IRVING, Texas — The Big 12 Indoor Track & Field Championship returns to Ames, Iowa this week for the 12th time in Big 12 history and third time in the last four years. This year’s championship has been one of the most anticipated meetings for the indoor campaign and I am expecting a close and exciting battle between some of the top track and field programs in the country.
Iowa State’s Lied Recreation Center will serve as the hosting venue for the championship meet, which runs from Friday to Saturday, February 25-26. A live stream of the meet will be available on Big 12 Now via ESPN+ beginning at 10 a.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday.
READ MORE: When are the 2022 Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championships? How to watch live?
The Big 12 Now coverage of the championship will be featuring live running event finals and field event coverage on tape delay. John Kurtz and Johanna Gretschel will provide commentary. In addition, you can also follow all the latest live results and updates, which will be available through PrimeTime Timing or by clicking here for the direct link.
Texas to defend women’s and men’s crowns
Texas swept both indoor titles at the 2021 Big 12 Indoor Track & Field Championship, with the women scoring 154.5 points to pick up their fourth consecutive crown and 12th overall. The Longhorns men, meanwhile, totaled 141 points to capture their ninth indoor team title and first since 2017. Longhorn Kynnedy Flannel split the women’s high point award with Texas Tech’s Ruth Usoro while Kansas State’s Tejaswin Shankar won the men’s high point award.
In the latest USTFCCCA rankings, two men’s teams sit in the top-25, both within the top-5: No. 3 Texas and No. 5 Texas Tech. Three women’s teams are ranked in the top-25 with the Longhorns taking the No. 1 spot, followed by No. 6 Texas Tech and No. 21 Oklahoma State.
There are eight student-athletes that currently have NCAA-leading marks. On the men’s side, Shankar leads the Pentathlon with 4,321 points while TCU’s Chengetayi Mapaya (triple jump), Texas’ Tripp Piperi (shot put) and Jonathan Jones (600 meters), and Texas Tech’s Terrence Jones (60 meters) and Moad Zahafi (600 yards, 800 meters, 1000 meters) stand a top their perspective events. Additionally, the Big 12 holds nine of the top 10 marks in the men’s 600-yard event. Two women hold nation-leading marks in Texas’ Kristine Blazecica (pentathlon) and Julien Alfred (60 meters).
Earlier this winter, two Big 12 standouts were named to the Bowerman Watch List in TTU’s Usoro and Iowa State’s Wesley Kiptoo. Usoro made her eighth appearance on the list after placing as a semifinalist in 2021. Kiptoo made his debut to the Bowerman Watch List, becoming just the second Cyclone man to make an appearance for the prestigious award.
Championship events will begin with the 60-meter hurdles as part of the women’s pentathlon at 10 a.m. Friday, while the men’s 4×400-meter relay will close out the competition at 5:25 p.m. Saturday. A full schedule of events can be found here.
