ABILENE - Sixteen members of the Abilene Christian track and field teams will be part of a massive field of 6,527 athletes congregating this week at Austin's Mike A. Myers Stadium for the 2012 85th Annual Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays.
The four-day event will take place from Wednesday, March 28 though Saturday, March 31, and will be televised by the
Longhorn Network at select times. Fans can also follow live results from the Texas Relays via this
link.
This year's number of entries represent 200 universities and colleges as well as 631 high schools. There are also 136 entered invitational athletes. The relays' 2011 edition featured 4,948 entries.
ACU's list of participants is headlined by indoor national champions
Nick Jones and Amanda Ouedraogo, who in their first outdoor meet of the season last weekend in Arlington registered NCAA automatic qualifying marks in their respective events.
Jones tossed the shot put 60 feet, 7.25 inches (18.47m) to claim an early No. 1 ranking in that event, while Ouedraogo posted a triple jump distance of 40-10.50 (12.46m). Ouedraogo's performance currently ranks second in NCAA DII to Kearah Danville of New Mexico Highlands, whose top-ranked jump is listed at 41-09.75 (12.74m).
Jones will also be competing this week in the discus, an event which he has won three times at the NCAA Championships.
Elsewhere in the field events, nationally third ranked Baptiste Kerjean (199-5, 60.78m) will compete in the hammer throw, and NCAA Indoor competitor Levance Williams will be one of 32 entrants in the long jump.
The ACU track contingent will have participants in the men's and women's 100m and 100m hurdles, as well as five relays ranging from the 4x100m to 1600m sprint medley.
ACU's women's 4x100m relay of Sydney Smith, Shennae Steele, Karolyn Palmer, and Lexus Williams clocked the third-fastest time in DII of 46.28 in Arlington, placing it behind only Grand Canyon (45.70) and Johnson C. Smith (46.25).
Palmer and Steele - along with Ayseha Rumble and Karla Hope - also are part of the Wildcats' 14th-ranked 4x400m team (3:52.07), and will compete against one another in the 100m.
ACU's men's 4x400m relay of Osie Alleyne-Forte, Dennis Bain, Banjo Jaiyesimi and Jordan Geary ranks 13th in DII with its time of 3:16.24.
Geary is featured on all three of ACU's men's relays, while Bain will compete against teammate Kevin Johnson in the 110m high hurdles. Bain's top time of 14.25 ranks third in the hurdles and Johnson's 14.36 ranks seventh. Division II's best time, however, belongs to Grand Canyon's Tyler Sipes (14.17).
Levance Williams and Paris Robertson will be featured in both the 100m dash and run the second and fourth legs on the 4x100m relay. Robertson also is expected to lead off the 1600m sprint relay.
Information from TexasSports.com was used in this release.
