San Antonio, TEXAS – The Trinity track and field team will take on the program's first-ever indoor conference championships this weekend at the SAA Indoor Championships. After a strong showing at the Howie Ryan Invitational on Feb. 13, they'll look to keep the momentum rolling as they seek to dethrone defending champion Centre College on both sides.
SAA Indoor Championships Preview
The Tiger men will have some work to do to overcome Centre's home track advantage, currently sitting well below the Colonels in USTFCCCA's conference rating index (a metric that attributes point values to athlete performances based on their rankings within the SAA). The sizeable gap comes largely from Centre's depth, with 20 athletes and relay teams sitting in top three positions in the conference and many more in scoring position. After cruising to a conference win this past fall in cross country, Trinity, currently second in the rating index, will have to come up clutch to best the Colonels.
It's somewhat of a different story on the women's side, as Trinity sits within breathing distance of the Colonels, who currently occupy first place in the conference according to the rating index. Their prospects have been helped especially by their success so far in field events, with four field athletes sitting in top four positions in the conference. The women also picked up a dominant conference win during the fall, and have shown thus far that their distance runners rank among the best in the SAA. In what could be decided by a matter of only a few points, it'll be up to athletes across the board to pick up that extra spot or two to take down Centre in their backyard.
Looking Ahead
The Tigers will move right into the outdoor season after indoor conference with the CenTex Invite, hosted by Southwestern University, on Mar. 7. Select athletes will take on the 400-meter oval, while others will prepare for the NCAA Indoor Championships, beginning on Mar. 13. Bocar Diagana, currently tied for 13th in the men's triple jump, and Annabelle Lanik, currently in fifth in the women's long jump, look primed to qualify for the national meet. Sophia Ortiz, currently tied for 22nd in the women's high jump, may have to find an extra centimeter or two if she wants to find her name among the qualifiers come nationals.
