Track And Field Heads To AAC Championships

Friday, May 12

Houston, Texas

University of Memphis

American Athletic Conference Championships

Photo by: Joe Murphy

May 11, 2017 | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

AAC Championships/Schedule AAC Championships/Men's Heat Sheets AAC Championships/Women's Heat Sheets

Meet runs all weekend in Houston, Texas.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – After a fall semester of only training and then a short indoor season and seven outdoor meets, it's finally "go-time" for the University of Memphis men's and women's track and field squads this weekend.

The Tigers head to Houston, Texas, May 12-14 for the 2017 American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships. The University of Houston is the host school, and the Carl Lewis International Complex is the site of the championships.

Friday's and Saturday's action starts at 3 p.m. (CT), with Sunday's events to begin at 2 p.m. (CT).

Robinson on American Athletic Conference Championships:
"It's finally here. This is the meet we start talking about at our first team meeting in August. This is what we prepare for all year. This is our 'Big Dance.'

"We put in a lot of preparation for this meet every year. It's always an extremely competitive meet. I feel like we've put a team together that can compete at a high level and do some great things. I wish I could wake up and already be there. I'm tired of waiting. I want to go and see where we stack up.

"I've told the team that the work is now done, and we're ready to go. Now, it's a matter of believing in what we can do and trusting the process. Also, we need to be able to maintain composure in those competitive moments, and we have some young athletes who have yet to experience that.

"Going into this weekend, I feel great, but, at the same time, you never know what's going to happen. That's why we compete.

"This outdoor season, we've done a pretty good job across the board. We have some athletes competing at a very high level. Jordan (Wesner) is in the top-10 in the country in the men's high jump, and Ashley (Pryke) has the nation's fifth-best throw in the women's javelin. We also have some young athletes that stepped up which were unexpected surprises.

"All in all, I'm pleased with the season, but the pinnacle of the season is this weekend's conference championships. If we do what we've done all year long, we stand to do very well at the conference meet. And, if we perform well and bring home some hardware, it will be the 'icing-on-the-cake' for the season."

Team Scoring:
The 2017 American Athletic Conference Championships is a team scoring meet.

Competing Schools:
Women: Cincinnati, Connecticut, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, SMU, Temple, Tulane, Tulsa, UCF, USF
Men: Cincinnati, Connecticut, East Carolina, Houston, Memphis, Tulane, Tulsa, USF

Tigers Tidbits/Five "What To Watch For":

2016 Championships review: The Tigers men's and women's team's both performed well at last year's American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships. The men's squad placed third for its second top-three finish since joining The American in 2013-14. Memphis finished second at the 2014 American Athletic Conference Championships. On the women's side, the Tigers scored 86 points, the most by a Memphis women's team at a league meet since 1996. The Tigers women's squad placed seventh, but were only 11 points out of a top-three finish in a closely-contested meet.
Return of the champs: Memphis has two athletes that are defending their 2016 crowns this weekend. At the 2016 American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships, Michael Criticos won the men's javelin with a school-record throw of 235-9 (71.85m), and Chardae Greenlee won her second-straight outdoor triple jump title with a leap of 42-9 (13.03m). In her triple jump title win at the 2015 league meet, Greenlee set the school record in the event with a 44-2.5 (13.47m) mark.
Tigers in top-three: Heading into this weekend's American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships, Memphis has several athletes in the top-three of the league in their events. The Tigers men's team has three individuals in the top-three: Michael Criticos in the javelin (2^nd), Jordan Wesner in the high jump (1^st) and Davon DeMoss in the 100 meters (2^nd) and 200 meters (3^rd). The men's 4x400 meter relay is second in the conference. Among the top-three league performers for the women are: Cera Chavez in the 100 meters (3^rd) and 200 meters (3^rd), Dorina Baiker in the pole vault (3^rd), Chardae Greenlee in the triple jump (2^nd) and Ashley Pryke in the javelin (1^st).
Records review: If setting records in the regular season is any indication of what the postseason is going to be like, then the Tigers track and field squads' success is continuing through May and into June. Here's a review of the school records set this outdoor season to date: Cera Chavez in the women's 200 meters, Chelsea Ladd in the women's 10,000 meters, Ashley Pryke in the women's javelin, Davon DeMoss in the men's 100 meters and Jordan Wesner in the men's high jump.
Tigers among nation's leaders: Memphis has a few performers ranked among the national leaders, and they are: Jordan Wesner in the high jump (4^th), Michael Criticos in the javelin (28^th), Davon DeMoss in the 100 meters (13^th) and 200 meters (44^th), Cera Chavez in the 100 meters (49^th), Dorina Baiker in the pole vault (43^rd), Chardae Greenlee in the triple jump (38^th) and Ashley Pryke in the javelin (5^th).