WICHITA -- Following a week off the Wichita State University track & field program will host its second home meet of the season, the Varsity Apartments Shocker Quad & Multi, beginning on Friday, Feb. 4, and running through Saturday, Feb. 5. The meet will be held in the Heskett Center.
The Shockers are coming off a week where they were able to rest up for the stretch run as the Missouri Valley Conference Championships are only three weeks away. Wichita State will welcome in the University of Texas-Arlington, Doane College, which competes in the NAIA, and Kansas neighbor Butler County Community College. All three schools were involved in the Shocker Quad last season.
Audacia Moore leads a talented field in the women's 60-meter and 200-meter dashes as the Shocker record holder in both events has already put herself in the top-50 in the nation following the first two meets of the season. Moore is 40th in the country in the 200-meter dash after setting a new WSU record with her time of 24.13 at the adidas Classic two weeks ago. A week earlier at the Herm Wilson Classic Moore put herself in the top-50 in the 60-meter dash, coming in only a fraction of a second behind her school record time of 7.46 (Moore was in at 7.47). Pamela Vinson of UT-Arlington looks to be one of the competitors vying for the top spot in both races.
Jennifer Taylor's 2:12.35 mark that was set at the adidas Classic ranks her 92nd in the women's 800-meter run while Tonya Nero (9:30.10) and Aliphine Tuliamuk (9:31.30) are 30th and 34th in the women's 3000-meter run, respectively.
The women's pole vault will showcase the Shockers depth as Cassie Craig and Katie Gillmore lead a field of 14 as the Shocker duo rank 55th and 83rd in the country in the event, respectively. Craig vaulted 12' 7.5" at the Herm Wilson Classic, winning the event, while Gillmore moved into the WSU all-time list with a vault of 12' 3.5" at the adidas Classic.
La'Taish Brown is the top long jumper at the meet as her season best mark of 19' 9.5" is more than a foot farther than the next competitor. Tess Moyer was a top finisher at the Concordia Classic for Doane College and will be competing in the women's triple jump.
On the men's side, UT-Arlington boasts one of the top sprinters in the nation in Cordero Gray who will be running in the 200-meter dash. Gray, a senior, is ranked 28th in the country with a time of 21.25. Teammate Juan Lewis is another top sprinter, ranking 39th in the country in the 400-meter dash (47.68). Dylan Hartnett looks to challenge Lewis in the 400-meter dash.
BJ Lawrence of Doane College ran a 6.71 in the men's 60-meter dash last weekend at the Concordia Classic, a top mark this season for the Tigers.
The Shockers will counter with a potent hurdle group including two of the top-three athletes on the WSU all-time list, Lawson Montgomery and Todd McKown. Both native Kansan's will compete in the 60-meter hurdles where Montgomery ranks 20th in the nation with his time at the adidas Classic (7.88) and McKown slides in at 28th thanks to his efforts two weeks ago in Nebraska (7.93). Virgil Mitchell of Doane College is one to watch in the 60-meter hurdles as he hit an NAIA automatic qualifying mark of 8.09 in the prelims last week.
Josh Crawford and Brandon Childs will lead the Shocker field event participants as both athletes rank in the top-50 in their respective events. Crawford is 17th in the country in the triple jump after an impressive final jump at the Herm Wilson Classic which put the Clearwater, Fla., native at a mark of 51' 0.75". Childs, who along with Crawford will also compete in the men's 60-meter dash, is the top ranked high jumper coming in at 46th in the country following his mark at the Herm Wilson Classic.
The meet will begin at 11 a.m., on Friday with the 60-meter hurdles in the women's pentathlon while the field events lead the way on Saturday, beginning at 9:45 a.m., with the 60-meter hurdles in the men's heptathlon.
