Track & Field Report: Pat Henry & Bryce Deadmon recap Texas Relays

This week's edition of the Track & Field Report on TexAgs Radio featured Pat Henry and Texas A&M student-athlete Bryce Deadmon as they recapped the Maroon & White's performance last weekend at the Texas Relays.

Key notes from Pat Henry interview (segment one)

• We had a good, productive weekend in the Texas Relays, and we have another weekend coming up. We did the things I thought we would be able to. We got caught again on contact tracing, so we had to leave about six of our best athletes at home. I hope we can get our team back together this week as we head over to Austin for a dual meet, and I'm not sure we've had an outdoor dual meet with them, maybe ever. We've done some indoor dual meets but not an outdoor meet in the 17 years since I've been here.
   
• Bryce Deadmon is a good young man who has done very well. He has done great in the classroom. He already has one degree and is working on his master's. He was pretty good out of high school, but he had some tools. He had a tough first two seasons, but he has blossomed. He is an elite guy who has a future in this sport.
   
• Lists and rankings are only as good as the paper they're written on. Sometimes you luck out and find a guy like Deadmon everyone once and a while. He fit the mold of someone we thought could be very good. He has worked very hard and does exactly what I want him to. You have to do that in training. You can make mistakes in practice, but he has eliminated those as his career has gone on. That's why he's having the success he is right now.
   
• We've been successful on big-meet days. That's track & field. We don't have a cumulative record. It comes down to what you do on SEC weekend or regionals or NCAA meet or U.S. Olympic trials. There are sometimes only four or five weekends in your life that really make the difference.
   
• Devon Achane is a young man who listens. He does a good job of learning how to train. He's not a great trainer yet, but he is learning. He does what I ask him to do. I haven't asked him to do a lot on meet day yet, but those days are coming because he's a talented guy. He ran 20.31 at 200m. That's his personal record. There are some good things in front of him right now. If he'll continue to do what I ask of him, he'll be successful. Just follow the process and do what we have planned for him, and he'll have a good season.
   
• Carter Bajoit is out of The Woodlands, and he had a good weekend. He is going from a short approach, only about six strides. He cannot handle a long approach right now. To clear 6-11.75 on a short approach is a good jump. Handling the speed and putting your foot down and going vertical is difficult.
   
• James Smith and Moitalel Mpoke have run real well. They're not very clean in what they're doing, but they compete. If I can teach them to hurdle a little better, they will be great intermediate hurdlers.
   
• Deborah Acquah is fantastic in the triple jump. Lamar Distin won the high jump. Our 4x1 looked much better. A number of our women's team members are coming around, but we have to get everyone on the track. We left so many at home this last weekend. We limped into Austin. We test again tomorrow morning, and I hope we can come out and not hit by the contact tracing.
   
• Kennedy Smith ran well. She has to get ready to run a final with great runners in it. She was in that race and didn't have a good final. However, she made the final, and that was significant. She is such a good competition that she can get things done.

Key notes from Bryce Deadmon interview (segment two)

• As far as the Texas Relays go, I was disappointed it wasn't the meet I have grown up knowing. With COVID, I understand why it was different and why fewer fans and teams were there. As a team, a lot of guys had their personal records. A bunch of guys showed out, including Devon Achane.
   
• As far as my own individual event, I thought I did pretty well. I can't complain too much. It was my personal record.
   
• Being in the system for so long, all of the training is finally paying off, and I'm reaping the benefits of it. I do what I do on an everyday basis. I try to eat and sleep right. Being around a team like this that supports you so much helps as well. That's one of the biggest things: Having a great support system around all of us.
   
• Even outside of my immediate family, my extended family is very supportive. They're always texting me and telling me they're coming to the next meet. My family is great.
   
• Honestly, I believe I can break 44 before or in June. I think I can get a 43 with three more months to train.
   
• I'm not sure how low I have to get with the Olympics coming up. There are people in my event in the United States that are running low to mid-43 already. I think the 400m in the trials will be very cut-throat. I truly cannot even tell you what I'd have to run to make the Olympic team.
   
• There is a lot of talent in the Missouri City area. Seeing how many kids come out and become Division I athletes from the area is amazing. It's not just me and Devon Achane. Fort Bend might be one of the most overlooked districts from a talent standpoint. It's not really that surprising.