The American Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships take place at the New Balance Track and Field Center at the Armory in New York Friday and Saturday. In a year that has seen athletes from The American post numerous top times and marks nationally, the 11 women’s teams and seven men’s programs will look to use their strengths to lift them to the top in the City that Never Sleeps.
The UConn Huskies are the defending men’s champions and will lean on the strength of its runners in a bid for a repeat. UConn has the top two conference times in the 400 meters this season along with three of the top eight in the 200, mile, 3,000 and 5,000. The weight throw is also a strength for the UConn men, who have two of the top four marks in The American.
Houston’s sprinters look to shake things up in the Big Apple. Cameron Burrell and Leshon Collins are second and third in the conference in both the 60 and the 200, while Trumaine Jefferson is third in the 400. The Cougars also feature two of the top five conference times in the 800, mile and 3,000. Isaac Williams is second nationally in the 60-meter hurdles.
Conference newcomer Tulsa was the men’s cross country champion back in October, and some of those runners look to lift the Golden Hurricane again this weekend, as they currently hold the top conference times in the 800, mile, 3,000 and 5,000. In addition, sprinter Bryce Robinson is seventh nationally and best in The American in the 60-meter dash.
East Carolina, USF, Memphis and Cincinnati will look to contend with their strength in field events. ECU’s Avion Jones is fifth nationally in the high jump, while USF’s Matthew O’Neal is fifth in the triple jump.
On the women’s side, SMU is looking to repeat as conference champions. Sprinter Stephanie Kalu will be a top contender in the 60 and the 200, while Holly Archer and Karoline Skatteboe will look for top places in distance events. Rayann Chin holds the top conference mark in the weight throw, and is one of two Mustangs in the top five in the conference in the shot put.
UConn finished second on the women’s side a year ago, just 4.5 points back of the Mustangs. One event to watch the Huskies is the 800, an event in which UConn has the top three times of the year, led by Faith Dismuke. In distance events, Lauren Sara will be a top contender for the Huskies. Odrine Belot is in the the top 10 nationally in the triple jump.
UCF’s runners will look to give the Knights a lift. UCF has three of the top five conference times in the 60, while Anne-Marie Blaney and Devinn Cartwright look to be at the front of the pack in distance events. Cartwright will also be one of the top contenders in the pentathlon.
Along with Cartwright, USF’s Rachael Klinger will be a top competitor in the pentathlon, as will Temple’s Kiersten LaRoche.
Tulane looks to make a strong showing in its first year in The American. Lilla McMillan has been The American’s women’s track athlete of the week three times this season, and will be a top contender in the 200 and 400.
Cincinnati’s Erika Hurd posted the top mark nationally in the high jump in the first weekend of the season, and going into the conference championship, it holds up as third nationally. The Bearcats will look to make waves in field events, as will Memphis and East Carolina. The Tigers have dominated the pole vault this year, with the top three and four of the top five conference marks, led by Carolina Carmichael, who has been named The American women's field athlete of the week twice this season. The Pirates, who have found success in the long jump this year, will also look for points in the sprints with Tyshonda Hawkins among the leaders in The American.
The American Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships will start up Friday and continue into Saturday at the New Balance Track and Field Center at the Armory in New York. A live stream will be available at theamerican.org, while event-by-event updates will be on Twitter by following @AmericanXCTrack.