Aggies Entering NCAA Championships With High Expectations

Could this be another national championship weekend for Texas A&M athletics?

The NCAA Track and Field Championships open today at the University of Arkansas, and both Aggie teams enter the meet ranked No. 1 in the coaches poll. A&M has never won a national title in track, but this week represents the best chance the Aggies have ever had to hoist the team trophy.

Thirty-two A&M athletes will compete in the event, which runs from Wednesday-Friday.

The women nearly burst through at this year's NCAA Indoors in College Station where they finished second to Tennessee. At last year's outdoor meet, the women finished a program-best third, and the men cracked the top five for the first time since 1989.

"We have the chance to be very successful," said head coach Pat Henry. "All you can do going in there is have everybody have a great day on the same day. It sounds too easy to say, but that's what it is. I've been involved in a lot of these meets, and that's what it's about. Whoever has the most people have the best day on the same day is going to win the track meet. It's not just Texas A&M, Oregon and others. There are a bunch of people in the mix."

That is certainly the case, according to the most recent formchart produced by Track and Field News. The recent projections show a couple of Aggie athletes being favored to win their events, including Porscha Lucas (200), Jessica Beard (400) and both the men's and women's 4x100 relay teams. The Aggie women have won the last two 4x100 relays and own the nation's fastest time again this year.

A&M will also expect to score points in the jumps, with four men and four women qualified in the long jump and triple jump.

For a full list of A&M's competitors, including meet notes, please CLICK HERE.

You can also watch the event live by CLICKING HERE.