Bearkat duo ready for USA Junior Championships
6/24/2015 6:39:00 PM | Track & Field
Freshmen Tyler Adams and Aaron Akens help cap a successful season for the Sam Houston State men's track and field squad as the duo compete in the USA Junior Outdoor Championships, beginning Thursday from Eugene, Ore., on the campus of the University of Oregon.
Adams leads it off for the Kats in the high jump at 1 p.m. on Friday while Akens is in action on Saturday at 12:15 p.m. in the discus throw. Highlights of the early-round events will air on Friday between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. on NBC Sports Network with Saturday coverage slated between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. on NBC.
“We're building guys at the lower level really well,” sixth-year head coach David Self said. “We had three qualify last year for the junior championships. Those guys take it serious all the time. The new guys see them and say 'if you want to go to Eugene, you've got to do what they're doing.' It becomes a culture and I think we have that established now and it will carry on to the recruiting class.”
Adams qualified with a leap of 7 feet, 1 ½ inches at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays on March 25. The mark is the fourth highest among competitors in the event and places Adams second in program history, trailing only Quinton McLeod's 1997 jump of 7 feet, 1 ¾ inches.
“What an amazing freshman year he's had,” Self said. “He was freshman of year indoors. He's the kind of guy we're going to be seeing a lot of. He's going to continue winning championships and doing things on an elite level. The more he's here doing this, it won't be about getting used to the new venue or crowds. It will really benefit him in the future to lay the foundation.”
Meanwhile, Akens earned a spot after his season-best 162 feet, 2 inches at the Texas Invitational on April 11. The mark places him 15th among competitors in the event.
“It's a whole new world as freshmen for throwers,” Self said. “The weight you've been used to throwing your whole life goes up a pound. He's had his challenges adjusting to the discus. He was the No. 2 discus thrower in the U.S. last year around 193 feet and since this is a junior event, he'll be using the same discus weight again.”
Alongside the freshmen duo, Sam Houston women's junior Danielle Demas will be competing in the USA Outdoor Championships, which are held in conjunction with the juniors. Demas will line up against the best in the country in the 100-meter hurdles at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
“When you have athletes at this level, 25-30 percent are freshmen in college, the rest are recruitable high school athletes,” Self said of the event. “When you can put your team out here competing at the junior and senior level, it shows them we're serious.
“The rest of our athletic department has elevated their game and that's what we're doing here. We're showing the best high school kids in the country we've got not only a great educational institution and athletic department but also a top-rate track and field program.”
