The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Big 12 Outdoor Championships
Malone and Lucas win long jump and high jump titles on second day of Big 12 Championships
05.15.2010 | Track & Field / Cross Country w, Track & Field / Cross Country
May 15, 2010
Results | Sunday's Heat Sheets 
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COLUMBIA, Mo. -- University of Texas junior Chantel Malone completed her sweep of the 2010 Big 12 long jump titles and sophomore Victoria Lucas earned her first high jump crown Saturday afternoon on the second day of the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Texas currently sits in second place with 35 points heading into Sunday's finals.
Malone posted the winning jump of 21-0.5 (6.41m) on her third attempt to tie her PR and become the fifth athlete in Big 12 history to sweep both the indoor and outdoor long jump crowns. The junior, who set the meet record during the indoor league championship en route to winning her first Big 12 title, is the first Horn to win the outdoor event since 2006 and the eighth in UT history.
Lucas was part of a Longhorn trio that picked up 22 points in the high jump with her winning clearance of 5-8.75 (1.75m). The sophomore is the second-straight UT athlete to win the outdoor event following Destinee Hooker who claimed the title a year ago. Texas now has a league-leading seven high jump titles at the outdoor meet.
Freshman Alicia Peterson, who hadn't competed in the high jump since high school, finished in second place with her mark of 5-7 (1.70m). Peterson was one of five athletes to clear the height, but had no misses on her attempts, giving her second place. Sophomore Beverly Owoyele was the third Horn to score in the event, also clearing 5-7 (1.70m) for fifth, earning her first All-Big 12 honor.
Sophomore Okwukwe Okolie also picked up her first career All-Big 12 honor with a seventh-place finish in the discus. Okolie posted a mark of 160-3 (48.84m) to earn the Longhorns two points in the team race.
Before the high jump, Peterson was one of three Longhorns to qualify for the 400m finals. Sophomores Angele Cooper and Stacey-Ann Smith won their heats in 53.02 and 53.62 to automatically qualify them for the final while Peterson's 54.64 was the seventh-best time of the three heats earning her a spot in Sunday's 4:35 p.m. CT race.
Cooper also qualified for the 400m hurdles final, clocking the fastest time of the day in 58.37. Junior Betzy Jimenez earned a spot in Sunday's 1,500m final with her time of 4:24.86 for fourth-place in the prelims.
Nebraska currently leads the team race with 59 points, followed by Texas (35 points), Texas A&M (33 points), Iowa State (32 points) and Kansas (25 points).
The final day of the league meet gets started at 2 p.m. Central on Sunday with the triple jump. Finals of the running events will begin at 3 p.m.
POST MEET QUOTES
Head Coach Bev Kearney
On the overall production on the second day: The overall production of the team was extremely good. We don't have a lot of quantity, so we're trying to do well off of quality of points and I think that we're doing that. We're real excited about where we are as a team.
On Chantel Malone winning the long jump: In this kind of weather, in these circumstances in a conference this competitive, it's always a blessing to see an athlete come out on top especially one who has worked as hard as Chantel. For her to come out with a win in 50 degree weather in pouring down rain is amazing.
On Angele Cooper qualifying in the 400m and 400m hurdles: This is the ironman double. She's excited about it. She had the second fastest time in the 400m and first in the 400m hurdles so I think she's doing a heck of a job with it.
On getting 22 points out of the high jump: To get three high jumpers to go 1, 2, 5 is amazing. My hat's off to Alicia [Peterson] who qualified in the quarter mile and then came back to finish second in the high jump and to Victoria [Lucas] for winning her first conference title.
Junior Chantel Malone
On sweeping the 2010 Big 12 long jump titles: I'm very excited. It's a great accomplishment and I just want to continue my hard work and hope that it continues to pay off the rest of this year into my senior year. The goal was to get it in my first three jumps before I ran the 400m,so I was really excited to get it on my third attempt.
TEXAS RESULTS (q-qualified for finals, !-personal best)
Long jump
1. Chantel Malone, 21-0.5 (6.41m)!-Big 12 Champion
High Jump
1. Victoria Lucas, 5-8.75 (1.75m)-Big 12 Champion
2. Alicia Peterson, 5-7 (1.70m)!
5. Beverly Owoyele, 5-7 (1.70m)!
Discus
7. Owkukwe Okolie, 160-3 (48.84m)
11. Jordyn Brown, 153-00 (46.63m)
13. Akua Sencherey, 150-3 (46.63m)!
20. Amanda Van Dyke, 132-8 (40.45m)
400m prelims
2. Angele Cooper, 53.02q
3. Stacey-Ann Smith, 53.62q
7. Alicia Peterson, 54.64q
11. Chantel Malone, 55.35
400m hurdles prelims
1. Angele Cooper, 58.37q
9. Ashley Starks, 1:01.74!
1,500m prelims
4. Betzy Jimenez, 4:24.86q
19. Julie Amthor, 4:37.72
21. Lauren Salisbury, 4:42.57
100m hurdles prelims
11. Ashley Starks, 14.05
