SWAC Track and Field Championship Central
MONTGOMERY, Ala.—With the regular season behind them, the Alabama State track and field team's turn their sites to this weekend's 2013 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Indoor Track and Field Championships.
ASU will make the short trip up I-65 to Birmingham where the championships will be held Saturday-Sunday, Feb. 16-17 at the Birmingham CrossPlex.
The Lady Hornets have won eight indoor titles and are looking for their fifth consecutive after winning the title from 2009-12. The other indoor championships came in 2002, 03, 05 and 06.
“I expect the girls to do what we have prepared them to do,” Head Coach
Ritchie Beene said. “We have worked hard since we've been out here so with the target being on our back we can't worry about that. We compete every week with a target on our back so we're excited about going up there and doing the best we can.”
The Lady Hornets set three SWAC records at last year's meet as former student-athlete, now ASU graduate,
Shexnieavia Bryant set a new standard in the weight throw with a toss of 18.25.
ASU's relay teams set two records. The Distance Medley Relay team finished 12:22.07 for a new record and the 4x400m relay team finished the event in 3:47.39.
“Records are always hard to break,” Beene said. “We are going up there with the mindset that we are going to put the fastest people on the track in our relays and any events they are going to be competing in and with that being said if records are broke that will be something exciting for the program that we can do again this year.”
Bryant was one of four individual winners last year. Another former Lady Hornet,
Lyqruisha Wyche, won the pole vault with a vault of 2.81m. The other two winners are returning to this year's championship led by
Tia Rolle who won both the 60m dash (7.43) and the 200m dash (23.85).
Tyrisha Chambers won the high jump (1.67m).
The men have won two indoor championships, with the last one coming in 2010. Their first title came in 2004.
“I'm excited about where we're heading with our men's program,” Beene said. “Our expectation for our men is to go to Birmingham and improve from where we finished off last year. Once we finish up in Birmingham this weekend we will be able to take where we finished and see where we need to recruit and hopefully we will be a little bit better towards the top next year. Who knows what may happen this weekend in Birmingham.”
The men will be looking to better their fifth place finish from last season and will be looking for
Sylvester Byrd as one of their leaders. He was an individual winner last year winning the pole vault with a final vault of 3.55m.
Saturday's events will begin at 9 a.m. with the men's and women's shot put and long jump. The running events are scheduled to begin at 10:30 a.m. with the women's 3000 meter run.
