Track & Field Report: Pat Henry & Co. preparing for Alumni Muster

Before the SEC Outdoor Championships in Lexington, Ky., Texas A&M track & field will host the Alumni Muster this weekend in Aggieland. Legendary head coach Pat Henry joined Wednesday's edition of TexAgs Live to preview the meet.

Key notes from Pat Henry interview

• We had a really good effort. I had another group at Rice this weekend. I think we ran 11 relays at Philadelphia and Penn in relays. We won two of the relays, and that is big-time for one school to own a couple. We won a 4x100m on the ladies’ side, and we won a 4x400m on the men's side. That is a successful meet, when you are in that environment, when you think about the number of schools and what is going on up there. There are 70,000 people in the stadium, and most people don't think that happens with our sport, and it does.
   
• That's part of the reason I would go that far. I don't really like going all the way to Philadelphia to run in a track meet, but we do because of the environment. You never know what is going to happen. You are in an environment that's on top of you, and it's loud. It is good to have to do.
   
• We ran well, and we ran 3:02 with a slightly different group of guys, so we have some depth in the 4x400m. In the 4x100, we are running well. We just can't get the right four on the track. Same with the ladies. We can run really good. If one is healthy this week, the next one is not healthy the next week. It is a challenge right now. You have to be healthy.
   
• If you are a little bit off in my sport, you are way off. You can't do it. I don't care. If you are this much off running a 100m, it is over. We are competing this time of year but being able to stay healthy is a huge challenge. We are pretty good. The women's quarter milers, I am having the most problems with, but everyone else, we are doing pretty well with. Camryn Dickson and Jasmine Montgomery are really running well. Ja'Qualon Scott in the hurdles. Part of that meet, it was cool. Then, it got real warm, and I got sunburned. At the end of the meet, it was raining so hard on our hurdlers.
   
• Victor Kibiego and Debora Cherono had big weekends. We’re in the steeplechase, and as many people as entered, for them to win it, I think they ran four heats of 22 people in each, and good people, and they won both heats. That was a big win, especially for Kibiego. He has not been healthy, and now he is.
   
• I think Carter Bajoit comes in here. He is a doer. He gets out. He talks to people. He does well, and he jumps 7'4. Good athlete. You don't really want big talkers. You want doers.
   
• Aleksandr Solovev, especially at Rice, jumped well. He is gaining more confidence. To jump really high, your runway has got to change. He is starting to go from a longer runway right now, and he is starting to handle that. There are so many times down the runway you can be strong enough to do it. If you get up around eight times, nine times running down that runway full blast, not many people can handle that. The bar starts at 16 feet, and there are a lot of guys jumping at 16 feet. He is sitting and waiting for two and a half hours to jump. That is also part of the problem. You have to learn to deal with it.
   
• We have about a dozen schools coming in. It is our last home meet. After this one, we have a week off, and then we go to Kentucky for the SECs. Then, we get a week off, and we have the First Round of NCAAs here. Then, we have another week off, and then we have the NCAA Championships in Eugene.
   
• It is the last home meet, and the last time to clean things up. We still have challenges in our own group. Who is going to be in the 30? We can only take 30 people. This meet becomes very important for a few people. This is another opportunity to show consistency of effort. That is part of being able to make that team.
   
• This is a good group. We won the SEC Indoor title on the men’s side, so we have an opportunity to be successful outdoors. Everybody's got to have a good day on the same day. We talk about that all the time. Good day. Same day. Every single meet is just a rehearsal. You have to win it at that meet to advance to the next meet and the next meet. Now is when the challenge starts.