Track & Field Report: Sixteen Aggies post personal bests in New Mexico

Texas A&M track & field had a highly successful weekend trip to the New Mexico Collegiate Classic as a number of Aggies posted personal bests. As indoor season rolls along, head coach Pat Henry joined TexAgs Radio on Tuesday to offer another edition of the track & field report.

Key notes from Pat Henry interview

• We had a good meet this weekend in Albuquerque. This week, we go down to Clemson.
   
• You can attribute some escalation to shoes. Some shoes are banned because they are so good. There has been change there, but that doesn't account for a better shot putter or distance thrower. People are getting stronger and bigger. They are changing. There were a couple of years where young people didn't get to compete. Some things happened during that time frame, and it’s like they came out from under a rock.
   
• Talking about Roger Bannister breaking the record and others following soon after, that's athletics. It's understanding what that guy did, and thinking I can do it too. Lebron is going to be the highest scorer ever, and there is a young man out there saying I can do that. Our brains are the dictator. Some people have the mental capacity to live up to that.
   
• Education has changed drastically. I don’t think all the changes are good. A lot of it is not healthy and counter to what the masses have thought about education. I've seen a lot of change in young people. They think that they are mature in their decision-making processes, and maybe they aren't. They are all mature, and then they make a mistake and involve mom and dad in the problem.
   
• We had 16 personal bets this past weekend. High jumper Lamara Distin soared over 6-4.5/1.94m. I think she is going to need some competition soon, and she's starting to get it from our other high jumper, Bára Sajdoková.
   
• In the women's 400m, Jermaisha Arnold ran 51.77 this weekend, and she keeps getting better.
   
• Jaiya Covington ran 8.27 in the 60m hurdles. She's a freshman, and she keeps getting better as well.
   
• Connor Schulman has really dedicated himself to track, and that takes everything. He has changed his diet and lifestyle. His time of 7.75 that didn't make the final, and that's pretty amazing.
   
• Maci Irons improved big time. Almost two-and-half feet.
   
• The men's relay is maturing. We have two freshmen and two sophomores, and they ran a 3:02.98, the second-fastest time in the nation this year.
   
• There is an altitude conversion in Albuquerque. It's a subjective number the NCAA. In their wisdom, the NCAA has come up with a figure and qualifying marks. We are trying to get rid of the altitude adjustment.
   
• Our women's relay team ran the fifth-best time at A&M at 3:28.86.
   
• We had four guys over 17 feet in a pole vault, one of them being Zach Davis. In Albuquerque, Davis cleared 17-9.75/5.43m, and I believe he is going to go over 18 feet this weekend. He believes he can do it.
   
•  There are people that have real problems with the altitude adjustment, but in athletics, when you go from 1,800 feet to a mile high, it burns your chest. It’s dry. Your lips dry out. Your nose crusts up. Our distance people feel that quickly, even on a warm-up jog.
   
• The sprinters don't feel anything. If anything, it's a little bit of a help because the air is thinner. We have that qualifying standard, but I just don’t think it's accurate.
   
• We need consistency before the SEC Championships. We've had some really good marks, but our depth is not where we want it to be right now. We are getting better, though. This indoor season, I’m pleased with where we are, but we have to continue to get better. We are on the edge of something big, but the word consistency and action is what is going to help us win the championship.