The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Michael Johnson Invitational
Current, former Track & Field stars head to Waco
04.17.2015 | Track & Field / Cross Country
Okolo, Baisden to face Richards-Ross in 400m
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Complete Notes
AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas Track and Field team heads to Waco this weekend for the Michael Johnson Classic hosted by Baylor. The Longhorns will face a number of teams from the area, including fellow Big 12 Conference foes Texas Tech and TCU.
Action starts at 11 a.m. with field events and running events begin at 1 p.m. The field will feature some of the nation's top collegiate talent as well as a handful of Olympians. Former Texas starts and Olympic medalists Trey Hardee and Sanya Richards-Ross will be in action. Tickets are just $10 for general admission and $5 for children under 18.
It will be Texas past and present on the track for the women's 400 meters. Richards-Ross and 2014 Texas Ex Briana Nelson will be in the same heat with current Longhorns Courtney Okolo and Kendall Baisden. They also will all be next to each other with lane assignments 3-6. It will be the first race of the outdoor season for Richards-Ross.
The Longhorns enter this weekend's meet after a pair of wins at the Texas Invitational. At the home meet, the Longhorns saw a number of impressive performances and look to continue building off that success with the Big 12 Championships a month away. The men won the team scoring competition with 187 points with Minnesota finishing second with 97. The women held off Cal State Northridge 184-152.
Events to Watch: Michael Johnson Clasic
• Women's 400m: Olympic gold medalist and Texas Ex Sanya Richards-Ross will be making her 2015 outdoor debut. In her heat is fellow Texas Ex Briana Nelson and current Longhorn stars Courtney Okolo and Kendall Baisden.
• Men's 400m: Olympic gold medalist and Baylor alumnus Jeremy Wariner will be in action in this event. The professional runner is transitioning to the 800 meters this year in an attempt to qualify for the 2015 IAAF World Championships. He will be back in his element on Saturday along with 2014 Bowerman winner Deon Lendore of Texas A&M. Texas will have 3 runners in the previous heat, including Big 12 champion Zack Bilderback.
• Men's 100m: Speed will be all over the track for the final heat of this event. Baylor's Trayvon Bromell, TCU's Ronnie Baker and UT's Senoj-Jay Givans highlight the collegiates. Former Horned Frog Charles Silmon and former A&M star PJ Hardy also will be in the heat.
• Women's Pole Vault: Year of the Vault continues and this field will have 3 women from the field at the NCAA Indoor Championships, including UT's Kaitlin Petrillose and collegiate indoor record holder Demi Payne of Stephen F. Austin.
Texas Track & Field Notebook
Longhorns Both in Top 10 Nationally
• This week the men and women both hold spots in the top 10 of the USTFCCCA Rankings. The women move up one spot to No. 3 and the men held their spot at No. 6.
• Texas is among six schools that have their men and women ranked in the top 10.
• The Big 12 Conference is well represented in the top 25 with five women's teams and four men's teams ranked this week. All nine men's and women's teams are among the top 15 with the Longhorns leading the way among Big 12 squads in both.
Standard Bearers
• Texas currently holds seven collegiate records combined among the men and women. The nearest competitor is Arizona and Colorado with five.
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 April watch list.
• NCAA outdoor 400m champ Courtney Okolo is on the women's April watch list.
• Okolo was a finalist for the 2014 award after breaking the collegiate record in the 400.
Akinosun Wins Three Events.... Again
After Morolake Akinosun put on a show at the Texas Relays and winning three events, she did the same thing at the Texas Invitational. Akinosun also was received her second Big 12 Athlete of the Week award for her victories.
• Ran anchor leg of the 4x100m relay to win with a time of 43.61 seconds
• Won 100m in 11.37 seconds
• Won 200m in Mike A. Myers Stadium record, 22.70 seconds
Players Mentioned
