Championship Central
The American Indoor Performance List
The 2016 American Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships take place at the Birmingham CrossPlex in Birmingham, Ala., on Sunday and Monday, Feb. 28-29. This year marks the first time that The American championships will be held at the Birmingham CrossPlex, which will also host the 2016 NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Houston enters as the defending men’s champions. Cougar sprinters hold four of the top-five spots in the 60-meter dash among conference competitors, with junior Cameron Burrell leading the way. His time of 6.55 seconds in the event ranks third in the NCAA. Marcus McWilliams holds the league’s best time in the men’s 60-meter hurdles, followed by teammates Issac Williams and Amere Lattin in second and third, respectively. In the 200-meter dash Williams ranks third in The American and ninth in the nation. Junior Brian Barraza enters as the conference favorite in both the mile and 3,000.
In men’s field events, the Cougars hold the top times in a pair of events. Burrell leads the league in the long jump, at 7.56 meters. Sophomore Felipe Valencia is The American’s top performer in the shot put, with a mark of 18.01 meters.
Tulsa, the conference’s two-time defending cross country champion, enters the championships as the highest ranked American Athletic Conference track and field team, coming in at No. 20 in the Week 5 USTFCCCA rankings, released on Feb. 22. The Golden Hurricane holds the top conference times in the men’s 200 and 5,000, and three of the top-four spots in the 3,000. Sprinter Bryce Robinson leads The American and ranks seventh in the NCAA with a time of 20.63 in the 200, while his time in the 60 is tied for sixth nationally. Marc Scott’s time of 13:37.34 in the 5,000 leads the league and is third in the country.
The UConn men’s squad produced the top conference times during the regular season in the 400-meter dash, the 4x400 relay, and the distance medley. The Huskies hold the top three spots in the 400, with junior Chinedu Amonu owning the conference-best time of 47.29. Senior captain Oluwatosin Edwards enters the league championships as The American’s top performer in the weight throw.
Memphis runners LaForrest Church and Alex Klatt hold the top two times in the conference in the 800. Both runners produced their top times at the Music City Challenge held in Nashville, in mid-February.
Cincinnati, East Carolina, and USF will look to contend with their strength in field events. Avion Jones of East Carolina is third nationally in the high jump, while USF’s Matthew O’Neal is third in the triple jump. In the pole vault, Cincinnati sophomore Adrian Valles produced the 15
th-best height in the nation.
On the women’s side, UConn is looking to repeat as conference champions. The Huskies hold top-five conference times in the 200, 800, mile, 3,000, and 5,000. Alex Panisse leads the league in the mile, followed by Laura Williamson in second. UConn also holds the conference’s best time in the distance medley. In field events, Sarah Bowens leads The American in the long jump. Odrine Belot holds the No. 2 spot in both the long jump and triple jump. Saija Bikanova, the defending champion in the pentathlon, enters the conference championship as the regular-season leader in the event.
Cincinnati, The American’s highest-ranked women’s team at No. 32 in the USTFCCCA poll, has been dominant in field events. The Bearcats’ field contenders include three conference leaders. Sophomore Annette Echikunwoke has the league’s best mark in the weight throw, and ranks second in the shot put. Her mark of 21.57 meters in the weight throw also ranks sixth in the NCAA. Classmate Rebecka Abrahamsson leads The American in the triple jump, while ranking No. 17 in the nation. She also holds a top-five spot in the long jump. Loretta Blaut holds the top mark in the high jump, followed by Erika Hurd. Blaut’s 1.86 meter jump is No. 7 in the NCAA, while Hurd’s mark of 1.84 ranks 10
th.
UCF has three runners with top times in the conference. J’Nea Bellamy leads The American in the 60-meter dash, while Rosie Chamberlain is first in the 800, and Anne-Marie Blaney has the top time in the 3,000.
Tulane looks to make a strong showing in its second 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, with the conference’s best time in the 200.
East Carolina has a pair of runners who lead the league in the 60-meter hurdles in Cheyenne Hutchinson and Madison Rayfield. Both athletes finished the event in 8.44 at the Dick Taylor Carolina Cup in mid-January. In the weight throw, seniors Raqurra Ishmar and Kayla Padgett rank second and third in the conference, respectively.
SMU’s Tochi Nlemchi leads The American in the shot put. Distance runner Karoline Skatteboe ranks second in the 3,000 and third in the mile. Craishia Washington set the conference’s second-best time in the 60-meter dash at the Mustangs’ final meet of the regular season.
Memphis athletes hold the top two and three of the top five conference marks in the pole vault, led by Carolina Carmichael for the second consecutive year.
Houston sprinters and field athletes will be top contenders, as well as the pentathlon athletes. The Cougars hold three of the top five conference records in the event.
Tulsa displays strength in its mid-distance and distance runners, with junior Emma Galbraith owning a pair of top-10 conference times in the 800 and the mile.
USF’s Laticia Sims and Temple’s Sylvia Wilson will be top competitors in the 60-meter hurdles.
The 2016 American Athletic Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships will start on Sunday and continue into Monday at the Birmingham CrossPlex in Birmingham, Ala. A live stream will be available at
The American Digital Network, while event-by-event updates will be available on Twitter by following @AmericanXCTrack.