Track and Field Preview: Music City Challenge

Friday, February 8

Nashville, Tenn.

All Day

University of Memphis

Music City Challenge

Photo by: Jimmy Mitchell

Feb 07, 2019 | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

Music City Challenge Schedule Music City Challenge Heat Sheets

Tigers have set nine school records in Nashville the last three years.

Music City Challenge Live Results

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – For the third time this indoor season, the University of Memphis track and field squad travels three hours east to compete in this weekend's Music City Challenge. The two-day meet begins Friday at 3:30 p.m. (CT), and the action continues on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. (CT).

Vanderbilt's Multipurpose Facility is the host site for the meet, and it has become a friendly "home-away-from-home" for the Tigers the last few seasons. Most recently, two Tigers – Davon DeMoss and DeeNia McMiller – set school records there two weeks ago in the Vanderbilt Invitational. DeMoss re-set his record in the men's 60 meters, and McMiller did the same in the women's weight throw. McMiller has since improved her school record in the event.

Head coach Kevin Robinson comments
"This meet, the Music City Challenge, is the largest and most competitive meet that Vanderbilt hosts during the indoor season. This meet draws teams from the Big Ten, the SEC, the Big 12. There are teams coming in from across the country, including a few of our American Athletic Conference members.

"It's going to be highly, highly competitive. It's later in the season when the athletes are a little sharper, a little more race-ready. I expect this meet to be incredibly challenging.

"My hope is that we, as a staff, put our team in a position to go into the meet not only being confident and feeling they belong there, but they're also physically and mentally ready to compete. I feel we are getting close. We have a solid team, and I'm ready to go out and battle and see where we stack up."

Competing Teams
Alabama, Cincinnati, East Tennessee State, Georgia Tech, Illinois State, Indiana State, Lipscomb, Maryland, Memphis, Michigan, Michigan State, Middle Tennessee, Milligan, North Carolina, North Dakota State, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Rice, SMU, Southern Miss, Towson, UCF, Vanderbilt, Western Kentucky, Xavier

Team Scoring
The Music City Challenge is a non-scoring meet.

Tigers Tidbits

This is the fifth-straight indoor season the Tigers have made multiple trips to compete at Vanderbilt. The last four indoor seasons (2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19), Memphis has participated in a Vanderbilt meet three times.
Memphis takes some momentum into this weekend's Music City Challenge after consecutive meets (A-State Invitation, South Alabama Jaguar Invitational) with double-digit, top-three performances. In the last two meets, the Tigers combined for 48 top-three finishes and 19 individual titles.
Memphis has continued its record-setting ways in 2018-19 in meets at Vanderbilt. In their two previous trips to Nashville this season, the Tigers set two records, including the men's high jump and men's 60 meters. In the Dec. 1 Vanderbilt Opener, Jordan Wesner set the high jump record with a 7-4.5 (2.25m) effort, breaking the 30-year-old mark. Three weeks ago in the Vanderbilt Invitational, Davon DeMoss re-set his record in the men's 60 meters in a time of 6.61 seconds.
The past three seasons (2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19), Memphis has set nine indoor school records at Vanderbilt meets, including two this campaign.

Tigers Records Set In 2018-19
Men
Davon DeMoss – 60m (6.61), 200m (21.10)
Jordan Wesner – high jump (7-4.5; 2.25m)
Women
DeeNia McMiller – weight throw (66-11; 20.40m)

Tigers In the Nation's Top-50
Men
Davon DeMoss – 60m (7^th), 200m (32^nd)
Sir Newton Lee – 400m (33^rd)
Jordan Wesner – high jump (6^th)
Noah Agnew – high jump (46^th)
Olushola Olojo – triple jump (36^th)
Adar Sheere – weight throw (43^rd)

Women
Saida Burns-Moore – triple jump (36^th)
DeeNia McMiller – weight throw (24^th)