Tigers Track And Field Opens Indoor Season Saturday

Saturday, December 3

Nashville, Tenn.

University of Memphis

Vanderbilt Opener

Photo by: Ben Solomon

Tigers Track And Field Opens Indoor Season Saturday

Dec 02, 2016 | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

Memphis to compete in Vanderbilt Opener.

Vanderbilt Opener Live Results

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – As the fall semester winds down with final exams the next week, the University of Memphis track and field teams' indoor season is just gearing up.

The Tigers men's and women's squads kick off the 2016-17 indoor campaign with Saturday's (Dec. 3) Vanderbilt Opener in Nashville, Tenn. The Memphis athletes have been practicing the entire fall semester, and according to head coach Kevin Robinson, having this meet gives them a goal through the rigors of the training schedule that began in late August.

"Over the years, I've noticed that when the athletes have something to focus on, it leads to better training cycles," said Robinson. "As a former athlete myself, this first meet at the end of the semester is something I looked forward to.

"The fall training block is long and tough. It's a grind. This (meet) gives the athletes that 'light at the end of the tunnel.' They can compete at semester's end and see where they stack up. It's a good motivating force to train at a high level."

Robinson on the 2016-17 Men's Outlook:
"We return a pretty strong men's team. We lost some tremendous kids off last year's squad, but we've brought in a talented signing class. We're confident they'll step up and perform well. They are young and haven't yet been exposed to this level of competition, this level of intensity. This is what this Saturday is about – to give the younger kids a glimpse of what Division I track and field is. It will be a wake-up call for a lot of them, but it's exciting."

Robinson on the 2016-17 Women's Outlook:
"We got a good group. It's the largest team, in terms of numbers, we've had since I've been the head coach. We had a huge signing class. We do have some holes to fill, but at the same time, we got several athletes to fill those gaps. The numbers we have create a more competitive atmosphere. This year's women's squad has an opportunity to step up and be better than it was a year ago. We're going to rely on some young kids to do that, but I'm confident we can. Now, we have to prove it. This squad has a tremendous amount of talent and has the ability to do some good things."

The following is Saturday's meet information:

Team Scoring:
The 2016 Vanderbilt Open is a non-scoring team meet.

Competing Schools:
Austin Peay, Belmont, Lipscomb, Louisville, Memphis, Middle Tennessee, Murray State, Tennessee State, Trevecca Nazarene, Vanderbilt, Western Kentucky

What To Watch For:

After a successful cross country season this fall, most of the distance team is not competing in Saturday's meet, including All-American Athletic Conference and All-NCAA South Region performers Martina Rodriguez Sala and Chelsea Ladd. Rodriguez Sala won the women's mile at the 2016 American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships and set the school record (4:50.79) in the event at the 2016 Vanderbilt Invitational in February.
As for Saturday's distance events, LaForrest Church and Matthew Kamph are scheduled to run in the men's mile, and Kristen Adams and Abigail Tankersley in the women's 3000m.
Church runs in the mile after competing primarily in the 800m last indoor season. Church won the 800m at the 2016 American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships in school-record time. Church's 800m time of 1:48.13 bested the previous record by nearly a minute (1:49.02)
The Tigers' record-setting 4x400m relay returns fully intact in 2016. The quartet of Christopher Walker, Alex Klatt, Antaun Andrews and Church set the school record of 3:13.55 in the event at the 2016 conference indoor championships.
On the men's side, sophomores Olushola Olojo and Jordan Wesner both return after successful freshman campaigns. Both earned second-place finishes in their respective events at the 2016 American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships. Olojo won silver in both the long and triple jumps, and Wesner took silver in the high jump.
For the Tigers women's squad, senior Chardae Greenlee returns to lead the jumps group. Greenlee won silver in the triple jump at the 2016 conference indoor meet.

First Timers on the Collegiate Stage (Freshmen):
Men: Noah Agnew (HJ), Kolbeinn Gunnarsson (60m/200m), Shameek Miller (LJ/60m), Adam Neely (WT/SP), Geno Taylor (60m/200m)
Women: Cera Chavez (60m/200m), Sandra Ekblom (LJ), Nina De Poorter (WT/SP), Deenia McMiller (WT/SP), Jordan Shackleford (LJ), Hailey Williams (60m/200m)

Other First-Timers Wearing the Blue and Gray Saturday:
Men: Simon Hosten, junior (LJ/60m), Stefan Velemir, sophomore (WT/SP)
Women: Saida Burns-Moore, sophomore (HJ)

Up Next:
The Tigers take over seven weeks off from competition before returning to action at the Vanderbilt Invitational Jan. 20-21, 2017.

Robinson on the extended break between meets:
"We have no access to the student-athletes over the break. The Christmas/semester break is the single-most challenging issue I face as a coach. It comes down to the kids and how much they are motivated to train on their own. I hope we have a great meet Saturday to motivate the kids to train and get better over the break."