The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Tyson Invitational
Gordon posts victory at Tyson Invitational
02.10.2017 | Track & Field / Cross Country
Sprinters roll on Day 1 at Arkansas
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Tyson Invitational
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Live Video: Friday | Saturday (SEC Network+)
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Texas Track & Field opened the Tyson Invitational with some of the fastest times in the nation on Friday night as the sprinters went toe-to-toe with the best in the nation.
The Longhorns came away with four times that would qualify for the NCAA Championships at this point and one victory in a field loaded with talent.
"It was great today with this being our final tune-up heading into the Big 12 Championships in two weeks," said Head Coach Mario Sategna. "For some it was solidifying performances going into that meet, for others it's trying to improve marks to get on the national list."
Senior Olympian Chrisann Gordon posted the lone victory on the first day of the meet as she won the women's 400 meters Olympic Development section. Gordon clocked an impressive time of 51.71 seconds to miss her personal record by just .02 and rank No. 3 in the NCAA this season. Her time also shaved more than a second-and-a-half off her time from last week.
"Not that we didn't know that she's capable of that, but the fact that she was able to have such a significant drop from last week I think that shows her veteran status," Sategna said of Gordon's performance.
Sophomore Zola Golden ran a personal best for the second time this season and finished fifth in the invitational 400 meters. She posted a time of 52.80 seconds to also rank No. 9 in the NCAA this season as the conference championship approaching in two weeks.
Olympian Byron Robinson made his season debut last week and he built off that performance with the No. 6 time in the nation this year during the men's invitational 400. Robinson led his heat until the last few meters and crossed the line in 43.34.
"Byron does not run a lot of 400's, so just getting in race rhythm and learning how to run that race being a 400 hurdler is difficult because you don't run a lot of quarters," said Associate Head Coach Tonja Buford-Bailey. "The more races he runs the better he's going to be no doubt about it."
Texas hurdlers also had a strong day for the Longhorns.
In her first hurdle race as a Longhorn, freshman Rushelle Burton blazed to victory in her preliminary heat of the 60 meter hurdles. The Jamaican crossed the line in 8.06 seconds to post the No. 1 time in the prelims and immediately rank No. 4 in school history in her first race in the event. Burton also ranks No. 6 in the NCAA this season after tonight's action.
The Longhorns saw a lot of success in the women's hurdles on Friday with fellow freshman Alexis Duncan winning her heat to advance to the semifinals. Duncan ran 8.29 seconds. Junior Ariel Jones moved to the next round with her time of 8.37.
In the semifinals, Burton advanced to the final with a time of 8.25 and would finish seventh there in 8.26. Duncan finished 11th overall, clocking 8.29 again in the semifinals. Jones finished 31st in the semifinals.
The men saw freshman multi-event specialist George Patrick ran a new personal best of 8.18 seconds in the first round to move onto the semifinals. In that round, he clocked 8.19 while junior Spencer Dunkerley-Offor finished in 7.83 seconds to make the final after receiving a bye in the first round. Dunkerley-Offor crossed the line in 7.98 seconds in the final to finish in seventh place.
Texas also got fast times in the 60 meter dash as well with NCAA champion Teahna Daniels finishing in 7.27 to take 4th place in a loaded field with some of the top runners in the nation this year. On the men's side, Big 12 champion Senoj-Jay Givans clocked 6.70 seconds in both his rounds to finish in fifth place during the final.
Action at the Tyson Invitational will conclude on Saturday. Fans can watch the competition live with coverage provided by SEC Network+, which can be viewed online at espn3.com or on the WatchESPN app for smartphones and tablets. Live results are available at FlashResults.com.
Coach Talk
Head Coach Mario Sategna
On the hurdlers: I was glad to see Rushelle opening up today at 8.06 and coming back to get two races on top of that was really good. Spencer continues to show that he's in great form. For all that he's missed the more races that he gets the better it's going to be.
On Senoj-Jay Givans: This meet has some of the best sprinters in the country based on times. You know you're going to come here and run fast. To hit two 6.70's in a row is great. There is very little room for error in those races. He closed extremely well in the prelim and then it looked like he got a better start in the final but didn't close as well. He's a student of his event. He'll line that up and knows what's at stake at the conference championship and will run well.
On Zola Golden: She's a gritty runner. It wasn't even a clean race for her, so you know there's something still left in the tank.
Associate Head Coach Tonja Buford-Bailey – Sprints/Hurdles
On her group overall: I am really excited with the improvements they made heading into conference.
On freshman Rushelle Burton: Rushelle Burton, her first time ever running on an indoor track. First time running 60 hurdles, 8.06, amazing.
On Zola Golden: Zola Golden, a personal best. I know she can run faster. She knows she can run faster. She got a little boxed in, but I love to see the improvement. I actually like that she' snot there yet so she can stay hungry.
On Chrisann Gordon: Chrisann was not in the right headspace last week. We talked about it and she showed today what she's made of. She is really ready to run fast.
On Teahna Daniels: Teahna made some strides this weekend. It wasn't a season best, but she's making improvements in parts of the races that matter. I'm excited about her improvement and where she's going.
Players Mentioned
