Track And Field To Travel To Arkansas State This Weekend

Friday, April 21

Jonesboro, Ark.

University of Memphis

Red Wolves Open

Davon DeMoss, 2016-17 Men's Track and Field

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Track And Field To Travel To Arkansas State This Weekend

Apr 20, 2017 | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

Meet is one of final three tune-ups before conference championships.

Red Wolves Open/Live Results

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – After a week off from competition, the University of Memphis men's and women's track and field teams return to action this weekend when the Tigers head to the Red Wolves Open in Jonesboro, Ark. Arkansas State is the meet's host school.

The meet is scheduled to start Friday, Apr. 21 at 3 p.m. (CT) with field events and 5:45 p.m. (CT) with the running events. Saturday's slate of events are set to begin at 10:30 a.m. (CT) for field events and 12 p.m. (CT) for running events.

The Tigers have only three regular-season meets remaining before the league championships, and head coach Kevin Robinson senses that his athletes are focused on improving as the conference meet draws closer.

Robinson on Red Wolves Open:
"We're at an important time of the outdoor season for us, as this weekend is one of last regular-season meets before the conference championships. Several of our runners won't compete in their primary events at Arkansas State, as they will next week at our home meet, which is our final tune-up for the conference championships.

"We're just looking for continued improvement at Arkansas State this weekend. Everyone's starting to get that extra motivation with the conference meet and postseason around the corner.

"We've had a week off to train and prepare for this meet. We want to continue to grow as a team and stay healthy. Motivation is not really an issue at this point in the season. The athletes are fired up and ready to compete. The biggest thing this weekend is I hope the rain holds off. If we have good conditions, we'll have several athletes step up and do well."

Tigers Tidbits/Five "What To Watch For":

Rain, rain, go away: For the second time this season, the Tigers track and field teams find their meet facing the threat of inclement weather. The forecast calls for 80-90 percent chance of rain Friday and a 50 percent chance Saturday. If no events are held Friday, the entire meet will run Saturday. Earlier this season, Memphis faced the possibility of inclement weather for the Mar. 24-25 Joe Walker Invitational at Ole Miss, but the meet was able to run without a stoppage of action.
Homecoming for Arnica: One Memphis Tiger makes a homecoming to Jonesboro, Ark., this weekend. Tigers junior Arnica Zitting ran her first two collegiate seasons (2014-15, 2015-16) at Arkansas State. She ran primarily in the 5000m and 10,000m at Arkansas State, with her best finishes sixth (5000m) and third (10,000m). Zitting had a first-place finish in the 3000m at the 2015 Red Wolves Open.
No "bye-week blues": For the third time in the last four outdoor campaigns (includes 2017), head coach Kevin Robinson scheduled an off-week for his squads. Unlike the indoor season that is packed into 1.5 months, the outdoor season can go as long as four months. As he did in the 2016 outdoor campaign, Robinson inserted a bye week midway through the season. In the previous two seasons (2014, 2016) with a bye since joining The American, the off-week proved beneficial. The Tigers had eight conference champions and 28 NCAA East Preliminaries qualifiers in 2014 and 2016 combined. Last season, the Memphis men's squad tied its best finish at The American Championships (3^rd), and the women's team scored the program's most points at a league meet since 1996.
New heights for Wesner: When he competes this weekend, Jordan Wesner will make his first appearance since setting the program record in the men's high jump. Wesner, who advanced to the 2016 NCAA Championships in the high jump, posted a school-record mark of 7-3 (2.21m) at Georgia's Spec Towns Invitational Apr. 8. The Tigers sophomore broke the previous record by 0.75 inches (7-2.25 by Georgio Lynwood in 2012).
The drive for five (sweeps): The Tigers are looking for a fifth-straight sweep of the men's and women's javelin titles this weekend. Michael Criticos and Ashley Pryke have won the men's and women's javelin titles, respectively, at all four meets this outdoor campaign. Criticos' 226-7 (69.06m) throw at the Mar. 31-Apr. 1 Joey Haines Invitational was a season-best and is second in The American. Pryke's school-record 175-3 (53.41m) throw in the outdoor season's first meet (Mar. 17-18 Rhodes Invitational) leads The American by over four feet.

Up Next:
The Tigers host their own Memphis Invitational Apr. 28-29 at the Billy J. Murphy Track and Field Complex on the University's Park Avenue campus.