TRACK & FIELD | TCU FLYIN’ FROGS
2010 SEASON OUTLOOK
FLYIN’ FROGS READY FOR ACTION TCU Returns Nine All-America Honorees in 2010.
Coming off a 2009 campaign that saw TCU record 12 All-America accolades, break three TCU school records and send nine student-athletes and three relays to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, the Flyin' Frogs are in position to make some real noise on both the conference and NCAA level. Overall, the Purple and White will have plenty of experience to lean on during the early portion of the indoor season as a talented crop of newcomers test themselves against collegiate level competition for the first time. This indoor season, the women will rely on returning All-America honorees Neidra Covington and Whitney Gipson during the early portion of the indoor schedule. Covington, a three-time All-American, collected runner-up honors in the triple jump at the NCAA Midwest Regional by soaring to a seasonal and personal-best leap of 44 feet, 6 inches on her second attempt. Gipson, a sophomore from Newark, was the only freshman in the nation to make the finals in the long jump at the NCAA Outdoor Championships Junior Stormy Harrison also returns for the Flyin' Frogs this fall after closing the 2009 outdoor season crushing the women's shot put field at the Mountain West Conference Outdoor Championship, claiming the event-title with a new complex and seasonal-best throw of 52 feet, 6 ¾ inches. In the sprints, look for junior Kristal Juarez to make a splash this indoor season. She came on late in the year during the outdoor season to earn all-conference honors in three different events. Juarez finished third overall in the women's 400 meters at the Mountain West Conference Championships. She blazed to a personal-best time of 52.96 seconds to cross the finish line in third-place with the program's fourth-fastest time ever. Juarez competed at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 400 meters and should once again be a factor this winter. On the men's side, leadership will play a key role during the 2010 season as the Flyin' Frogs return several key faces, including All-American's Mark Barnes, Mychal Dungey, Dell Guy, Clemore Henry and Matthew Love. Dungey, a three-time All-American, captured the 2009 Mountain West Conference 200 meters crown with a personal-best and regional qualifying time of 20.67 seconds. The junior's time, which set a new complex record, was at that point the 11th-fastest time in the nation and the fifth-fastest time in the Midwest Region for 2009. Barnes, who captured All-American accolades as a member of the men's 4x100 last outdoor season, returns
following a freshman season in which he finished second overall in the 60 meters at the MWC Indoor Championships last winter. Guy, Henry and Love are poised for big-time indoor season's in 2010 as all three All-American's have had solid fall workouts. Guy returns for his final season in Fort Worth after earning all-conference accolades in the 400 meters during the indoor season, while Henry could make a splash this winter in the 400 meters after sitting out last indoor season because of injury. Love also returns after clocking a personal-best time of 46.19 seconds at the Midwest Regional last spring in the 400. All three along with Dungey give TCU one of the most dangerous 4x400 units in the entire country. In the hurdles, Jordan Pitts returns after capturing his second-straight conference indoor crown in the 60-meter hurdles last winter. Overall, the junior has collected four conference championships between the indoor and outdoor season's the last two years in the hurdles. After redshirting the cross country season, senior Festus Kigen should have an immediate impact for the Frogs in the distance events. Kigen, who sat out last season, placed second overall in 2008 at the Mt. SAC Relays in the 5,000 meters by crushing the NCAA regional qualifying mark with a time of 14:03.61. The Kenya native also closed 2008 earning runner-up accolades in the 1,500 and 5,000 meters at the MWC Outdoor Championships. Look for junior Sean Zurko to have an impact in the distance events this winter as well. Zurko, a Las Vegas native, opened the 2009 indoor season capturing the 800 meters crown at the Razorback Invitational before closing the season as a member of the men's 4x400 quartet that competed at the NCAA Indoor Championships. In the throws, senior Tommy Killen exploded onto the scene late last spring, capturing the Mountain West Conference Outdoor discus title with a throw of 179 feet, 2 inches. Killen, who sat out last indoor season, placed third overall in the shot put at the MWC Indoor Championships in 2008. TCU will begin postseason competition on Feb. 25 with the Mountain West Conference Indoor Championships, while the NCAA Championships will take place on March 12-13 in Fayetteville, Ark.
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