Colorado University Athletics
Track Preps for Indoor Conference Championship
February 25, 2009 | Track and Field
BOULDER - The University of Colorado track and field team will head to College Station, Texas to compete in the 13th annual Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championships this Friday and Saturday, Feb. 27-28 at the Gilliam Track & Field Stadium at the McFerrin Athletic Center on the campus of Texas A&M University.
Jenny Barringer will lead the women while Kenyon Neuman and Jeremy Dodson will lead the charge on the men's side. Barringer and Neuman own outdoor Big 12 individual titles, but all three will be looking for their first indoor crown.
Dodson has been leading the CU sprinters this season and this conference meet should be no different. He owns the top 200-meter dash time in the league at 20.88 seconds, which doubles as the school record. The time is the fourth fastest in the country. Dodson also ranks high on the Big 12 performance list in the 60-meter dash. He is sixth with a personal record of 6.76.
Ryan Campbell ranks second on the team in the 60 (6.80) and the 200 (21.58). He is eighth in the conference in the 60 and is tied for 16th in the 200.
Neuman has earned top-four marks in the 3,000 and 5,000-meter runs this indoor season. On Feb. 14 in Seattle, he became the third fastest performer in CU history in the 5k (13:41.66). The time is the fastest by a Big 12 athlete this season. Neuman ranks fourth in the 3k with a time of 8:02.42.
Colorado's men look to break into the top eight in the field events. Mac Crawford recorded the best mark for the Buffs in the weight throw this past weekend in Golden, Colo. The toss of 55 feet, 3.5 inches is the 12th best in the league. Chase Dukes ranks 13th in the conference (54-06.50).
Ryan Miller, who has only competed in a pair of meets this season, ranks 23rd in the Big 12. He recorded a toss of 46-07.25 in his debut on Feb. 14 at the Air Force Academy.
The women have seen two record-setting performances by Barringer this season in the 3 and 5k runs. She owns the best times in the country in both. Barringer crushed both of CU's former records (8:53.88/3k; 15:01.70/5k). Her time in the 5k is the fastest ever by a collegiate athlete, American or foreign, and she became the second fastest American in the event.
Dyamond Seay and Veronica Maul will lead the sprinters. Seay ranks 18th in the league in the 400 (57.17) and Maul is 23rd (57.98).
Alyssa Frank is the top ranking Buff in the field events. She is tied for 11th in the high jump with a personal record of 5-07. Brianne Beemer is ninth overall in the pentathlon with 3,209 points.
The combined events will kick off the weekend events on Friday at 11 a.m. (CT). The running events will start at 2 p.m. on Friday with the prelims of the women's 60-meter hurdles. The field events will start at 4 p.m. on Friday with men's weight throw.
Last year, the CU men finished seventh, while the women came in 12th. The best finish at the Big 12 Championship for the Buffs was in 1999 when the men claimed second place. The highest the women have ever finished was third in 1997.
Live stats for the championship can be found at www.big12sports.com, www.aggieathletics.com and www.flashresults.com. Live streaming will also be available on the first two websites.
Following the conference championships, the Buffs will have one more opportunity to qualify for the 2009 NCAA Indoor Championships. Select athletes will travel to a last chance meet March 6, 7 or 8. The national indoor championship is set for March 13-14 and will also be in College Station.
