North Texas will begin the Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships today at Fouts Field with what amounts to an ace in the hole.

UNT has several athletes who are expected to compete for individual championships and was picked to finish second in the women’s team race in the coaches’ pre-meet poll. If the Mean Green performs to expectations, it could be in position to put its title hopes in the hands of its 4x400-meter relay team.

Chi Chi Echebelem

The UNT women won the event in the indoor championships earlier this year and also captured the race at last season’s outdoor meet. The UNT men also have a strong team in the event.

“Both of our relays have a chance to win conference and make it to the NCAA championships,” UNT sprints coach Sammy Dabbs said. “The relay is one of the strengths of our team. Not everyone can put four people out there who are as good as the four we can put in the race.”

Both of UNT’s 4x400-meter relay teams enter the weekend with the second-best time in the conference. UNT women have posted a time of 3:39.35, while the UNT men have run a 3:08.95.

Both trail Western Kentucky, which was picked to win both the men’s and women’s team titles. The UNT men are picked to finish fourth in the team race that could come down to the 4x400 relays at the end of the weekend.

Watkins said he will decide who to enter in the relays after taking a look at which of his runners make the finals in other events. He will have several good options for both teams after developing a deep pool of experienced athletes to from which to choose.

“We have had a consistent team for the last couple of years,” UNT’s Chi Chi Echebelem said. “We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.”

The UNT women won the relay during the outdoor season last year and also picked up the title in the event in the indoor season earlier this year. The Mean Green will look to build on that run of success Sunday in what could be a tight race with WKU.

“We like the way we are running in the mile relay,” said Ciara Smith, who has run on UNT’s relay team throughout the year. “We ran a regional qualifying time at TCU a couple of weeks ago and there was only one other team in the race. We will have other teams to push us this week, which will help us.”

The Mean Green will depend on a few other athletes to provide enough points to be in contention for both the men’s and women’s team titles by the time the relay rolls around.

Lauren Wiggins and Alysha Adams are ranked first and second in the 100-meter hurdles. Wiggins is also rated third in the 100-meter dash. Brandi Stanfield has the top mark in the long jump and is second in the triple jump. Alana Tyler ranks second in the hammer throw.

The UNT men have the top two qualifiers in the high jump in Toby Edwards and Jermaine Jamison.

“We have a chance in the team races,” Watkins said. “We are running well and our confidence level is high. We finished third indoors in both the girls and guys team races, but neither group was satisfied with that.”

UNT is hoping it can put itself in position to win the team titles when its 4x400-meter relay teams are on the track.

“The relay is the last event,” Smith said. “You can have a bad meet and still have a chance to represent your team and make up for things that happened earlier.”

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com .

sun belt track meet schedule

Friday

Multi events

9 a.m. — Decathlon

9:30 a.m. — Heptathlon

Field events

2 p.m. — Women’s discus

4:30 p.m. — Men’s discus

6 p.m. — Women’s pole vault

Running events

9 p.m. — Men’s 10,000-meter run

9:45 p.m. — Women’s 10,000-meter run

Saturday

Multi events

9 a.m. — Decathlon

9:30 a.m. — Heptathlon

Field events

12:30 p.m. — Women’s long jump

3 p.m. — Women’s shot put

3 p.m. — Men’s long jump

5 p.m. — Women’s high jump

6 p.m. — Men’s shot put

Running events

6 p.m. — Women’s 100 hurdles prelims

6:15 p.m. — Men’s 100 hurdles prelims

6:30 p.m. — Women’s 400 prelims

6:45 p.m. — Men’s 400 prelims

7 p.m. — Women’s 100 prelims

7:15 p.m. — Men’s 100 prelims

7:30 p.m. — Women’s 800 prelims

7:45 p.m. — Men’s 800 prelims

8 p.m. — Women’s 400 hurdles prelims

8:15 p.m. — Men’s 400 hurdles prelims

8:30 p.m. — Women’s 200 prelims

8:45 p.m. — Men’s 200 prelims

9 p.m. — Women’s 3000 steeplechase

9:25 p.m. — Men’s 3000 steeplechase

Sunday

Field events

12 p.m. — Men’s hammer throw

12 p.m. — Men’s pole vault

12 p.m. — Women’s javelin

12 p.m. — Women’s triple jump

3 p.m. — Women’s hammer throw

3 p.m. — Men’s triple jump

3 p.m. — Men’s javelin

6 p.m. — Men’s high jump

Running events

6 p.m. — Women’s 4x100 relay

6:05 p.m. — Men’s 4x100 relay

6:15 p.m. — Women’s 1500

6:25 p.m. — Men’s 1500

6:40 p.m. — Women’s 100 hurdles

6:45 p.m. — Men’s 110 hurdles

6:55 p.m. — Women’s 400

7 p.m. — Men’s 400

7:10 p.m. — Women’s 100

7:15 p.m. — Men’s 100

7:25 p.m. — Women’s 800

7:30 p.m. — Men’s 800

7:40 p.m. — Women’s 400 hurdles
7:45 p.m. — Men’s 400 hurdles

7:55 p.m. — Women’s 200

8 p.m. — Men’s 200

8:10 p.m. — Women’s 5000

8:30 p.m. — Men’s 5000

8:55 p.m. — Women’s 4x400 relay

9 p.m. — Men’s 4x400 relay