Track And Field To Compete In Arkansas, California This Weekend

Friday, April 20

Walnut, Calif.

All Day

University of Memphis

Mt. SAC Relays

Photo by: Joe Murphy

Track And Field To Compete In Arkansas, California This Weekend

Apr 19, 2018 | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

Tigers head down the stretch of outdoor campaign.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. –The last time the University of Memphis track and field squad split to compete at different meets on the same weekend, it turned out pretty well for the Tigers. Memphis set five school records in meets in Austin (Texas Relays), Raleigh (Raleigh Relays) and Cape Girardeau (Joey Haines Invitational).

The Tigers do the same this weekend when they send representatives to meets in both Arkansas and California. Memphis has three athletes competing in the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif., and the rest of the squad travels to Jonesboro, Ark., for the Red Wolves Invitational.

Action for the Tigers starts Friday afternoon in both meets. The Red Wolves Invitational begins with the field events at 3 p.m. (CT) followed by the running events at 5:45 p.m. (CT) Friday.

In a schedule change, all three Tigers -- Martina Rodriguez Sala, Rafael Vallery and Luke Vaughn -- are competing at the Mt. SAC Relays Friday. Vallery and Vaughn were originally slated to throw in the men's shot put and discus late Saturday afternoon. The duo now throws in the collegiate shot put at 2 p.m. (CT) Friday. Rodriguez Sala runs in the women's 1500 meters at 8:30 p.m. (CT).

On Saturday, the Red Wolves Invitational kicks off at 10 a.m. (CT). At the Mt. SAC Relays, Vaughn and Vallery throw in the men's discus at 7 p.m. (CT).

Reunion Reminder
The Memphis track and field program is holding a reunion weekend, Apr. 27-28 on the University of Memphis campus. A special reception is scheduled for the Hardaway Hall of Fame, located at 570 Normal Street, on Friday, Apr. 27 from 7-10 p.m. (CT). The 2018 Memphis Invitational takes place Friday and Saturday, Apr. 27-28 at the Memphis Track and Field Complex located on the University's Park Avenue campus. Please RSVP to Dawn Robinson at dmrobnsn@memphis.eduby Apr. 22.

Head coach Kevin Robinson comments
"We're sending Martina, Luke and Rafael out to Mt. SAC. For Martina, it is about putting her in an elite field where she is surrounded by great athletes. There are going to be some runners she'll have to chase, so she's going to have to run at her best to be competitive. That's exactly where she needs to be right now.

"And the same goes for Luke and Rafael. Luke is ranked third or fourth in the discus nationally, and Rafael has the ability to be at that same level. So, we're putting them in situations where they are competing against not only the best in the nation, but also top international athletes with Olympic and world championships history."

Tigers Tidbits/Five "What To Watch For":

A (Mt.) SAC Schedule Change: In the Mt. SAC Relays, Luke Vaughn and Rafael Vallery were originally scheduled with a tough back-to-back in their two events. On Saturday, the men's shot put and discus were slated for 5:45 p.m. (CT) and 7 p.m. (CT) starts. The consecutive events were going to force Vallery and Vaughn to throw in the shot put preliminaries only and then move on to the discus. Now, the two throwers have been moved to Friday's shot put, allowing them to compete in both events.
Catching A Weather Break: As of Thursday afternoon, it looks as if the Memphis track and field squads are going to get good weather – finally– for this weekend's meet at Arkansas State. The forecast calls for temperatures in the upper 60s with only a 10 percent chance of rain on Friday. That is a far cry from the first five meets in which the Tigers had to compete in and through rain (Ole Miss, Rhodes College), torrential downpours (Alabama), sub-spring temperatures in the 40s/50s (Alabama), tornado warnings (Ole Miss) and weather delays (Texas/Alabama).
A (School) Records Reset: From the numbers put up already, the Tigers track and field squad is doing quite well in spite of the inclement weather this spring. After the first five meet weekends, Memphis has set eight outdoor school records combined (six women/two men). Last season, the Tigers had five school marks. In 2016, Memphis had 11 school records set in the outdoor campaign, the most by the Tigers in a season.
Tigers In The Top-25: Six Tigers are ranked in the top-25 nationally in their respective events. On the women's side, Ashley Pryke is sixth in the javelin, Martina Rodriguez Sala 12^thin the 1500 meters and Saida Burns-Moore 13^thin the high jump. For the Tigers men, Luke Vaughn fifth in the discus, Rafael Vallery 22^ndin the discus and Michael Criticos 16^thin the javelin.

Back to Work: After a week off from competition, Michael Criticos and Ashley Pryke return to action in the men's and women's javelin, respectively. Both are All-Americans and hold school records in their events. Criticos is looking for his 16^thcareer title and Pryke her 13^thcrown this weekend.