Track and Field Preview: War Eagle Invitational

Friday, April 19

Auburn, Ala.

All Day

University of Memphis

War Eagle Invitational

Photo by: Matthew Kamph

Apr 18, 2019 | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field

War Eagle Invitational Schedule War Eagle Invitational Heat Sheets

Tigers travel to state of Alabama for a second-straight week.

Live Results

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Memphis track and field team continues down the stretch of its regular season this weekend when the Tigers travel to Auburn, Ala., for the War Eagle Invitational. The meet is Memphis' next-to-last of the 2019 outdoor campaign.

Action at the War Eagle Invitational begins Friday, Apr. 19 at 2 p.m. (CT) with the field events. Friday's running events kick off at 7 p.m. (CT). On Saturday, the field events start at 11:30 a.m. (CT), with the running events to follow at 12 p.m. (CT).

After this weekend, the Tigers have one final "tune-up" for the league meet with the annual Memphis Invitational Apr. 26-27. The 2019 American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships is scheduled for early May.

Alumni Reunion Reminder
The Memphis track and field program is holding an alumni reunion weekend Apr. 26-27 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. 26. The 2019 Memphis Invitational takes place Friday and Saturday, Apr. 26-27 at the Billy J. Murphy Track and Field Complex located on the University's Park Avenue campus.

Head coach Kevin Robinson comments
"Well, it's 'go time.' It's amazing how these seasons come and go because it literally feels like we just finished the indoor season and now we're already in prep mode for the outdoor championships.

"I'm excited for the opportunity at Auburn. It should be very competitive. Auburn usually hosts a very 'athlete-friendly' kind of meet. We are going to be represented in our primary events. The meet gives us the opportunity to continue to hone our skills physically and technically so that we can put our best foot forward at our home meet next week and also at the conference championships at Wichita in May.

"We got a good group going to Auburn. We're in a position where we can compete well and compete at a high level. I just hope the conditions are favorable, and we can keep our group healthy."

Team Scoring
The War Eagle Invitational is a non-scoring meet.

Teams Competing
Alabama, Alabama State, Alabama-Huntsville, Auburn, Ball State, Chattanooga, Christian Brothers, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa State, Jacksonville State, Memphis, Mercer, Middle Tennessee, Ole Miss, Quinnipiac, South Alabama, Tennessee, Troy, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech, Yale

Tigers Tidbits

Memphis is traveling back to the state of Alabama for a second-straight week, this time at Auburn's War Eagle Invitational. Last week, the Tigers competed in Alabama's Crimson Tide Invite. It is the first time since 2016 that Memphis competed in two meets in the state of Alabama in the same outdoor season.
Since it's been three years since they last competed at Auburn, the Tigers are carrying a lot of fresh faces to The Plains this weekend. How young? Consider this: the last time Memphis competed in the War Eagle Invitational only three members of the current squad were around. Those athletes are Davon DeMoss, Naaman Norment and Ashley Pryke.
Speaking of the 2016 War Eagle Invitational, it was Ashley Pryke's fifth meet of her collegiate outdoor career. She threw a 145-8 (44.40m) effort at that meet. Since then, Pryke has reset her school record in the event four times and has improved her distance by nearly 43 feet (current mark is 188-6/57.47m).
Mona Jaidi has gotten back in the swing of things in recent meets. After not competing in the season opener and throwing in only one event in the second meet, Jaidi has been busy making her mark. Last week, she threw personal-bests in both the hammer and javelin. Jaidi also competed in the discus. Despite the few throws she's had, Jaidi ranks among the American Athletic Conference leaders in the javelin (2^nd), discus (3^rd) and hammer (7^th).
The women's throws group is second nationally in the hammer, according to the U.S. Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA) website. As a group, its average is 195-1 (59.46m), which is second to North Dakota State. The Memphis women's hammer group includes Amber Simpson, Vigdis Jonsdottir, Mona Jaidi and DeeNia McMiller.
On the men's side, the Tigers' sprints group is ranked No. 15 in the 100 meters and No. 17 in the 200 meters nationally, according to the USTFCCCA website. Davon DeMoss and Imri Persiado pace the group in both events.

Tigers In NCAA East Region Rankings (Top 60)
Men
10. Adar Sheere (discus)
11. Davon DeMoss (100m)
11. Memphis: DeMoss, Persiado, Gunnarsson, Bishop (4x100m relay)
21. Davon DeMoss (200m)
23. Julian Sanchez-Pinto (3000m steeplechase)
45. Imri Persiado (100m)
50. Imri Persiado (200m)
52. Sir Newton Lee (400m)
53. Tate Wyatt (3000m steeplechase)
56. Andrew Bishop (100m)
59. Adar Sheere (hammer)

Women
1. Ashley Pryke (javelin)
9. Mona Jaidi (javelin)
12. Saida Burns-Moore (triple jump)
26. Saida Burns-Moore (high jump)
26. Samantha Lenton (discus)
27. Amber Simpson (hammer)
36. Vigdis Jonsdottir (hammer)
39. DeeNia McMiller (shot put)
40. Mona Jaidi (hammer)
42. Mona Jaidi (discus)
47. Tanalya Gordon (long jump)
49. DeeNia McMiller (hammer)
60. Samantha Lenton (hammer)