Track And Field To Compete In Redhawks Open Friday

Friday, February 16

Cape Girardeau, Mo.

4 pm

University of Memphis

Redhawks Open

ToNaya Gulley, 2017-18 Women's Track and Field

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Feb 15, 2018 | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

Meet is final tune-up for next week's league championships.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis track and field squads return to action Friday, Feb. 16 for a one-day meet at Southeast Missouri's Redhawks Open in Cape Girardeau, Mo. The meet starts at 4 p.m. (CT) with the field events, followed by the track events beginning at 6:30 p.m. (CT).

As in past seasons, head coach Kevin Robinson is taking only his field, short sprints and short hurdles competitors to this meet, giving other team members some training and recovery time before the conference championships. The 2018 American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships are set for Feb. 23-24 in Birmingham, Ala.

Head coach Kevin Robinson
"This meet serves as one final tune-up for the field events, short sprints and short hurdles before the conference championships next week. It's one last opportunity to make sure we're ready to go for the conference meet. We'll try to execute the things we've been training in practice and also make sure our confidence and competitive intensity are there.

"We do this meet each year, and we have a group in our field events that is right on the verge of doing some good things, but we haven't put the numbers up yet. We're seeing it in training. I'm hoping everything will come together Friday, so we can build some confidence and roll into next week's meet knowing we're ready. I'm excited to give them another chance to compete."

Competing Schools
Fontbonne, LeMoyne-Owen, Memphis, Mississippi College, Murray State, Rhodes, Southeast Missouri

Team Scoring
The meet will be scored among NCAA Division I schools.

Tigers Tidbits/What To Watch For

This is the 15^th indoor season the Tigers are competing in Southeast Missouri's Redhawks Open, dating back to the 2003-04 campaign. Like this season, the meet annually falls the week prior to the league championships (The American/Conference USA).
At last year's Redhawks Open, the Tigers won 10 titles and had 24 top-three finishes.
Last season, three Tigers came home as double-winners from the 2017 Redhawks Open. ToNaya Gulley (women's 55m/55m hurdles), Mona Jaidi (women's shot put/weight throw) and Luke Vaughn (men's shot put/weight throw) all won two titles at last year's meet in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Gulley's 7.41 in the 55 meters at last year's Redhawks Open was a personal-best.
At the 2017 Redhawks Open, Nicole Lawson was first in the triple jump and also placed third in the long jump. It was the first time in her career that she had top-three performances in both events at the same meet.
Lawson has been on a roll in the triple jump in the 2018 indoor season. This season alone, Lawson has three top-three finishes in the triple jump and recorded her three best marks in the event, the last coming at the Feb. 9-10 Music City Challenge with a personal-best jump of 40-4.25 (12.30m). All five of her triple jumps have been 39-0.25 (11.89m) or better this campaign. Prior to 2017-18, she had only one top-three finish and had no indoor marks over 39 feet.

National Indoor Performance Lists (top-50)
26. Men's 4x400m relay (DeMoss, Austin, Champlin, Pasley)/3:08.46*
33. Davon DeMoss/men's 60m/6.69
37. Cera Chavez/women's 60 meters/7.37*

Conference Indoor Performance Lists (top-3)
2. Luke Vaughn/men's shot put/58-9.25 (17.91m)
2. Men's 4x400m relay (DeMoss, Austin, Champlin, Pasley)/3:08.46*
3. Cera Chavez/women's 60 meters/7.37*
3. Davon DeMoss/men's 60m/6.69
3. Ryan Champlin/men's 400m/47.34
3. Men's distance medley relay (Ballard, Pasley, Viveiros, Kamph)/10:13.73
*school record