The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Hall of Honor
- Induction:
- 2018
- Class:
- 2018
Arguably the most accomplished distance runner in Longhorns history, Leo Manzano was a five-time NCAA Champion, 10-time conference champion, 11-time All-American and a two-time Olympian. A native of Mexico who immigrated to the United States when he was 4 years old, Manzano came to Texas in time for the 2005 season after winning nine 4A state championships at Marble Falls High School. He immediately made an impact with the Longhorns, winning the NCAA Outdoor title in the 1,500 meters as a freshman. He went on to win National Championships in the mile at both the 2007 and 2008 NCAA Indoor and the 2008 Indoor distance medley relay before concluding his career with the NCAA Outdoor 1,500-meter title. Manzano finished his career with the top five indoor mile times in Texas history and his 1,500-meter UT school record of 3:35.29 still stands. At the 2007 Big 12 Championships, he became just the second Longhorn to eclipse the four-minute mile barrier indoors and broke a 24-year-old UT record with a 3:58.78 clocking. Outdoors, in addition to still holding the UT record in the 1,500 meters, he's posted the top three and six of the top ten 1,500-meter times ever by a Longhorn. As a member of a highly successful Distance Medley Relay squad during his career, he helped Texas set the school record in 2007 (9:29.60) and anchored them to three straight victories (2006-08) at the prestigious Penn Relays. Manzano was named the 2008 Athlete of the Year by the US Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). He helped Texas to a second-place finish at the 2006 NCAA Outdoor Championships and a pair of third-place finishes (2007 and 2008) at the NCAA Indoor meet. All totaled, UT finished among the top four nationally five times (seven in top 10) in his eight NCAA Championships. He became the first-ever Longhorn to make the U.S. Olympic squad in the 1,500 meters at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. At the 2012 London Olympic games, Manzano won the silver medal in the 1,500 meters, the first American to earn a medal in the event since 1968. He has also earned 10 medals at the USA Outdoor Championships, including gold in the 1,500 meters in both 2012 (Eugene) and 2014 (Sacramento). He won gold in the 1,500 meters at the USA Indoor Championships in both 2010 and 2012. A longtime, annual competitor at the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, Manzano set the record for the Jerry Thompson Mile in 2008 (3:56.98) and still owns the meet record for the mile in the high school boys division with a time of 4:06.29. He has twice been named the Texas Relays Most Outstanding Performer, doing so in 2003 and as a senior at Texas in 2008. A 2008 graduate of UT with a degree in Spanish and Portuguese, Manzano continues to compete professionally and trains in Austin. He remains very active in community events in Marble Falls and the Austin area.
