It may still be early in the season, but don’t expect the Aggies and the Tigers to hold anything back when they face each other on January 22, keeping their longstanding rivalry fresh. In the preseason rankings, LSU took the second and third spots for the men and women, respectively; Texas A&M is ranked second for the women, and third for the men. The meet, set to take place at what will be the sit of this year’s NCAA Championship (Gilliam Stadium), will be highlighted by the sprints and jumping events, as both teams feature tremendous depth, as well as a fair amount of top-ranked individuals.

On the men’s side, LSU will pit three NCAA runners up from last years indoor and outdoor seasons (Josh Dominguez in the pole vault, Zedric Thomas in the triple jump, and Barrett Nugent in the 60m hurdles) against 2010 NCAA 60m runner-up Gerald Phiri, and an insane crew of quarter milers, led by Tabarie Henry. Hurdler Wayne Davis will also look to step up in the hurdles to challenge Barrett Nugent, after overcoming an injury that kept him off the track for the 2010 indoor and outdoor seasons. The 800m will be a crucial distance event.

The women’s battle looks to be equally close. 200m runner-up, and top returning 200m and 100m athlete for Division 1 women, Jeneba Tarmoh, will be joined by All-Americans Andrea Sutherland and Jessica Beard, last year’s Big-12 Champion, to face All-Americans Brittani Carter (HJ), Melissa Ogbourne (LJ), Kenyanna Wilson (60m), and Rachel Laurent (PV).

Looking ahead, the 1600m relays are shaping up to be the highlight of the day, as they are so incredibly evenly matched. Flotrack will be on hand to bring you coverage of all of the action.

Here is some additional info from aggieathletics.com:
Texas A&M currently has collegiate leading marks in four events - 200 (Gerald Phiri, 2087), 200 (Jessica Beard, 23.25), 800 (Joey Roberts, 1:49.47) and the men's 4 x 400 (3:06.49 - Bryan Miller, Demetrius Pinder, Tabarie Henry, Tran Howell).

The Aggies also lead the Big 12 in 10 events. In addition to the four collegiate leaders they also have conference leaders in the 60 (Prezel Hardy, Jr., 6.68), 60 (Jeneba Tarmoh, 7.33), 60 hurdles (Wayne Davis II, 7.85), 60 hurdles (Gabby Mayo, 8.27), 400 (Ibukun Mayungbe, 54.41) and the women's 4 x 400 (3:36.15 - LaKeidra Stewart, Ibukun Mayungbe, Brittany Machacek, Andrea Sutherland).

LSU currently has a pair of collegiate leaders in the men's 60 (Horatio Williams, 6.61) and long jump (Zedric Thomas, 26-3.75). The Tigers also lead seven events in the SEC, which includes 60 hurdles (Barrett Nugent, 7.83), 60 hurdles (Tenaya Jones, 8.38), high jump (Brittani Carter, 6-0 ½), pole vault (Josh Dominguez and Marcus McGehee, 17-3), and long jump (Jennifer Clayton, 20-4 ¼).

This weekend's dual meet scoring format awards points to the top two finishers for each team in running and field events and awards points for one relay per school in the 4 x 400 and distance medley relay. Event points are awarded on a 5-3-2-1 format and 5-3 in relays. With 159 points on offer, the first team to reach 80 points will claim the dual meet win.

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