Track & Field Report: Henry & Ags venture to Baton Rouge this weekend

Texas A&M Track & Field has spent the last couple of weeks in Los Angeles, and now the Aggies are preparing for a big-time meet in Baton Rouge. On Tuesday morning, head coach Pat Henry joined for another edition of the Track & Field Report ahead of LSU Alumni Gold weekend.

Key notes from Pat Henry interview

• Traveling for a year is definitely hard. Having to travel every single week is different for sure. The seniors, you know they are having to do their last year at other places. We went through this when I first started. We couldn’t host a track meet here because we didn’t have an indoor, and that doesn't build your sport within your own community.
   
• The youngsters like Camryn Dickson have really continued to get a little bit better each meet, which is what we want. She's a short sprinter. She ran a personal-best 23.12 in the 200m.
   
• Sanu Jallow does the 800m and 400m. She's in the top 12 across the country. She ran a personal best in the 800m at 2:05.68 to finish second.
   
• Jaiya Covington, she's doing really great. She is the top freshman int he country in the 100m hurdles.
   
• DeMarco Escobar is great. He ran a 45.58 split in the 4x400m.
   
• Jack Mann III is the No. 3 freshman in the pole vault right now.
   
• Here's a name you probably have never heard: Thatcher Frankfather. He's a decathlon and No. 3 in the country. Landon Helms is in that top five as well. Blake Harris is ranked No. 7 in the decathlon. I’m pleased with our young people for sure. It's a positive thing though having all these freshmen. It takes a little time for some people and freshmen have a tough time stepping in and being a contributor, but these kids are doing great.
   
• We just went to a tremendous facility at a junior college. It's as good as anywhere in the country. Oregon has a great facility, but as far as managing an NCAA Championship, it's an outstanding place. We also had a great team effort there as well. You know they didn't keep a score at this meet which is always frustrating, but if they had, we would have won.
   
• We are going back to LSU this weekend. What makes Baton Rouge so special and competitive is the great traditions they have and its fan base. It took us a long time to get it there. They are passionate about their sports. Their people come out and watch every sport. They have some really good things going on there. I think it's a great place. I have a lot of passion for LSU, but A&M is better all around. A&M is a better place academically and athletically, and the facilities are better. It's just a better place overall. LSU is a good place, but not as good as here.
   
• This weekend we traveled with a group of about 20. We sent them back, and then we had a group there that stayed until Sunday. But I told them that I don't care what's on paper. Yeah, you may be ranked No. 6, but you still have to do it on that day. You still have to line up next to that individual and say, “Am I going to whip this guy, or is he going to whip me?”
   
• The national meet scores are like SEC meets. It’s 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, then 1. The difference between the SEC and the national championship is that the SEC is a huge team meet. When you go to the national championship, it comes down to elite performances. It’s about the best of the best scoring, and you get people from all over the country. It's a different element, and you may just have one great javelin thrower that affects everything.
   
• The SEC is the elite of the elite. No matter who you are, I continue to be astounded by the performances on those days. Every year. Young people in athletics are getting better and better every year.
   
• We have one or two athletes that we have to get a little more healthy because one or two makes all the difference in the world. We are competitive, and we've had teams that won the national championship that didn't win the SEC championship. It’s good. It’s a tough championship.