MONTGOMERY—Alabama State University's track and field teams are looking for a strong tune up to the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Championships, and they have found that competition at the 84th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays hosted by the University of Texas in Austin. The competition begins on Thursday, April 7th and concludes on Saturday, April 9th.
The Texas Relays are considered one of the top meets in the country with some of the top track and field performers competing.
There will be a competition division for high school athletes and a competition for the college division and a completion for the university division. The college division is for student-athletes representing NCAA Division II, III, NAIA and JUCO institutions, while the university division is for all NCAA Division I competitors. There will be roughly 1,650 student-athletes competing in the relays representing almost 60 colleges and universities.
Student-athletes in all three divisions have to post qualifying times or scores to participate in the events. Heats will be held on the opening day of the Relays with the championships coming on the final day of competition, which will be Saturday.
The Hornet performers have posted solid performances this spring with a total of 26 student-athletes (12-men, 14-women) qualifying for the event. ASU has been especially strong in the relay events where the men will compete in the 4x100 meter relay, 4x200 meter relay, 4x400 meter relay, 4x800 meter relay and the 1600 meter sprint medley.
The women's relay teams will compete in the 4x100 meter relay, 4x200 meter relay, 4x400 meter relay, 4x800 meter relay, and the women's distance medley relay.
“This is one of, if not the top meet in the nation,” head coach
Ritchie Beene said. “This is a chance for our student-athletes to compete against the best collegiate performers in the nation and I am anxious to see how well we will compete. This will be an excellent tune up to help prepare us for the rest of the outdoor season and for the SWAC Championships that come up at the end of the month.”
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