The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Women's Track and Field's DMR shatters school record at Big 12 Indoor Championships
02.29.2008 | XC: Women_Old, Track & Field / Cross Country
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LINCOLN, Neb. -- The No. 12 Texas Women's Track and Field team saw its distance-medley relay record broken for the second time in six seasons as the quartet clocked 11:19.93 on day one of the 2008 Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championships.
The distance-medley relay team shattered the school record by nearly five seconds and finished second in an NCAA provisional time of 11:19.53. The quartet shattered the Texas best mark of 11:24.97 set at the 2003 Big 12 Championship race. The group scored eight points towards the Longhorns' team score of 19 points (sixth-place).
Host-school Nebraska leads with 49.50 points after six scored events on day one. Kansas is second with 33 points ahead of Kansas State (26 points), Texas Tech (24) and Missouri (22).
Senior Mariya Townswick (Briarcliff, Texas) ran the opening 1,200-meter segment for the DMR, keeping UT in the top four teams through the first handoff. She exchanged with senior Temeka Kincy (Indianapolis, Ind.) who moved the Longhorns into the top-two teams during the 400-meter segment. Junior Katara Rosby (Baton Rouge, La.) took the baton from Kincy for the 800 portion of the race and handed off to anchor Betzy Jimenez (Hereford, Texas) with the race leaders - Baylor and Missouri. Second-year Horn Jimenez sprinted the final 1,600-meters to give UT the second-place showing and school-best time.
Junior All-American Alexandria Anderson (Chicago, Ill.) added to the point total with a runner-up finish in the long jump. She landed in 19-9 (6.02m) for eight points in the event. Freshman Chantel Malone (Tortola, British Virgin Islands) chipped in two points with a seventh-place performance (19-1.5/5.83m).
Earlier in the day, Anderson neared the Big 12 meet record of 7.21 (held by Texas ex Sanya Richards) with her performance in the 60-meter preliminaries. Anderson, the reigning Big 12 champion in the event, automatically qualified in leading all advancers to the finals with a time of 7.22 seconds. Anderson set a new personal best and improved on her fourth-place standing on UT's all-time performers' list.
Anderson ended the first day with a qualifying time in the 200. She sprinted around the banked track in 23.43 seconds to finish among the top eight runners.
Freshman Bianca Knight (Ridgeland, Miss.) will join Anderson in the 60 and 200 finals. Knight led the first 60-meter heat in 7.31 seconds. She returned to run the 200 qualifier in 23.38.
Sophomore Asia Myrland (Verona, Wisc.) rounded out the scoring-effort with a point in the 5,000-meter run. She earned All-Big 12 honors with an eighth-place finish in 17:10.11.
Prior to running the DMR, Jimenez, Townswick, Rosby and Kincy competed in open events.
In the mile, Jimenez advanced to the preliminaries with a time of 4:50.87. Townswick ran a personal-best 4:55.87 to finish just two spots out of the finals.
Rosby ran the sixth-fastest 1,000-meter time in program history. Her time of 2:50.41 was the third-fastest in the preliminary round and qualified her for the final.
Kincy led the 800-meter pack headed to tomorrow's championships. She paced the group with a 2:10.89 performance.
Houston native Alandra Sherman qualified for the 60-meter hurdles finals. The senior finished in 8.56 for the seventh spot in tomorrow's event championship.
Junior Kira Robinson (Denver, Colo.) and freshman Kristin Schulz (The Woodlands, Texas) competed in the heptathlon earlier in the day. Robinson scored 2,917 points for 17th-place and Schulz totaled 2,856 points through five events for 19th.
The Longhorns return to the track tomorrow to crown a team champion at the 2008 Big 12 Championship.
POSTMEET QUOTES
HEAD COACH BEV KEARNEY
On team's overall performance after day one: The people who needed to get through got through for us. We needed a little more fire today than we got but we fought through it. Losing [pole vaulter] Ashley [Laughlin] was tough because we counted her points. She got out there and tried but that's an example of our team being hindered by injuries. We came back with the distance medley relay team. They added the emotional spark that we needed. Tomorrow is important; we have to bring it in the finals.
On the distance-medley relay team's record-breaking performance: They did a fantastic job today. We had four of our strongest athletes out there. If you look at Texas' DMR history, it's an amazing feat for that group. I'm really proud of Mariya who ran a strong first leg. We did a good job of putting our strongest runners in Temeka and Katara in the middle, and our least-experienced runners really came through for us today. Betzy held her composure through the final leg when it would have been easy for her to get rattled. That gave us the spark we needed going into the final day.
FRESHMAN SPRINTER BIANCA KNIGHT
On her performance in the preliminary round of the 60-meter run: I felt pretty good running today. I was relaxed during my race. The plan was to run the prelims like a final but I didn't have enough push. I'm happy I qualified.
JUNIOR SPRINTER AND JUMPER ALEXANDRIA ANDERSON
On scoring points in the long jump: I'm happy I could score points in the long jump. I was pushing for 10 points but I still scored eight which helps our team in the championship race.
On her performance in the 200-meter dash: In running the 200, my main focus was qualifying for tomorrow's finals. I did that so I can go back to the hotel and get some rest for tomorrow's [60m and 200m] finals.
RESULTS
5,000-meter run Finals (A: 16:08; P: 16:45)
1. Lisa Koll (Iowa State), 16:18.87
8. Asia Myrland (Texas), 17:10.11
Distance-medley relay Finals (A: 11:09; P: 11:30)
1. Baylor, 11:19.06A
2. Texas, 11:19.53P
(M. Townswick, T. Kincy, K. Rosby, B. Jimenez)
60-meter preliminaries (A: 7.26; P: 7.44)
p1. Alexandria Anderson (Texas), 7.22A
p3. Bianca Knight (Texas), 7.31P
p16. Alandra Sherman (Texas), 7.74
200-meter preliminaries (A: 23.20; P: 23.90)
p1. Porscha Lucas (Texas A&M), 23.21
p3. Bianca Knight (Texas), 23.43
p4. Alexandria Anderson (Texas), 23.43
400-meter preliminaries (A: 52.40; P: 54.40)
p1. Morgan Bonds (Kansas State), 1:21.49
p15. Jerramesha Reed (Texas), 1:26.59
600-yard preliminaries (non-NCAA sponsored event)
p1. Morgan Bonds (Kansas State), 1:21.49
p15. Jerramesha Reed (Texas), 1:26.59
p16. Jena Cuellar (Texas), 1:27.14
p18. Kelly Heinbaugh (Texas): 1:35.43
800-meter preliminaries (A: 2:05; P: 2:09)
p1. Temeka Kincy (Texas), 2:10.89
p2. Trisa Nickoley (Missouri), 2:12.31
1,000-meter preliminaries (non-NCAA sponsored event)
p1. Nichole Jones (Baylor), 2:50.23
p3. Katara Rosby (Texas), 2:50.41
Mile run preliminaries (A: 4:40; P: 4:48)
p1. Sally Kipyego (Texas Tech), 4:47.31P
p7. Betzy Jimenez (Texas), 4:50.87
p10. Mariya Townswick (Texas), 4:55.91
60-meter hurdles preliminaries (A: 8.14; P: 8.43)
p1. Jennifer Williams (Texas A&M), 8.25
p7. Alandra Sherman (Texas), 8.46
p18. Kira Robinson (Texas), 8.93
Long Jump (A: 6.35m; P: 6.10m)
1. Crystal Manning (Kansas), 19-10.25 (6.05m)
2. Alexandria Anderson (Texas), 19-9 (6.02m)
7. Chantel Malone (Texas), 19-1.5 (5.83m)
Pentathlon (A: 4,050 points; P: 3,700 points)
1. Julianne Kennedy (Texas Tech), 4,085 points
17. Kira Robinson (Texas), 2,917 points
19. Kristin Schulz (Texas), 3,856 points
Pentathlon 800
1. Megan Wheatley (Nebraska), 2:21.95
15. Kristin Schulz (Texas), 2:39.37
18. Kira Robinson (Texas), 3:06.97
Pentathlon 60-meter Hurdles
1. Julianne Kennedy (Texas Tech), 8.56
5. Kira Robinson (Texas), 8.83
18. Kristin Schulz (Texas), 9.76
Pentathlon High Jump
1. Julianne Kennedy (Texas Tech), 5-10 (1.78m)
T7. Kristin Schulz (Texas), 5-3 (1.60m)
T9. Kira Robinson (Texas), 5-1.75 (1.57m)
Pentathlon Shot Put
1. Julianne Kennedy (Texas Tech), 42-0.75 (12.82m)
18. Kristin Schulz (Texas), 26-4.25 (8.03m)
19. Kira Robinson (Texas), 24-3.75 (7.41m)
Pentathlon Long Jump
1. Chantae McMillan (Nebraska), 19-2 (5.84m)
12. Kira Robinson (Texas), 16-11.5 (5.17m)
19. Kristin Schulz (Texas), 14-1.75 (4.31m)
