SOCIAL MEDIA Facebook - Conference USA Twitter - @ConferenceUSA1 Championship Hashtag - #CUSAchamp
Feb. 20, 2013
IRVING, Texas -
After several weeks of preparing for the 2013 Conference USA Indoor Track and Field Championships UAB and the CrossPlex facility are set to host the two-day event in Birmingham, Ala., Feb. 23-24. This marks the second consecutive season UAB has served as hosts. Prior to the 2012 event Houston was the only school to host the Indoor Championship at its on-campus facility.
The preliminary events will begin at 9 a.m. CT on Saturday with the pentathlon and heptathlon events, followed by field events at 10 a.m. Sunday's action starts with the heptathlon 60m hurdles, pole vault and 1,000m run at 10 a.m. The championship field events will begin later that day with the women's shot put at Noon and the running events at 2 p.m. The championships will conclude with the final awards presentation set for 5:30 p.m.
The championship will be televised by Fox Sports Network on a tape delay with the first airing set for Friday, March 1 at 11 a.m. CT. However, live results will be posted at the C-USA Championship Central and provided by Flash Texas.
Seven men's and 12 women's teams will compete for individual and team titles over the course of 17 events.
Headlining the list of individuals will be Tulsa senior Chris O'Hare in the mile and UCF junior Aurieyall Scott in the 200-meters. O'Hare shattered the NCAA Division I record in the mile after he clocked a time of 3:52.98 at the 106th Millrose Games Feb. 16 at The Armory in New York City. That performance moved the Golden Hurricane up 20 spots on the USTFCCCA National Poll to No. 20 heading into this weekend's events.
O'Hare's earned him USTFCCCA DI National Athlete of the Week honors as well as C-USA's Indoor Track & Field Athlete of the week merits. O'Hare's mark also is the second fastest time by a British (Edinburgh, Scotland) athlete and shattered his personal- and school-record of 3:56.48.
Scott enters the C-USA Championships as the world's fastest woman in the 200-meters in 2013 with a school-record 22.68 clocked at the Tyson Razorback Invitational on Feb. 9. After that performance, she was named the USTFCCCA Division I Female National Athlete of the Week. She is set to guide the 10th-ranked Knights to their second C-USA Indoor title.
Conference USA and the SEC are the only two leagues to have captured male and female USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week honors.
A year ago, Tulsa men pulled off the upset, 139-138, to dethrone five-time champion Houston. The Cougars have won 12 of C-USA's 17 indoor titles but thanks to UTEP's 4x400m men's relay team edging out Houston's foursome in the final event of the 2012 meet, TU won its first indoor crown. The Golden Hurricane became the third program under the current membership to capture the team title. UTEP won the 2006 crown.
Also earning its first indoor title a year ago was East Carolina women's program. The Pirates upset defending champion UCF, 123-113.5. Houston women own a league-best five indoor trophies, while Rice boasts three and one each belongs to East Carolina, Tulane, UCF and UTEP.
Competing for the women's title will be all 12 members of C-USA - East Carolina, Houston, Marshall, Memphis, Rice, SMU, Southern Miss, Tulane, Tulsa, UAB, UCF and UTEP. Marshall, SMU, Tulane, UAB and UCF do not sponsor indoor men's track and field.
Admission prices are as follow; two-day pass $20 for adults and $10 for youth (12-17); single day ticket $15 per day for adults and $6 for youth (12-17). Admission is FREE for children age 11 and under and for students with valid ID cards who attend a C-USA member institution.
2013 C-USA TOP INDIVIDUALS & TIMES
Event
Men
Women
60M
Bryce Robinson, FR, Tulsa | 6.61
Octavious Freeman, SO, UCF | 7.19
60M hurdles
Isaac Williams, FR, Houston | 7.81
Lutisha Bowen, SR, UCF | 8.22
200M
Errol Nolan, SR, Houston | 21.06
Aurieyall Scott, JR, UCF | 22.68
400M
Errol Nolan, SR, Houston | 46.69
Tiffany Harris, SR, East Carolina | 53.95
800M
Chris O'Hare, SR, Tulsa | 1:48.28
Katherine Camp, JR, Tulsa | 2:07.85
Mile
Chris O'Hare, SR, Tulsa | 3:52.98
Mary Alenbratt, SR, SMU | 4:43.05
3,000M
Anthony Rotich, SO, UTEP | 7:53.43
Rhiannon Johns, SR, UAB | 9:28.58
5,000M
Anthony Rotich, SO, UTEP | 13:38.58
Rhiannon Johns, SR, UAB | 16:26.52
4x400M
Houston | 3:07.60
UCF | 3:37.78
DMr
Tulsa | 9:57.00
Tulsa | 11:40.07
High Jump
Drew Kanz-O'Shea, JR, East Carolina | 2.16m/7-01.0
Tynita Butts, SR, East Carolina | 1.90m/6-02.75
Pole Vault
Chris Pillow, SO, Rice | 5.30m/17-04.5
Merrit Van Meter, SO, Tulane | 4.23m/13-10.5
Long Jump
Mark Jackson, JR, UTEP | 7.35m/24-01.5
Sonnisha Williams, SR, UCF | 6.18m/20-03.5
Triple Jump
Mark Jackson, JR, UTEP | 15.86m/52-00.5
Jasia Richardson, JR, Marshall | 12.92m/42-04.75
Shot Put
Chase Sammons, SO, Tulsa | 17.55m/57-07.0
Helena Perez, JR, SMU | 15.29m/50-02.0
Weight Throw
Montrell Morrow, SR, East Carolina | 19.93m/65-04.75
