The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
NCAA Indoor Championships
Hooker sets high jump collegiate record to win first NCAA Indoor Title
03.13.2009 | Track & Field / Cross Country w, Track & Field / Cross Country
March 13, 2009
COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- University of Texas high jumper Destinee Hooker made history Friday night at the 2009 NCAA Indoor Championships as she cleared 6-6 to win her first career NCAA Indoor Title at Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium in College Station.
The junior out of San Antonio, Texas shattered a nine-year old collegiate indoor record of 6-5.5, which also stood as an 11-year-old Texas record, and tied the collegiate outdoor record of 6-6. She also out-jumped her personal-best by a full inch and broke the Gilliam Indoor Record that she set two weeks prior en route to winning her third Big 12 Indoor Title.
Senior Alexandria Anderson also competed on the first day of the national meet. Anderson clocked the fastest 60-meter time of the preliminaries to automatically qualify for Saturday's final. She took seven-hundredths of a second off her previous-season best to win her heat in 7.19. The All-American outlasted the likes of Big 12 60-meter Champion Gabby Mayo from Texas A&M to earn one of eight spots in Saturday's final.
Anderson returned to the track for the 200-meter prelims, where she finished first in the third heat with a 23.47. With only the top eight times qualifying for the final, Anderson had to wait through two more heats, which included Mayo and Big 12 Champion Porscha Lucas, to find out that she posted the eighth fastest time and would be racing in the final later in the evening.
Just an hour after qualifying, the senior made her way out to the track once again to compete in her third-straight NCAA 200-meter final. crossed the finish line in a season-best time of 23.11 for fourth place. Anderson earned her 15th career All-American honor, giving her the third-most All-America accolades in Texas history behind Carlette Guidry (23) and Suziann Reid (17).
In the team standings, Texas finished the day in second place with 15 points behind BYU (18). Texas A&M, Penn State and Oregon are all tied for third heading into the final day with 13 points.
Anderson, shot putter Jordyn Brown and the Longhorns 4x400-meter relay team of Anderson, LaKeidra Stewart, Judy Nwosu and Angele Cooper will return to Gilliam Indoor Saturday when events start up at 3:30 p.m. Central. The 2009 NCAA Indoor Championships are also streamed live on ESPN360.com.
FRIDAY'S RESULTS (mr-meet record, cr-collegiate record, !-personal best)
High Jump
1. Destinee Hooker, 6-6!mrcr
60m prelims
1. Alexandria Anderson, 7.19
200m prelims
8. Alexandria Anderson, 23.47
200m finals
4. Alexandria Anderson, 23.11
POST MEET QUOTES
Junior high jumper Destinee Hooker
On winning her first indoor title: I just have one word - Blessing. It truly is a blessing, having the coaches - Bev [Kearney] and [Rose] Brimmer looking over at me and smiling, and then to see my family in the stands, it is just truly a blessing.
On her first indoor title: I say is Elizabeth wasn't jumping as well as she was, I probably wouldn't have had that motivation. It was a good competition for her and me and if we didn't have good competition, I don't know what the outcome would have been.
Senior sprinter Alexandria Anderson
On her 200 performance: I just executed what I tried to do, I wish I would have been in the other heat but you just have to take it for what it is and go in and do what you have to do.
On the 60: I'm feeling good about the 60 and am looking forward to tomorrow just running the 60 and the 4x400. I felt good about the 60, I didn't realize I ran that fast, it was just being natural and staying in my flow and executing my run. That's basically what I was focusing on doing and staying up and running and it came.
