Track And Field Heads To Music City Challenge

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – For the third time this indoor season, the University of Memphis track and field teams take the three-hour trip east to Nashville, Tenn., to compete at Vanderbilt University. This time, the Tigers are participating in the Music City Challenge.

The meet, held at the Vanderbilt Multipurpose Facility, starts Friday at 4 p.m. (CT) with the field events. The meet continues Saturday with the running events at 10 a.m. (CT), followed by the start of the field events at 10:30 a.m. (CT).

This weekend's meet is one of the final two competitions before the 2018 American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships Feb. 23-24 in Birmingham, Ala.

Head coach Kevin Robinson
"Last weekend because we were competing on a flat track, we didn't run our more-experienced 200 and 400 meter performers. We ran some of our distance kids, but we ran them in different events. It was a meet to showcase our jumps and throws groups, as well as our short sprints and hurdles.

"Our other athletes took the time to rest and get ready for this weekend at Vanderbilt, which will be a competitive meet. We did a decent job at Southern Illinois, but we still have a long way to go. It's a tough, grinding season. I know the kids are a little tired now. However, they are staying focused and motivated.

"This weekend at Vanderbilt, we're going to test the waters to see where our kids stand in their primary events. This is a big meet for us to 'feel-out' where we are and what we need to do over the next two weeks to help us prepare for the conference championships. This is a true test for us, and it will help us identify who our conference meet squad is going to be."

Competing Schools
Alabama, Ball State, Cincinnati, Georgia Tech, Indiana State, Jacksonville, Memphis, Middle Tennessee, Miami (Ohio), Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Missouri, North Carolina, North Florida, Ohio State, Southern Illinois, SMU, Southern Miss, Texas, Tech, UCF, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Western Kentucky

Team Scoring
This is a non-scoring team meet.

Tigers Tidbits/What To Watch For

This is the fourth-straight indoor season the Tigers have made multiple trips to compete at Vanderbilt. The last three indoor seasons (2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18), Memphis has participated in a Vanderbilt meet three times.
Memphis takes some momentum into this weekend's Music City Challenge after consecutive meets with double-digit, top-three performances. In the last two meets, the Tigers combined for 30 top-three finishes and nine individual titles.
The Tigers had a record-setting weekend at last year's Music City Challenge. Memphis set a combined (men/women) five school records, including the men's distance medley relay. Before last year's team broke it, the Memphis men's distance medley relay record had stood since 1980.
Memphis has continued its record-setting ways in 2017-18 in meets at Vanderbilt. In their two previous trips to Nashville this season, the Tigers set two records, including the men's 4x400 meter relay twice. The last time (Jan. 20), the 4x400 meter relay shattered the previous record by nearly 2.5 seconds with a 3:10.53 mark (previous record: 3:13.19 set Dec. 2).
Sophomore Cera Chavez set the other school record at a Vanderbilt meet, running a 7.39 in the women's 60 meters Dec. 2 (Vanderbilt Opener). Chavez also set her initial school record in the women's 200 meters in the Vanderbilt Invitational Jan. 20 (24.08 seconds). A week later, she bettered her own record in the event with a 23.97.

National Indoor Performance Lists (top-50)
25. Davon DeMoss/men's 60m/6.69
46. Men's 4x400m relay (DeMoss, Champlin, Lee, Pasley)/3:10.53*
43. Cera Chavez/women's 60 meters/7.39*
47. Luke Vaughn/men's shot put/58-9.25 (17.91m)
49. Calvin Austin/men's 60m/6.73

Conference Indoor Performance Lists (top-3)
2. Davon DeMoss/men's 60m/6.69
2. Men's 4x400m relay (DeMoss, Champlin, Lee, Pasley)/3:10.53*
2. Men's distance medley relay (Ballard, Pasley, Viveiros, Kamph)/10:13.73
2. Luke Vaughn/men's shot put/58-9.25 (17.91m)
3. Cera Chavez/women's 60 meters/7.39*
*school record

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Cera Chavez

Davon DeMoss

Luke Vaughn

University of Memphis Athletics