Maryland Primed for Big Ten Championships

5/12/2016 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field

By: Maryland Athletics

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The University of Maryland track and field teams will head to Lincoln, Nebraska May 13-15 for the 2016 Big Ten Track & Field Championships. The three-day meet will take place at Ed Weir Stadium on the Nebraska campus and will feature the top athletes from the 13 Big Ten schools participating in track and field.

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A Look at the terps

This will be the second all-time appearance for the UMD track and field teams at the Big Ten Outdoor Championships since joining the conference in 2014-15.
Maryland had two women place inside the top-three in their respective events at the B1G indoor championships earlier this season. Senior Chioma Onyekwere finished second in the weight throw, while junior Micha Powell was third in the 400 meter dash. Onyekwere is the No. 3 seed in Saturday's shot put (16.45m) and the No. 4 seed in Sunday's discus (54.24m), while Powell is seeded third in the 400 (52.49) prelims scheduled to run at 3:20 local time on Saturday.
Other top-10 seeds for the Terps include sophomore Alexandra Lucki in the 1500 (4:23.71), senior Lisa Meneau in the 400 hurdles (58.50) and sophomore Peyton Wade (1.78m) in the high jump.
Dan Trettel, Maryland's indoor track school record holder in the 800, is seeded 22^nd in the event at 1:52.00. Junior Brandon Thompson is the top seed for the Terps in both the 100 (10.52) and 200 (21.16) meter events. The men's 4x400 relay team (3:14.34) will attempt to outrun its No. 11 seed in the event to close out the meet on Sunday.

Coach's corner

"Our athletes have put in countless hours of work over the past few months in preparation for our outdoor championships,” said head coach Andrew Valmon. “The objective of a conference meet is head-to-head competition so our goal is simple in that we are just looking for our athletes to compete and put themselves in a position to make an impact for the team. If we do that everything else will fall into place."

a look at the field

Several of the nation's top collegiate runners and field athletes will again be showcased at Franklin Field at one of the nation's oldest and most storied track & field meets.
This will be Nebraska's first time hosting the Big Ten Outdoor Championships since joining the conference in 2011-12. Ed Weir Stadium last hosted a conference championship (Big 12) in 2007. Nebraska hosted the Big Ten Indoor Championships in 2012.
Illinois is the reigning outdoor track & field champion, securing the 2015 title by a 37-point margin over runner-up Nebraska. The Cornhuskers took this season's indoor title back on February 27 with a 43-point advantage over Wisconsin. Minnesota and Penn State were pegged No. 14 & No. 15 in the nation in the May 2 edition of USTFCCCA National Rankings.
Host Michigan State secured the women's outdoor crown last season with 128 points over second place Nebraska (97). Michigan (109) edged Purdue (102) at the Indoor Championships earlier this year. Wisconsin was tabbed 21^st and Nebraska was 24^th in the latest USTFCCCA National rankings.

at last year's event

Then-Maryland seniors Amber Melville and Thea LaFond captured individual titles on the final day of the Big Ten Outdoor Track and Field Championships last season in East Lansing, Mich.
Melville claimed victory in the high jump, clearing 1.82m on her second attempt at the height. LaFond's title came in the triple jump. The senior soared 13.48m on her final attempt of the competition to take the crown.
In the throws, Chioma Onyekwere used a toss of 16.10m to place third in the shot put. Onyekwere also took seventh in the discus.
Peyton Wade scored 4,932 in the heptathlon to finish sixth. In the women's 400m, Micha Powell took fifth with a time of 53.75. Powell had qualified with a time of 53.69 in the prelims. The Maryland women scored 45 points to place 10^th in the field.
The Terrapin men will look to build on last year's finish with one of the youngest teams in the field.