The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Big 12 Indoor Championships
Track & Field seeks sweep at Big 12 Championships
02.25.2015 | Track & Field / Cross Country
Longhorns look to win men's and women's team titles in Ames
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AUSTIN, Texas - Championship season is here for indoor track and field. The Texas Longhorns head to Ames, Iowa, this week to face their rivals at the Big 12 Conference Championships. Action gets underway Friday morning with the team torphies handed out late Saturday afternoon.
Texas enters this week's conference championship meet as the only school in the Big 12 to have both its men's and women's teams ranked in the top five in the nation. The Longhorns are No. 4 on the women's side and the men come in at No. 5 in the latest USTFCCCA Rankings.
Sprints will be a key area for the women with the Longhorns boasting some of the nation's top runners in their respective events. The men look to score big in field events where they have individuals ranked No. 1 or 2 in the league in four of the six field events.
Texas is eyeing a repeat for the women after winning last year in convincing fashion over Baylor. The Big 12 has four teams ranked in the Top 25. Kansas State (6) and Baylor (8) join Texas in the Top 10.
The league is deep on the men's side with seven of the nine teams ranked in the Top 25. (West Virginia does not compete in men's track and field.) Texas Tech (10), Oklahoma State (12) and TCU (14) give the Big 12 four teams in the Top 15 along with the Horns.
After finishing second last year behind Oklahoma State by only four points, the Longhorn men are hoping to win their second title in three years, last winning in 2013.
If Texas can claim the team sweep and win the men's and women's titles, it would be the first Longhorns indoor sweep since 2006. A school has swept the men's and women's titles at the indoor Big 12 meet eight times in the 18-year history of the league. Texas also claimed the men's and women's titles in 1999.
Fans can watch the action live on Big12Sports.com with a live webcast both days. Live results will be provided at deltatiming.com and updates will be available on Twitter by following the handles @UTexasTrack and @big12sports. Fans also are encouraged to follow and interact with the meet by using the hashtag #Big12TF.
Events to Watch
• Women's 200m: Texas has 6 runners ranked in the Top 8 in the league. The Longhorns have the potential to score 20+ points in this event alone.
• Women's 400m: Texas ranks 1-2-3 in the league heading into the meet. Courtney Okolo, Kendall Baisden and Ashley Spencer also all rank in the Top 10 in the NCAA this year. Another event Texas could score 20+ points.
• 3000m/5000m: The long distance events could be valuable for the Longhorns. Craig Lutz comes in as the favorite in the men's 5000m and ranks fifth in the 3000m. Sandie Raines is No. 2 in the women's 5000m and 4th in the 3000m. Mark Pinales, Eduardo Rodriguez and Zach Hamstra also could score for the men in the 5000m.
• Men's Field Events: Texas has the top ranked athlete in 3 of the 6 field events and rank No. 2 in another. The Longhorns look to grab points in these events with high finishes.
• Women's 60m Hurdles: Texas has Morgan Snow ranked No. 2 in the nation. Texas Tech's Le'Tristan Pledger is No. 5 and K-State's Akela Jones is No. 7.
• Men's High Jump: 8 men in the Big 12 have cleared 7 feet this year with another 3 just an inch below. This kind of depth will mean early clearances are key in moving up in position for higher scoring. A point here or there could make a difference.
• Men's Long Jump: Basil Fares was No. 1 in the Big 12 until this weekend. He stands No. 9 in the NCAA, and Texas Tech's Keniel Grant is No. 5. Fares looks to be the first long jumper to win the Big 12 title since Olympian Marquise Goodwin in 2012.
Texas Track & Field Notebook
Longhorns Both in Top Five
• This week the men and women both held their spots in the Top Five of the USTFCCCA Rankings
• The rankings last week began to only take marks into account from the current season, except for the combined events (pentathlon/heptathlon)
• The Longhorn men are at No. 5 while the women stand at No. 4.
• Texas is among four schools that have their men and women ranked in the Top Five.
• The Big 12 Conference is well represented in the Top 25 with seven men's teams and four women's teams ranked this week. Three of the women's teams are No. 8 or better and all four are in the Top 20. Texas Tech (10) joins Texas in the men's Top 10 this week after Oklahoma State fell from No. 9 to No. 12.
Standard Bearers
• Texas currently holds seven collegiate records combined among the men and women. The nearest competitor is Arizona and Colorado with five.
Women's 4x400 Leaves Competition Behind
• In a heat loaded with the No. 2, 3, 4 and 5 times in the NCAA, the Texas Longhorns women's 4x400 meter relay left Clemson, Arkansas and Florida behind to win at the Tyson Invitational.
• The team of Morolake Akinosun, Ashley Spencer, Courtney Okolo and Kendall Baisden combined to run 3:29.36 for the No. 1 time in the nation this year.
• It is the No. 1 time by nearly three seconds and ranks No. 10 in NCAA history.
Bilderback Breaks Record
• Zack Bilderback crossed the line in 45.95 seconds to finish third in the men's 400 meters at the Tyson Invitational.
• He broke his own record of 46.03 seconds set last year.
• Bilderback ranks No. 1 in the Big 12 by more than half a second and is No. 5 in the NCAA.
Lutz Breaks School Record in 5000m
• Craig Lutz was up against stiff competition at the Husky Classic two weeks ago and ran his way to a new school record 13:40.30 and finished third.
• His time also stands at No. 6 in the NCAA this season.
Crouser No. 1 in World
• NCAA champion Ryan Crouser posted a world-leading mark of 20.95 meters (68-9.00) at the UW Invitational (Jan. 31) earlier this season to pace the rest of the competition.
• Crouser was named Big 12 Conference Athlete of the Week for his performance at UW.
• He won the invitational shot put competition at the Tyson Invitational (Feb. 14) with the top six throwers in the NCAA in the field with a mark of 20.66 meters (67-9.50).
400m Depth
• The women's team boasts three returning first team All-Americans in the 400m
• Courtney Okolo is No. 1 in the world currently with her time of 51.35 seconds at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic.
• Okolo was recognized as Big 12 Co-Athlete of the Week for her win at UNM.
• Kendall Baisden is No. 3, clocking in at 51.81 seconds to win at the Rod McCravy Memorial.
• Ashley Spencer ran her first 400m race of the season to finish sixth at Tyson Invitational.
• Spencer's time of 52.46 seconds ranks 10th in the NCAA this season.
• Spencer and Okolo represent the last three NCAA outdoor titles in the 400m.
Fares & Phynn Leap into Contention
• Long jumper Basil Fares posted a new personal best mark to win the Tyson Invitational.
• His jump of 7.79 meters (25-6.75) was tops in the Big 12 at the time and moved him into the top 10 in the nation this year.
• Triple jumper Nick Phynn won the Tyson Invitational with a PR of 15.89 meters (52-1.75).
• Phynn posted personal bests on each of his first three jumps.
• Phynn leads the Big 12 Conference and ranks 14th in the NCAA this season.
Snow Running Hot
• In a field stacked with elite hurdlers, Morgan Snow finished second at Tyson Invitational with a new personal best time of 8.07 seconds.
• Her time of 8.07 seconds also stands No. 2 in the NCAA this season.
• Snow looks to be the first UT woman to win the 60m hurdles at the Big 12 meet since 2004.
Longhorns Surprise Field in Men's 4x400
• The men's 4x400 meter relay team of Byron Robinson, Zack Bilderback, Senoj-Jay Givans and Chris Irvin wowed the crowd at the Tyson Invitational with a dominating win in their heat.
• The time of 3:06.76 was just .11 of the school record and is now the No. 1 time in the Big 12 this year and is No. 7 in the NCAA.
Raines Moves Up in 5000m
• Sandie Raines ran No. 2 time in school history at the Husky Classic (Feb. 14). Her time of 15:50.49 was less than half a second from breaking the record in the 5000m.
• Raines finished third against an NCAA Championship caliber field as well and now ranks eighth in the nation this season.
2015 The Bowerman Watch List
The most prestigious award in collegiate track and field, The Bowerman, is awarded by the USTFCCCA annually to the top male and female track and field star annually. Since its inception in 2009, the winners combined to win three Olympic medals in 2012.
• 3-time NCAA champion Ryan Crouser is on the men's February watch list.
• NCAA outdoor 400m champ Courtney Okolo is on the women's February watch list.
• Kendall Baisden, Ashley Spencer and Johannes Hock are receiving votes for the watch lists.
Givans Named Big 12 Athlete of the Week
• Sophomore Senoj-Jay Givans was named the Big 12 Men's Athlete of the Week (2/11) thanks to his victory in the 60 meters at the New Mexico Collegiate Classic.
• He ran a personal best 6.62 seconds to edge out runners from SEC power LSU.
• His time now stands at No. 14 on the NCAA list this year.
Cross Country Makes the Grade
• Sandie Raines and Will Nation each were named to the USTFCCCA All-Academic Team this week. Raines was an all-region performer and holds a 3.58 GPA in psychology. Nation also earn all-region honors and carries a 3.36 GPA in computer science.
• Both the men's and women's teams were recognized as USTFCCCA All-Academic Teams by holding a high team GPA. The women boast a 3.49 as a team, which ranks second in the Big 12. The men have a team GPA of 3.07.
Watson Soaring for Longhorns
• Reese Watson has posted a PR three times this season.
• Most recently he finished seventh in the invitational pole vault at the Tyson Invitational.
• Finished fourth behind three professionals at the UNM Collegiate Classic, clearing 5.51 meters (18-1.00). That mark ranks No. 8 in the NCAA this season.
• Watson won the UW Invitational, clearing 5.46 meters (17-11.00).
Akinosun Winning in Style
• Sprinter Morolake Akinosun opened the season with a pair of wins in the 60 meters. She did it against a field of NCAA title contenders at the Rod McCravy Memorial (Jan. 14) with a time of 7.22 seconds.
• Akinosun bested three runners who were in the NCAA final last year in that win.
• Akinosun opened the year with a win at the Arkansas-Texas Dual in 7.27 seconds.
• She ranks No. 4 in the nation so far this season in the 60m with her time of 7.21 seconds in a runner-up finish at the Tyson Invitational.
Golden Kendall
• Sophomore Kendall Baisden won two gold medals this summer at the 2014 IAAF World Junior Championships. She won the 400m and ran a leg of the victorious 4x400m relay for Team USA
Players Mentioned
