SMU Set For 2017 American Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships

Friday, February 24

Birmingham, Ala.

ALL DAY

SMU

American Athletic Conference

SMU Set For 2017 American Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships

Feb 21 | Track & Field

Mustangs Head To Birmingham, Alabama, To Compete In The American Championships Feb. 24-25

2017 American Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships
Date	Feb. 24-25, 2017
Location	Birmingham CrossPlex - Birmingham, Ala.
Live Results	xpresstiming.com
Free Live Stream	Day 1 - Friday \| Day 2 - Saturday
Meet Information	Championship Central \| Schedule \| Performance List \| Heat Sheets
Facebook	/SMUTrackFieldXC \| /SMUMustangs
Twitter	@SMUTrackFieldXC \| @SMUMustangs

Feb. 21, 2017

Meet Notes (PDF)

DALLAS (SMU) – The SMU women's track and field team heads to Birmingham, Alabama, for the 2017 American Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships Feb. 24-25 at the Birmingham CrossPlex.

This is the second straight year the conference championships will be held at the CrossPlex. Events begin at 9 a.m. CT on Friday with the women's heptathlon and continue through Saturday with the awards ceremony concluding at 3:15 p.m. CT.

The top men's and women's teams will be awarded, along with the top three performers in each event. The top three finishers in each event will be named All-Conference.

The Mustangs finished in fourth place last year with 69 points. Connecticut took home the team title with 110 points, followed by runner-up Cincinnati with 98.5 points. UCF placed third with 91.5 points. Tochi Nlemchi set a conference meet record to win the shot put with a personal-best toss of 53 feet, 6.5 inches (16.32m), while Latessa Johnson broke the school and conference record to win the 200-meters with a time of 23.48 seconds.

FOLLOW THE CHAMPIONSHIPS:
All championship information and results can be found at www.TheAmerican.org/ITF. Live coverage of the event can be viewed on any computer, tablet or mobile device via The American Digital Network (TheAmerican.org/DN).

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
Facebook - /AmericanConf
Twitter - @AmericanXCTrack, @American_Conf
YouTube - AmericanAthleticConf
Instagram - American_Conf

FREE LIVE VIDEO COVERAGE:
The American Digital Network will be producing live video coverage of the championships. Below are the links for each day:
Friday, Feb. 24 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RQTFfquK1o
Saturday, Feb. 25 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4ftQrB54Ns

ABOUT THE BIRMINGHAM CROSSPLEX:
The indoor 200 meter hydraulically banked track designed by Mondo is only one of six in the United States and one of eight in the world. Mondo has designed the tracks for the last ten Olympic Games and is the global leader in the sports flooring market. With the touch of a button the state of the art six lane oval track takes just ten minutes to raise or lower for banked corners. Once raised it becomes one of the fastest indoor tracks in the world…When running at the CrossPlex you're taking on history with every stride.

All track and field components meet IAAF, NCAA and NFHS standards. There are eight-60 meter lanes (for dashes and hurdles) located within the infield area of the track with dual horizontal runways for pole vault, long jump and triple jump. Additionally, dual high jump approaches can be configured along with dual throwing sectors for shot-put located outside the oval next to the implement/weigh in station. Portable weight throw sector and net meets IAAF and NCAA specifications.

Lynx timing and scoring system syncs to a 60'x25' Daktronics LED Board located at the North end of the track. The board is designed to show instant results, team scores, event leaders, video commercials and messages all at the same time. The surround sound speakers provide pristine sound for announcements and video.

Elevated seating gives the spectator great views of the track as well as seven VIP suites that overlook the venue.

Since opening in 2011, the track has hosted over 250 events and continues to grow with each year. The CrossPlex has hosted a variety of track events that include youth meets, high school state championships, regional and national club level championships, collegiate invitations, college conference championships, NCAA qualifying events and two NCAA Division II National Championships.

The CrossPlex track is a venue like no other. Built for speed and success, it is where records are broken.

Click here for more information about the Birmingham CrossPlex.

RECAP: INDOOR TRACK & FIELD CLASSIC (Feb. 10):
Freshman Chelsea Francis continues to move up SMU's all-time indoor 60-meter dash list after a runner-up finish on the final day of the Indoor Track & Field Classic.

Francis time of 7.46 seconds is the third fastest time in program history, behind Craishia Washington (7.40) and Stephanie Kalu (7.28). Kalu was one of several professional athletes to compete at the inaugural event at the Ford Center at the Star and won the 60-meters in a time of 7.22.

The Carrollton, Texas, native has run a personal best in the 60-meters the last two times she has stepped on the track. Francis ran the fourth-fastest time in school history Thursday with a time of 7.53.

RECAP: MUSIC CITY CHALLENGE DAY ONE (Feb. 10):
Competing in their first 5,000-meters race of the indoor season, the SMU women's track and field team did not disappoint as three Mustangs set personal records and finished in the top-11 on day one of the Music City Challenge.

Freshman Hannah Miller paced the Mustangs with a runner-up finish with a time of 16 minutes, 17.44 seconds, which now ranks as the second fastest time in school history.

Junior Marlene Gomez-Islinger recorded her second personal best of the season. Two weeks ago, she won the 3,000-meters in Oklahoma at the J.D. Martin Invitational breaking the 10-minute barrier with a time of 9:59.67. The Weiden, Germany, native finished sixth Friday with a time of 16:51.66, which ranks ninth all-time in program history.

Sophomore Anneke Grogan was the third Mustang to run a personal best as she finished 11th in a time of 17:14.03. Her previous best was 17:20.32, which she set at last year's Music City Challenge.

RECAP: MUSIC CITY CHALLENGE DAY TWO (Feb. 11):
After a trio of Mustangs set personal records in the 5,000 meters Friday, the SMU women's track and field team continued to excel with three Mustangs placing in the top-15 in the 3,000 meters and shot put on the final day of the Music City Challenge.

Senior Holly Archer led the way with a fifth place finish in a season best time of 9 minutes, 38.42 seconds. Freshman Charlotte-Tara Murphy ran a personal best in just her second 3K of the season with a time of 9:52.10 to finish 10th, while senior Shanoah Souza placed 15th with a season best time of 9:55.25.

Freshman Hannah Miller continued her impressive rookie campaign with another personal record in as many days with a sixth place finish in the mile. The Invercargill, New Zealand, native finished sixth in a time of 4:50.01, which now ranks as the fifth fastest time in school history. Miller placed second in the 5,000 meters Friday in a time of 16:17.44, which ranks second in program history.

MUSTANG MARKS:
The SMU women's track and field team has nine Mustangs that rank in the top 10 on the indoor American Athletic Conference performance list.

60-meter dash:
Chelsea Francis (7.46, 4th) – third fastest time in school history

Mile:
Hannah Miller (4:50.01, 3rd) – fifth fastest time in school history
Charlotte-Tara Murphy (4:55.06, 6th)^

3,000 meters:
Holly Archer (9:38.42, 2nd)
Hannah Miller (9:47.12, 7th)^
Charlotte-Tara Murphy (9:49.19, 10th)^

5,000 meters:
Hannah Miller (16:17.44, 2nd) – second fastest time in school history
Marlene Gomez-Islinger (16:51.66, 4th) – ninth fastest time in school history
Anneke Grogan (17:14.03, 8th)

Shot Put:
Tochi Nlemchi (52'1.25", tied for 1st)
Jacquetta Cannon (48'10", 8th)

Pentathlon:
Anna Novosadova (3,019), 10th)^

(^ adjusted time/mark due to altitude)

2017 OUTLOOK:
The 2017 SMU track & field team returns 18 letterwinners and will seek to claim its first conference indoor championships since the Mustangs won the inaugural American Athletic Conference title in 2014. Second year head coach Cathy Casey and the Mustangs are coming off a fourth-place finish last year at The American Indoor Championships. Casey will look to a senior-laden distance group led by Holly Archer, Agnes Sjostrom and Shanoah Souza to guide this Mustangs' team that includes 18 underclassmen.

LOOKING BACK:
After winning the 2016 American Athletic Conference Cross Country Championship in the fall, the Mustangs will now try to carry that momentum into the indoor track and field season. The SMU cross country team were ranked as high as No. 21 in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) poll during the season. Individually, SMU had four individuals receive All-Conference honors and three student-athletes earn All-Region accolades.

ALL-AMERICAN MUSTANGS:
SMU returns senior Tochi Nlemchi and sophomore sprinter Latessa Johnson after both Mustangs earned All-American honors last spring at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Nlemchi finished ninth in the shot put with a personal best throw of 16.77 meters (55-00.25) at the NCAA Championships to earn second-team All-American honors, while Johnson earned second-team All-American accolades after finishing ninth in the 200 meters. Both Mustangs set conference indoor records last year with Nlemchi recording a heave of 16.32 meters (53-06.50) to win the shot put title, while Johnson held off seven upperclassmen to win the 200 meters with a time of 23.48 seconds as a freshman.

WELCOME TO THE HILLTOP:
With the graduation of all-conference performers Craishia Washington and Rachel Scruggs, the Mustangs added some depth in the sprints with the addition of freshmen Alexis Center, Chelsea Franics and India Simmons. Center and Francis will compete in the short sprints (60 meters, 200 meters), while Simmons will focus primarily on the hurdles as well as the 400 meters. SMU also strengthened its distance group adding Hannah Miller and Charlotte-Tara Murphy, who will run the mile and 3,000 meters indoors. Both freshman made an immediate impact in the fall during the cross country season helping SMU end its two year conference championship drought to win its fourth league title in six years. Miller finished as The American runner-up, while Murphy placed fifth as both Mustangs were named to the All-Conference team. Miller and Murphy led the Mustangs to a fifth-place finish at the NCAA South Central Regional and both garnered All-Region honors after finishing fourth and 19th, respectively. Miller qualified for the NCAA Championships and was one of 38 individual qualifiers.

UP NEXT:
Following the conference championships, qualifying student-athletes will compete at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships on March 10-11 in College Station, Texas.

FOLLOW THE MUSTANGS:
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Mustangs by following SMU Track & Field Team on Twitter at @SMUTrackFieldXC, on Facebook at Facebook.com/SMUTrackFieldXC, and on Instagram at Instagram.com/SMUTrackandXC. Twitter at @SMUMustangs or Instagram at SMU.Mustangs.