Track & Field Report: Pat Henry & Co. preparing for A&M Invitational

Pat Henry & Co. will host the 2024 Texas A&M Invitational this weekend at E.B. Cushing Stadium. During Wednesday's edition of TexAgs Radio, the head coach joined the program to discuss the NCAA Indoor Championships, the Carolina Spring Break Classic and more. 

Key notes from Pat Henry interview

• We had a really good week in a very small environment. There were six to eight schools, which is kind of like what we will have this weekend. Our people were very competitive, competed well and got after it. 
   
• We had a good NCAA Indoor Championship. The men were sixth, which was a very good finish. Our guys did well and competed very hard. To be sixth, only a few points separate the top schools, so we did a good job.
   
• On the ladies' side, we were positioned to be sixth or eighth. The 4x4 came around, and we had some issues there, which cost us a bit. We were 14th and could have been a little bit better in that, but as a whole, the women did a good job.
   
• The last time we were in Puerto Rico was ten years ago. Victor Lopez was the head coach at Rice, and he's from Puerto Rico, and he's always on me to come down there. We went down there, and they treated us nicely. It's a great environment. It was 85 degrees with a little breeze off the ocean, and it was nice.
   
• At the Carolina Spring Break Classic, we hit the track running. We had some people that didn't win an event that still looked great. In the 800 meter, Kimar Farquharson ran a 1:46.0, which led the country, but the next two guys went, and they got second and third in that event. 
   
• Sam Whitmarsh ran a great 1500 meters, and that's an off-event for him. He's a half-miler, but he ran a 3:44, and that's tough.
   
• Carter Bajoit got the crowd going. 7-foot-1 was his personal best, and he jumped 7-foot-4 and 3⁄4. That leads the country right now. If you look at him jumping 7-foot-4, he's jumping 7-foot-7.
   
• Bajoit sees him going over that 7-foot-4 bar, and that sets him up to set that next goal. When you know you can do it, then it's a mental thing. It's just working your way up to that bar, is what he's trying to do.
   
• Because of construction, we've been out, so we get to get on E.B. Cushing Stadium this weekend and try and do a few things. Mostly, in-state schools like TCU, North Texas and UTSA will be there. It's the kind of competition that we need.
   
• The competition gets better and better each week. It's one of those meets that will be good for a lot of our people. For some of our people, it might not be the competition they need, but for the vast majority, it is.
   
• Our 4x1 needs to get on the track and tweak some things. We ran well, but our exchanges could use some work. Some people won't run or throw this weekend because it's managing health, performances, and the thought process right now. You can't hit it every week. It's just too tough.
   
• I haven't had a personal conversation with Trev Alberts. The head coaches met with him yesterday. It was a really good meeting, but I really enjoyed the things that he opened up and talked about, which were a little bit different. He's got a plan, and you can tell. It sounds like he's very organized, and that's going to be great for the program.