Tigers Track And Field To Vie For League Championships

Sunday, February 28

Birmingham, Ala.

University of Memphis

American Athletic Conference Championships

Carolina Carmichael, 2015-16 Women's Track and Field

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Tigers Track And Field To Vie For League Championships

Feb 27, 2016 | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

The American indoor meet is Sunday-Monday in Birmingham, Ala.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Before March Madness begins, there is a February Frenzy set for Sunday and Monday, Feb. 28-29, as the 2016 American Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships are held in Birmingham, Ala. The Birmingham Crossplex, the site of the 2016 NCAA Championships, is hosting the conference's annual meet.

Memphis is one of seven programs vying for the men's championship. On the women's side, all 11 schools compete in indoor track and field. At last season's championships held in New York, N.Y., the Tigers placed fifth in both team standings.

The Tigers are carrying some momentum into this season's league meet, as they set three records on the women's side and two near-record marks for the men.

Carolina Carmichael and Martina Rodriguez Sala established the women's marks this indoor campaign. Carmichael, who won last year's conference indoor pole vault title, broke her own school record earlier this season. She set the pole vault record with a mark of 14-0.75 (4.29m) at the Jan. 30 Vanderbilt Invitational. Her 14-0.75 vault is the best is the conference and 15^th-best in the nation this indoor season. Carmichael has competed in five meets this season, placing first in the pole vault in four of them.

Rodriguez Sala set two records in the mile and 3000m. In fact, she posted the 3000m record at the Jan. 22 A-State Invitational (9:45.42) and then broken her own mark at the Feb. 13 Music City Challenge (9:34.63). In the Jan. 30 Vanderbilt Invitational, she established the program's mile record (4:50.79).

On the men's side, LaForrest Church leads Memphis. Church won all three 800m events in which he competed this season and improved his time from 1:50.53 to 1:49.45. His 1:49.45 is only 0.43 seconds off the school record.

Church also was a member of the 4x400m relay that posted a first-place time of 3:16.31 at the Commodore Opener Dec. 5. That time was only 0.41 seconds off the school record set in 1983.

Luis Hanssler looks to defend his 2015 American Athletic Conference heptathlon title, which he won with a 5380 score. In securing the heptathlon crown, Hanssler placed in the top-three in six of the seven events, including first-place performances in the 60m hurdles, long jump and 60m.

Yannik Schaly placed second in the shot put, and Corentin Louis was third in the mile.

In addition to Carmichael's pole vault title, Martine Bye and Chardae Greenlee had second-place finishes in the pentathlon and triple jump, respectively. Bye had three top-three event finishes in her second-place pentathlon performance. Greenlee jumped 42-2 (12.85m) to place second in the triple jump.