The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Six members of Women's Track & Field family celebrate graduation
05.16.2013 | Track & Field / Cross Country w, Track & Field / Cross Country
May 16, 2013
Mallory Majcher, Texas Media Relations
AUSTIN, Texas -- Six members of the Women's Track & Field family will earn their degrees from The University of Texas this weekend. Chalonda Goodman, Kendra Chambers, Mia Behm, Akua Sencherey, Katie Hoaldridge and Shanay Briscoe will cross the stage into the next chapter in their lives.
Sprinter Goodman, a product of Newnan, Ga., will graduate from the McCombs School of Business with a bachelor's degree in marketing. A nod to her diligence in the classroom, she has been named to the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll during seven semesters of her academic career and is a two-time USTFCCCA Division I All-Academic team and three-time Academic All-Big 12 team member.
On the track, Goodman is part of UT's 4x100-meter relay team, which currently ranks second in the West Region and fourth in the nation. She also ranks among the top 20 regionally in both the 100 meters and 200 meters and will look to qualify for the NCAA Championships in all three at the region meet May 23-25 in Austin.
Although Goodman has accepted a full-time marketing associate position with Texas Instruments following graduation, she plans to continue pursuing her goals as an athlete.
"I still want to run track and continue following my dreams of running in the Olympics," Goodman said. "That has been my dream since I was seven."
Chambers, a transfer from UTEP and an El Paso native, joined the Longhorns after her freshman year. The sprinter will earn her degree in corporate communication from the College of Communication.
Chambers is a four-time USTFCCCA All-American and four-time Big 12 indoor champion in the 600 yards (twice), 4x400-meter relay and distance medley relay. She, along with three other teammates, is ranked second in the West Region in the 4x400-meter relay with a time of 3:27.65. Chambers also stands at No. 13 in the NCAA West Region in the 800 meters with a season-best time of 2:05.25.
Behm, a distance specialist from Tyler, Texas, will earn her degree from the College of Communication in advertising. During her tenure at Texas, she was a 2011 USTFCCCA first team All-American as the runner-up in the 5,000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships and was also an All-American in cross country in 2010. Behm has been named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team five times in her career and is also a two-time USTFCCCA Division I All-Academic team honoree in cross country.
After missing the past two outdoor seasons due to multiple injuries, Behm competed in her final outdoor season in 2013. She finished second in the 5,000 meters and third in the 10,000 meters at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships and was also All-Big 12 in the 5,000m at the league indoor meet. She will look to advance to the NCAA Championships in the 5,000 at the West Region meet next weekend.
Sencherey, a thrower from Jackson, Texas, will also graduate from the College of Communication with an advertising degree. Reflecting on her time on the Forty Acres, she feels that being a student-athlete has been a significant factor in shaping her growth as a person and a college student.
"Being an athlete does not define who I am," Sencherey said, "but it is a big part of my college experience that I will cherish forever."
Sencherey is a three-time Academic All-Big 12 First team honoree and was named to the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll during all eight semesters of her academic career.
Middle distance specialist Hoaldridge, of Burleson, Texas, will graduate from the College of Communication with a degree in Radio-Television-Film. Hoaldridge will vie for her first NCAA Championship berth in the 800 meters at the West Region meet after shedding more than five seconds off of her personal best in the event at the Texas Invitational in April to qualify regionally, finishing in 2:06.81.
Hoaldridge is a three-time All-Big 12 honoree, most recently finishing sixth in the 800 meters at the 2013 conference outdoor meet. After crossing fourth in the 1,000 meters at the league indoor meet, she took over the eighth spot in the event on the UT All-Time Performers List with a time of 2:49.47.
Following graduation, Hoaldridge will complete a semester-long internship in Los Angeles this fall with the Radio-Television-Film department's UTLA program to pursue her interest in sound design and record production. Hoaldridge will then return to the Forty Acres in the spring of 2014 to complete her final season of eligibility outdoors.
High jumper Briscoe, a Houston native who will cross the stage after only three years as a Longhorn, will earn her degree in marketing from the McCombs School of Business. Her outdoor season-best mark of 6 feet (1.83 meters) ranks her fourth in the West Region heading into the regional meet.
Briscoe is a five-time Big 12 high jump champion and a four-time USTFCCCA All-American in high jump. She also picked up second team All-America and All-Big 12 First Team honors in the pentathlon during the 2013 indoor season.
Briscoe is a two-time Academic All-Big 12 First Team selection and was named to the Capital One Academic All-District Second Team in the spring of 2012.
This group of elite athletes has not only demonstrated success on the field, but in the classroom at Texas, which will carry them as they go forward in their lives.
"It is such an amazing feeling to wear a Texas uniform," said Chambers, "but also an incredible feeling to have been a student at such an amazing school."