The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Men's Track and Field captures third at NCAA Outdoor Championships
06.10.2006 | Track & Field / Cross Country m, Track & Field / Cross Country
SACRAMENTO -- Top-five finishes from senior Brian Robison (Splendora, Texas), sophomore Leonel Manzano (Marble Falls, Texas) and freshman Jamaal Charles (Port Arthur, Texas) propelled Texas to a third-place finish Saturday at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the A.G. Spanos Sports Complex. The Longhorns totaled 36 points to finish two points ahead of fourth-place Arkansas. Florida State took the team title with 67 points.
Robison added his second All-America shot put finish this season and just missed out on the national title with a toss of 66-5.25 (20.25m). He finished just 13/4 inches behind top finisher Garrett Johnson of Florida State. The three-time Big 12 shot put and discus champion wraps up his Longhorn career as a two-time All-American.
"Brian has always meant a lot to this program," said UT coach Bubba Thornton. "Here's a guy who was one of the top high school athletes in the state when he came to Texas, but when you come into the collegiate arena, the implements are bigger and you've got to work harder to succeed at this level. He did all the work, and it has been a lot of fun to have him in our program."
Charles capped a tremendous two-sport freshman season with a pair of top-eight finishes in the 100- and 200-meter events. Charles clocked 10.27 in a 0.5 meters-per-second headwind to take fifth in the 100 meters before timing at 21.02 in the 200-meter final for seventh place. Charles completes his first collegiate track season as a four-time All-American (60m indoor, 100m outdoor, 200m outdoor, 4x100m relay outdoor).
"Jamaal ran a great leg on the 4x100-meter relay, beat some terrific 100-meter people today and had the 200 meters going his way before he caught a cramp," said UT coach Bubba Thornton. "The normal track guy would have walked off the track, but Jamaal finished and still placed seventh. It was a really great effort."
Manzano, the reigning NCAA 1500-meter champion, took fourth in the event in 3:44.59. Florida State's Tom Lancashire held a 20-meter lead heading into the homestretch, but Manzano and several others closed the gap over the final 100 meters. Manzano nearly overtook Lancashire as South Alabama's Vincent Rono claimed the win.
Sophomore Jake Morse (Arlington, Texas) wrapped up the meet with a personal best in the 3000-meter steeplechase, placing 12th in 8:46.56. Texas completes a tremendous all-around track and field season with a seventh-place NCAA finish in cross country coupled with a fourth-place finish at the NCAA indoor meet and now a third-place showing at the NCAA outdoor meet. Texas' third-place finish is its best showing at a NCAA outdoor meet since 1997, when the Longhorns placed second. Its 36 points mark the highest NCAA output since the 1997 meet in Bloomington, Ind., when Texas registered 42.5 points.
NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships - Sacramento, Calif.
Day Four Texas Results
! - personal best
Shot Put
2. Brian Robison - 66-5.25 (20.25m)
1500 Meters
4. Leonel Manzano - 3:44.59
100 Meters
5. Jamaal Charles - 10.27 (wind: -0.5)
200 Meters
7. Jamaal Charles - 21.02 (wind: -0.2)
3000-Meter Steeplechase
12. Jake Morse - 8:46.56!
