Track And Field Preview: KMS Invitational

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Here we go again with the "re-start" to the indoor track and field season. The six-week semester break for the Christmas and New Year's holidays in the campaign is something the University of Memphis squad and head coach Kevin Robinson faces year after year.

However, this break was a little longer with the University deciding to start classes after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The semester break was lengthy enough that it compacted the indoor schedule even more, as the American Athletic Conference Championships are just a month away (Feb. 27-29).

The Tigers get the 2019-20 indoor season revved up again with Sunday's (Jan. 26) KMS Invitational at the Birmingham CrossPlex in Birmingham, Ala. Action begins at 8 a.m. (CT) with the field events, followed by the track events at 9 a.m. (CT).

Head coach Kevin Robinson comments
(Thoughts on the re-start to the indoor season)
"Well, I feel a little unprepared. I've seen our kids for only four days now. This is always a difficult time, but an exciting time too. We're excited to get back and compete. But we spend the entire fall in preparation, and then we lose them (student-athletes) for six weeks (for the semester break). So, you're not sure what you're bringing back.

"Granted, this first week of practice has gone really well. What I'm looking for in this first meet back is primarily effort. I know they're not going to be where I want them to be at this point, but I want to see the will, I want to see the determination, I want to see the motivation because then I know I can get us where we want to be.

"I'm excited to get things rolling. I know we need to go and compete and get out of practice mode, training mode. Competition elevates everything. Once we compete, it's going to elevate our training intensity and then it will elevate our competition intensity. We have the opportunity to do some great things, but this is the first step in getting that ball rolling for the season. I know we have a lot of abilities, a lot of tools, but right now we're just starting.

(On the compact indoor season; AAC Championships only a month away)
"The University lengthened the Christmas break, and that set us back a week as well. I don't think anyone had any issues being off an extra week from school, but it condenses that already short indoor season a little bit more. It also affected how we scheduled meets this season, as we missed one meet that we typically go to. This is not an excuse, not a crutch. The indoor season goes by in a blink of an eye, and we just have to be ready. I think we're prepared to do everything we can to put ourselves in the best position possible. We need to compete, see who we are and identify what we need to work on. That will be our blueprint for the rest of the indoor season."

Tigers Tidbits

Sunday's meet is the second of four trips to Birmingham, Ala., during the 2019-20 indoor campaign. All four meets are set for the Birmingham CrossPlex. The Tigers competed in the Birmingham-Southern Indoor Icebreaker Dec. 6, and also have meets at the facility Feb. 2 (South Alabama Jaguar Invitational) and Feb. 27-29 (American Athletic Conference Championships).
This is the second time in three seasons Memphis has competed in the KMS Invitational. The Tigers were in their first KMS Invitational in the 2017-18 indoor season. The first KMS Invitational was held in the 2013-14 indoor campaign.
The Tigers "re-start" of their season is the latest (Jan. 26) since the 2001-02 campaign when they competed in their first meet after the Christmas/New Year's break on Jan. 27, 2002.
In the season opener all the way back on Dec. 6, DeeNia McMiller re-set her school record in the women's weight throw by more than five feet. McMiller and five other Tigers won events at the meet.
Cyera Gordon, who placed seventh in the long jump in the season opener, will not compete Sunday. She holds the outdoor school record in the long jump.

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Players Mentioned

Cyera Gordon

DeeNia McMiller

University of Memphis Athletics