The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Track & Field Grabs 19 USTFCCCA All-America Honors
03.14.2016 | Track & Field / Cross Country
Coaches association recognizes top collegiate athletes
AUSTIN, Texas – After winning five national titles at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships this weekend in Alabama, the Texas Track & Field team was honored with 19 spots on the 2016 USTFCCCA All-America Teams.
NCAA champions Teahna Daniels, Courtney Okolo, Zack Bilderback and Ryan Crouser were honored as members of the first team for their performances in their respective individual events.
Daniels became only the second freshman ever to win the women's 60 meters as she set an American Junior record in the event with a time of 7.11 seconds. Okolo successfully defended her title in the 400 meters and Bilderback claimed the first men's 400 meters title in school history. Crouser won his fourth overall shot put title and second indoors.
Individual first team honors also went to Chrisann Gordon in the 400 for finishing third, Morolake Akinosun for her fifth-place finish in the 60 meters and Kailtin Petrillose for taking fifth in the pole vault.
The men's and women's 4x400 meter relay teams also earned first team honors from the USTFCCCA. The women's team of Gordon, Ariel Jones, Akinosun and Okolo won the school's ninth title in the event indoors. The Texas men finished fourth to give first team honors to Bilderback, Chris Irvin, Byron Robinson and AJ Bailey.
Women's individual second team honors went to Akinosun for the 200 and Kally Long in the pole vault. For the men, Bailey and Robinson also took second team honors in the 400 meters.
The USTFCCCA recognized 48 athletes with multiple first-team honors. Okolo was in an exclusive club as well as she was one of only three athletes to win multiple NCAA titles this weekend. She was joined by Oregon's Edward Cheserek (3,000m/5,000m/DMR) and Notre Dame's Molly Seidel (3,000m/5,000m) on that short list.
With their impressive showing and combining for nine first-team honors, the Texas woman rank third in the nation for most first team All-Americans.
The USTFCCCA recognizes athletes finishing in the top eight at the NCAA Championships and scoring points for their team as First Team All-America. The rest of the finishers are named Second Team All-American – unless he or she did not finish or was disqualified, and in that case was named honorable mention.
Players Mentioned
