The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
NCAA Indoor Championships
Men's Track and Field solid on day one of NCAA Indoor meet
03.08.2013 | Track & Field / Cross Country m, Track & Field / Cross Country
March 8, 2013
NCAA Indoor Championships links | Schedule | Start List - Day Two | Live Results | NCAA Championships Notes (PDF)
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Hayden Baillio put Texas in the scoring column on the opening day of the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, while Johannes Hock and Keiron Stewart closed in on earning points.
Baillio, one of four Longhorns earning bids to the two-day meet at Arkansas, finished seventh in the shot put Friday with a toss of 62-6 (19.05m), earning two points and claiming his fourth first team All-America honor.
Stewart is line for his fifth first team All-America nod after he clocked a school-record time of 7.63 in the semifinals of the 60-meter hurdles. He automatically advanced to Saturday's final by finishing second in the second heat, trailing only Eddie Lovett of Florida, who blazed home in 7.53, only .02 off the NCAA meet record.
Hock is in good position to score in the seven-event heptathlon. The 2013 Big 12 Champion, who is fourth with 3,279 points, posted the second-best mark in the shot put and was third in the 60 meters, the opening event of the day.
Hock, one of only two freshmen in the 16-man field, matched his personal best in the 60 with a time of 7.03. His toss of 49-1 1/2 (14.97m) in the shot was off his career best of 51-1 set at last month's conference meet.
He was in second place after three events, but lost ground in the high jump, one of the best events for a number of competitors.
Hock cleared 6-2 3/4, which was just one and one-quarter inch of his career best, but 10 athletes went higher, including Garrett Scantling of Georgia and Japheth Cato of Wisconsin who each went 6-11 (2.11m) to tie for first.
"He didn't quite get what he wanted in the high jump or shot put, but still a very, very solid day," head coach Bubba Thornton said. "There's going to be a real battle tomorrow. There's only 100 points separating second through seventh place."
Hock will compete in the 60-meter hurdles, pole vault and 1,000 meters on Saturday.
Hock is especially strong in the pole vault, having posted a personal-best clearance of 16-1 3/4 (4.92m) at the Big 12 meet when he posted 5,858 points which was the fifth-best total in the nation this season.
Baillio, a senior, was fourth after the preliminary round of the shot put, but was unable to improve on his second throw of the day. He had a season-best toss of 64-5 (19.63m) in capturing the Big 12 title two weeks ago. That mark ranked No. 7 on the national regular-season performance list.
"I'm really happy for Hayden Baillio to make the finals and become an All-American, but I felt like there were some points left on the table," Thornton said.
Joe Stilin was the fourth competitor of the day for the Longhorns. The senior transfer finished 11th in the prelims of the mile in 4:02.04, but only 10 qualified for Saturday's final.
"Joe Stilin gave it a shot," Thornton said. "I really appreciate what he's done for our program. I don't think he has anything to feel bad about.
Stilin graduated from Princeton last year and had one season of indoor eligibility remaining. He ended up setting Texas school records in both the mile and 3,000 meters.
Stewart is no stranger to the 60mh NCAA final. He finished fourth in 2011 when he clocked a time of 7.68.
The senior has run two of the three fastest times in school history this season. He matched what was then his own school record (7.66) in winning last month's Big 12 title.
Saturday's action gets underway at 11 a.m. CST from Randal Tyson Track Center.
ESPN3 will stream the meet live from 6 to 8:30 p.m. CST. A tape delay of the championship will air Sunday, March 17 from 6 to 8 p.m. on ESPNU.
TEXAS ENTRIES/RESULTS- NCAA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS (All times Central)
Fayetteville, Ark. - Randal Tyson Track Center
Friday, March 8 - Results
- Mile Semis: 11. Joe Stilin, 4:02.04
- 60-Meter Hurdles Semis: 3. Keiron Stewart, 7.63
- Shot Put: 7. Hayden Baillio, 62-6 (19.05m) - 2 points
- 60 Meters (Heptathlon): 5. Johannes Hock, 7.03 (872)
- Long Jump (Heptathlon): 3. Johannes Hock 24-2.50/7.38m (905)
- Shot Put (Heptathlon): 2. Johannes Hock, 49-1.50/14.97m (788)
- High Jump (Heptathlon): t-11. Johannes Hock, 6-2.75/1.90m (714)
- Heptathlon - Through Four Events: 4. Johannes Hock, 3,279
Saturday, March 9 - Entries
- Heptathlon (11 a.m.): Johannes Hock
- 60-Meter Hurdles Final (6:30 p.m.): Keiron Stewart
