Jan. 31, 2008
Rod McCravy Notes
FORT WORTH, Texas - The TCU track and field squad will open the month of February on Friday at the Rod McCravy Invitational in Lexington, Ky.
"This is going to be an outstanding meet with a lot of ranked teams," said head coach Darryl Anderson. "We're looking forward too it and using it as a stepping stone to get us where we need to be. It should be a great competitive and cultural experience for the kids as well. A lot of the kids parents are going to get a chance to see them run and that is great."
The Rod McCravy Invitational will begin on Friday with both the men's and women's field events at 6 p.m. at Nutter Field House. Running events will begin on Saturday at approximately 12:30 p.m. with semifinal action of the women's 60-meter hurdles.
Competing against the Flyin' Frogs this weekend will be a list that includes nationally ranked Florida, Georgia Tech, Ohio State (men only), South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas A&M. Other programs competing are Alabama, Eastern Kentucky, Kentucky, Louisville, Miami (Ohio), Middle Tennessee, Mississippi State (women only), Pittsburgh and TCU.
TCU continued its 2008 indoor season last week at the Texas Tech Invitational. Overall, the Flyin' Frogs had another successful outing on the track as they won the women's 200 meters, 55-meter hurdles, long jump and men's 400 meters.
Highlights in Lubbock included, Jessica Clarke clocking a time of 24.08 to win the women's 200 meters and senior Che Chavez capturing the men's 400 meter title by recording a time of 47.46.
Junior Kishelle Paul also posted first-place honors for the Frogs in the women's 55-meter hurdles as she won the event in 7.97 seconds, while JimAnne Hejny soared to a first-place showing in the long jump with a leap of 5.87m (19-03.25).
About This Weekend
The Rod McCravy Memorial Track and Field meet is named in honor of McCravy, a former University of Kentucky track athlete who died in 1987 at the age of 19 while sleeping in his dorm room. Although only a sophomore, Rod had already become one of the Wildcat leaders. He set the then-UK freshman record in the 400 hurdles and finishes sixth at the TAC National Junior Championships.
Hodge Representing TCU In The World
Senior Virgil Hodge, who is one of the most decorated track and field athletes in TCU history, is currently sitting No. 13 in the world in the women's 200 meters according to the IAAF. Hodge, a St. Kitts native, clocked a time of 23.63 at the season-opening Arkansas Invitational. LSU sophomore Samantha Henry leads the world standings by posting a time of 23.09 at the Razorback Invitational last weekend.
Talented 200 Unit
Two meets into the 2008 season, TCU has put up some impressive numbers on the women's side in the 200 meters. Not only has Virgil Hodge currently posted the fourth fastest time in the nation, but newcomer Jessica Clarke has opened the year in a flurry, recording a third-place finish at the Arkansas Invite and her first meet title last weekend. Overall, TCU claims the top-four times in the Mountain West Conference on the women's side. The men have been just as dominant in the 200 with Mychal Dungey, Otis McDaniel and Dell Guy recording the top three times in the MWC at Arkansas.
Revisiting Roots This Weekend
Both head coach Darryl Anderson and assistant coach John Kenneson are very familiar to the Blue Grass state, having both coached the Wildcats. Anderson served as an assistant at Kentucky where the Wildcats won 11 Southeastern Conference sprint titles and set 34 school records. In the process, 15 Wildcat sprinters earned All-America honors. Anderson's most decorated student-athlete was UK's Tim Harden, a 1996 Olympic silver medalist who won three NCAA sprint titles. Harden was selected as the NCAA Indoor and SEC Athlete of the Year in 1995 and 1996. More recently, Harden won the 60m title at the 2001 World Indoor Championships.
Kenneson joined the Kentucky staff in 1992 and began to build a nationally-regarded field events program from scratch. Two of Kentucky's All-Americans were U.S. Junior National Team members and another, Matt Kavanagh, was the gold medalist in the hammer throw at the 1997 Junior Pan America Games.
Paul Notches Personal Best
Two meets into her junior season, Georgia native Kishelle Paul has picked up where she left off last spring, posting personal bests. Last weekend, Paul clocked an 8.56 in the 55 meters to secure her fastest 60 meter time of her career. She currently leads the MWC in the 60 meters.
Chavez Running Strong
Che Chavez won his first event title at Texas Tech in the 400 meters since capturing the 200 meters at the North Texas Classic last year. His victory at TTU marked the first time in his career he has won the 400 during the indoor season. His time of 47.46 is second
in the MWC.
TCU Spotlight
Entering her junior year, very few athletes can match the success that Candis Kelley has had while at TCU. Kelley came into the 2008 indoor season having won the Mountain West Conference indoor shot put title the past two seasons. Last winter, she set a personal best mark in the shot put during the indoor season with a throw of 50-06.25 (15.40m) at the Tyson Invitational. Kelley, who was named to the all-MWC Indoor team, enters this winter having finished first in the shot put at the Texas Tech Open, Arkansas Invitational, TCU Invitational, Horned Frog Invitational and MWC Championship last indoor season. With that type of success to draw from the sky is the limit for Kelley as she pushes towards becoming an NCAA participant.
Hodge and Jackson Honored
TCU seniors Jonathan Jackson and Virgil Hodge were selected as the Mountain West Conference men's and women's indoor track and field athletes of the week following their performances at the season opening Arkansas Invitational.
Jackson, a Grand Prairie native, received the men's award after winning the men's triple jump at the season opening Arkansas Invitational. Jackson won the event for the second consecutive season by earning an NCAA provisional mark with a career-best indoor leap of 15.77m (51-09.00). His jump at the Arkansas Invite is currently the top mark in the Mountain West Conference and lone provisional mark set in the men's triple jump.
Hodge, a five-time All-American, won both the 60-meter and 200-meter titles at the Arkansas Invitational by setting NCAA provisional marks in both events. Hodge clocked a time of 7.38 in the 60-meter and turned in a time of 23.63 in the 200-meter. Her 200-meter time is good enough to rank fourth all-time in the Mountain West Conference and currently holds the front position for the season in the league.
The Nations Best
The Flyin' Frogs currently have three individuals in the top-20 nationally in their respective events. On the men's side, Jonathan Jackson's leap of 15.77m is sixth in the triple jump. Ryan Grinnell of Boise State earned the top spot by soaring 16.27m last weekend.
On the women's side, Virgil Hodge's time of 7.38 seconds is currently the 16th fastest time in the NCAA's, while her 200 meter time of 23.63 is the fourth fastest clocked time in the nation. In the women's shot put, freshman Stormy Harrison sits 21st nationally with a season opening toss of 15.32m.
Top Billings In The Mountain West Conference
After its second competition of the indoor season, TCU currently holds the top spot in the Mountain West Conference in 13 different events. In addition, the Flyin' Frogs have the top three times posted in the men's 60 meters and men's and women's 200 meters. Finally, TCU leads the league in field events with top marks in the shot put, triple jump and long jump.
Newcomers Making Noise Early
TCU head coach Darryl Anderson brought in an impressive list of recruits last season, including two Track and Field News All-Americans in Mychal Dungey and Matthew Love. The newcomers put up some impressive marks in Fayetteville. On the women's side, Stormy Harrison won the shot put, while Amber Anderson placed fifth in the triple jump. Fellow newcomer La'Quinta Ross in her first collegiate outing jumped 5.73m to finish sixth overall in the long jump. On the men's side, Dungey clocked a time of 21.45 in the 200 meters to turn in a second-place finish. Jordan Pitts also placed second overall in the 60-meter hurdles by recording a time of 7.97. Finally, Las Vegas native Sean Zurko opened his career crossing the finish line in 1:52.37 to place second out of 41 competitors in the 800 meters.
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 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.
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.
What's Next
TCU will have a week off before traveling to Fayetteville, Ark., for the Tyson Invitational. The two-day meet is set to begin on Feb. 15.
