championships. TCU will kickoff its outdoor season with the second annual Horned Frog Invitational on March 22. Th Flyin' Frogs will then host the ninth annual TCU Invitational on April 18-19 and the Mountain West Conference Outdoor Championships on March 14-17.
What's Next
TCU will have a week off before traveling west to the Texas Tech Invitational on Jan. 26. The meet is set to run all day and will be held at the athletic training center on the campus of Texas Tech.
