Track And Field Returns To Competition This Weekend

Friday, January 18

Nashville, Tenn.

All Day

University of Memphis

Vanderbilt Invitational

Photo by: Matthew Smith

Track And Field Returns To Competition This Weekend

Jan 17, 2019 | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

Vandy Invitational Start Lists Vanderbilt Invitational Schedule

Squad's last meet was 48 days ago in early December.

Live Results

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis track and field squad begins its indoor season for a "second" time in 2018-19 after a 48-day break this weekend when the Tigers compete in the Vanderbilt Invitational. The two-day meet, hosted by Vanderbilt, starts Friday afternoon and concludes Saturday evening.

The Tigers opened its 2018-19 campaign Dec. 1, 2018, at the Vanderbilt Opener, and then were off from competition final exams and the semester break. Memphis' meet this weekend is over six weeks after the Tigers last competed, which has head coach Kevin Robinson anxious about the performances he'll see at Vanderbilt.

Head coach Kevin Robinson comments
"I approach this weekend with my fingers crossed. It's a very competitive meet. My hope is that we compete with maturity and compete like we belong. I trust my kids and I feel positive about the team. However, until we go out and perform, you just never know.

(On how his team looks after the break)
"To be completely honest, I don't know. We've had very little time since they returned (to school) this week. We had our first practice of the semester Monday, and we leave Friday morning for the meet. The Christmas break is tough. We spend all fall preparing, and we get them in a really good place by that first meet in December. Then, we're hands off for five weeks.

"We expect they have done what they need to do over the break. We expect them to return better than they were when they left, but not having the ability to oversee that on a daily basis makes it more difficult.

"We have a good group of young men and women, and they work hard. They're motivated, they're focused, but where they are now I'll know come this weekend."

Competing Teams
Alabama, Austin Peay, Auburn, Ball State, Belmont, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Furman, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Lipscomb, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, South Alabama, Southern Miss, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech, UAB, Vanderbilt, Western Kentucky

Team Scoring
The Vanderbilt Invitational is a non-scoring meet.

Tigers Tidbits

This weekend begins a stretch of six-straight meets for the Tigers in 36 days, and this stretch ends with the American Athletic Conference Championships Feb. 22-23 in Birmingham, Ala. Memphis' six meets in 36 days is shorter than the break the Tigers had between their first and second meets (48 days).
This weekend's meet is the first time the Memphis coaching staff is at full strength in 2018-19. Scott Roberts, who has had coaching stints at Iowa State, UTEP and Alabama, joined the staff as an assistant last week and is coaching the sprints and hurdles. He replaces Miles Smith, who left in August for a similar position at Purdue.
In the Tigers' last meet Dec. 1, two school records were set. DeeNia McMiller broke her own school mark in the women's weight throw. On the men's side, Jordan Wesner broke a nearly 30-year-old record in the high jump.
Following the Dec. 1 Vanderbilt Opener, Davon DeMoss and Jordan Wesner swept the American Athletic Conference Male Track and Field Athletes of the Week awards, respectively.
This weekend's meet at Vanderbilt is the second of three trips to Nashville, Tenn., this indoor campaign. The Tigers competed in the Dec. 1 Vanderbilt Opener and is scheduled to go back to Nashville for the Feb. 8-9 Music City Challenge.
The distance group is seeing its first action of the 2018-19 season this weekend. The distance runners did not race in the Dec. 1 Vanderbilt Opener, as they continued to rest and recover from the 2018 cross country campaign.

Tigers In the Nation's Top-50
Men
Davon DeMoss – 60m (48^th)/200m (15^th)
Imri Persiado – 200m (22^nd)
4x400m relay (30^th)
Jordan Wesner – high jump (2^nd)
Women
Saida Burns-Moore – triple jump (13^th); high jump (45^th)
DeeNia McMiller – weight throw (18^th)
Tanalya Gordon – long jump (45^th)