The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Hall of Honor
- Induction:
- 2018
- Class:
- 2018
Sport: Track and Field (1990-94)
Hometown: West Chester, Pa.
A two-time NCAA individual champion and four-time All-American, Telisa Young became one of the top triple jumpers in school history despite an injury earlier in her collegiate career that forced her to avoid jumping for two full seasons. As a freshman (1989-90), she qualified for indoor nationals in both the triple jump and the 400-meter hurdles and placed 11th in the triple jump with a leap of 40-1.25. Young suffered a leg injury during the 1991 indoor season that forced her to miss the majority of the indoor schedule. She returned during the 1991 outdoor season and led the Longhorns to the team title at the Southwest Conference Championships. Young placed second in the 400-meter hurdles and was on the winning 4x400-meter relay at the league's outdoor meet. She also competed in the heptathlon at the 1991 Texas Relays and recorded 5,014 points. She still ranks as the sixth-best performer in the heptathlon in school history. Young sat out the 1991-92 campaign to complete recovery from the leg injury sustained during the 1991 indoor season. After her two-year absence from jumping, Young won the 1993 NCAA Indoor title in the triple jump with a leap of 43-3.50. Named the Most Valuable Athlete by her teammates in the 1992-93 season, she was the individual high point scorer at the SWC Indoor championships. Young won the triple jump and helped the 4x800-meter relay win the title at the league's indoor meet. During the 1993 outdoor season, Young won the 400-meter hurdles at the Texas Relays and finished second in the triple jump at the SWC Championships before earning All-America honors with a sixth-place showing at the NCAA meet. As a senior in 1993-94, she again won the SWC and NCAA Indoor titles in the triple jump and helped the Longhorns tie for third as a team at the NCAA Indoor meet. Her winning mark of 43-3.75 at the national meet still ranks her as the third-best performer in the indoor triple jump in program history. Young won the triple jump and was the individual high point scorer at the SWC Outdoor championships. She concluded her collegiate career by placing second at the NCAA Outdoor meet. Young recorded a career-best leap of 44-4.75 at the national meet, a jump that still ranks her as the second-best performer in the outdoor triple jump in school history. Her effort helped the Longhorns place second as a team at the 1994 NCAA Outdoor Championships. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Youth and Community Studies in 2010. For the past 12-plus years, Young has worked as a teacher and coach at St. Francis School in Austin.
