Tigers enter NCAA track championships with experience, talent

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. – They will enter the NCAA Outdoor Championships this week in Eugene, Ore., with glowing resumes, previous All-America honors and an opportunity to earn national titles.

With all they've accomplished during their careers at the University of Memphis, it's unlikely Michael Criticos (men's javelin) and Ashley Pryke (women's javelin) will succumb to nerves.

Instead, they will find themselves on a mission, much like several other Tigers participating in the four-day event that begins Wednesday at the University of Oregon's historic Hayward Field. Criticos and Pryke, along with another thrower, Luke Vaughn in the discus, will be reaching for further validation a lofty finish brings.

Criticos, a senior from Australia, is a two-time All-American, a four-time league medalist and winner of 17 career titles. Pryke, a junior from Ontario, Canada, is coming off a third-place finish at last year's NCAA Championships, a result that earned her first-team All-America status.

Criticos will be appearing in the nationals for the third time, following trips in 2015 and 2017.

Pryke will be making her second straight appearance. She qualified by finishing second at the NCAA East Preliminaries two weeks ago in Tampa.

"Ashley is just a phenomenal competitor," said Memphis track coach Kevin Robinson. "She rises up to the level of competition around her."

Pryke placed third at last year's NCAA Championships with a school-record throw of 186 feet, 9 inches, or 56.93 meters. She qualified for this year's NCAA Championships by finishing second at the NCAA East Preliminaries two weeks ago in Tampa (178 feet, 4 inches/54.36 meters).

The development of javelin throwers at the UofM has been a recent trend. Robinson said for a period of time he wasn't able to attract the level of athletes for that competition that he desired.

"But over the course of the last six to eight years we've seen an increase in our success with the javelin," Robinson said. "For a while we weren't able to get the jav recruits here.

"Then I was able to pick up a couple of guys before (Criticos), guys like Kyle (Bynum) and Thomas (Poole). And they both ended up throwing 70 meters. Then Mike came on board and, all of a sudden, we had three 70-meter guys on board."

At that time, Robinson said, the Tigers were the only NCAA Division 1 track team with three athletes tossing the javelin 70 or more meters.

As for Criticos, Robinson said he has been a consistent performer, maintaining a standard after Bynum and Poole departed. For his part, Criticos relishes the moment in the nationals spotlight, although he didn't always enter the event with that attitude.

"As a freshman, I was new to everything," Criticos said. "I made it through to nationals. My sophomore year, I went in with a little more confidence. People expected me to go, but I missed out by 30 centimeters.

"Last year, I went again. Honestly, though, regionals is the most stressful part of the whole season. You are trying so hard to get to nationals."

Robinson said Criticos has the talent and ability to "get off the big throw, it just hasn't happened yet." Criticos holds the school record (235 feet, 9 inches or 71.85 meters) set at the 2016 American Athletic Conference Championships.

"He has the ability to go over 75 (meters)," Robinson said. "But there are just so many variables involved in the javelin – the wind, the angle of the release. You are trying to be as fast and dynamic as you can, while at the same time being as long and patient as you can under really, really high-pressure situations. It's a lot different than any other throwing event."

Tigers' NCAA Championships Schedule

Day/Date	Time (CT)	Event	Tigers athlete(s)
Wednesday/June 6	7:45 pm	Men's Javelin	Michael Criticos
	10:48 pm	Men's 4x400m relay	Calvin Austin III, Ryan Champlin, Naaman Norment, Jarred Pasley
Thursday/June 7	6:16 pm	Women's 1500m	Martina Rodriguez Sala
	7:15 pm	Women's Javelin	Ashley Pryke
Friday/June 8	7:05 pm	Men's Discus	Rafael Vallery, Luke Vaughn
	9:51 pm	Men's 4x400m relay (if advance)	Calvin Austin III, Ryan Champlin, Naaman Norment, Jarred Pasley
Saturday/June 9	5:41 pm	Women's 1500m (if advance)	Martina Rodriguez Sala

University of Memphis Athletics

Tigers enter NCAA track championships with experience, talent

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Players Mentioned

Calvin Austin III

Ryan Champlin

Michael Criticos

Naaman Norment

Jarred Pasley

Rafael Vallery

Luke Vaughn

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