The UH men’s track and field team will attempt to capture its third consecutive Conference USA Championship when the Cougars host the C-USA Indoor Track Championships on Friday and Saturday at Yeoman Fieldhouse.’
UH head coach Leroy Burrell said he is quite confident that the men can win another conference title.
‘We feel, on the men’s side, that we’ve set the standard for indoor track and field,’ Burrell said. ‘It’s not unusual territory for us. We’ve won the majority of conference championships since we joined C-USA, both indoors and out.’
Senior Seun Adigun will lead the women’s team, looking to defend her back-to-back gold medals in the 60-meter hurdles. Adigun had a time of 8.28 seconds in the event at the 2008 C-USA Championships, matching the record set in 2001 by Cougar track legend Jenny Adams.
‘I am very proud of the improvements that (the women) have made as a group,’ Burrell said. ‘They have put themselves in pretty good position this year.’
Sophomore Chris Carter will defend his first place finish in the men’s triple jump after clearing 15.22 meters (49 feet, 11 inches) during the 2008 meet. Carter is hoping for a more impressive performance this year.’
‘I look pretty good going into this meet,’ Carter said. ‘I honestly think I am going to jump way farther than (I did in 2008).’
Carter is coming off a hamstring injury that caused him to miss four weeks, but said he should be good to go for this weekend’s meet.’
‘(Carter is) coming back, so I’m hoping he can improve on his mark and qualify for the NCAA Championships,’ Burrell said.’
The Cougars will have home-track advantage for the eighth consecutive season, providing extra incentive to perform well.
‘It gives us (extra) motivation, because we have a lot of fans behind us,’ Carter said. ‘Just having that home-track advantage gives you that extra boost.’
Senior Morgan Floyd should be a major factor in the heptathlon competition, while two-sport athletes Isaiah Sweeney and Tyrone Carrier are two Cougars to keep an eye on in the sprinting events.
‘Floyd can be a big time performer for us,’ Burrell said. ‘He is leading the conference in the heptathlon, and I think he has an excellent shot to qualify for the NCAA Championships.’
Another athlete on the rise is sophomore Christie Jones who, along with Carter, won C-USA Track Athlete of the Week honors earlier this season.
Since they joined C-USA, the Cougars have dominated the competition, stacking a conference-leading five team titles to go with 48 individual titles.
Events will get underway at 9 a.m. Friday.
