The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Tyson Invitational
02.11.2017 | Track & Field / Cross Country
Longhorns among national leaders
Complete Results | Texas Post-Meet Notes
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Texas Track & Field close the Tyson Invitational with a statement in the 4x400 meter relay as the Longhorns posted the No. 3 time in the nation this year.
The men's team of Byron Robinson, Senoj-Jay Givans, Chris Irvin and Aldrich Bailey Jr. finished second in the men's invitational section of the event with a blazing time of 3:04.95. That time also is second in school history and just .55 from breaking it.
After strong legs from the first three runners, Bailey got the baton in second place in their heat trailing Florida's anchor leg. Bailey slowly edged closer and with 100 meters to go, he sped around the opponent in the final turn for a dramatic win in the heat. Bailey's split time for his leg was 45 seconds.
"It was great to see the guys run one of the top times in the country and one of the fastest times ever run indoors at the University of Texas," Head Coach Mario Sategna said. "You've got a goal, you're competing and watching the clock because you know what it's going to take to get to the national meet. I was really pleased with each of the legs."
The invitational section of both the men's and women's 4x400 was loaded with top teams. Seven of the top 12 teams in the NCAA this year were in the field with the men only falling to Arkansas by .07.
Men's 4x400m runs 3:04.95! Bailey runs down Florida's anchor for No. 3 time in NCAA this year. Just 0.54 off school record. #HookEm pic.twitter.com/RXAAEf6afo
— Texas T&F/XC (@UTexasTrack) February 11, 2017
The women's group of Chrisann Gordon, Zola Golden, Ariel Jones and Serenity Douglas posted a time of 3:34.60 to finish second in their heat and fifth overall.
Texas also had sophomore Teahna Daniels post a new personal record in the 200 meters. The 2016 NCAA champion in the 60 meters, crossed the line in 23.74 seconds to put herself in contention at the Big 12 Championship in two weeks. Her time ranks her fourth in the conference this season.
The Longhorns saw senior high jumper Mawi Berkhadley post her best jump of the season, clearing a height of 1.65 meters (5-5.00). She ended the day in a tie for ninth place. Spencer McCloud finished 10th in the men's high jump.
Triple jumpers had some solid performances for Texas as well.
Senior Nick Phynn registered a leap of 15.23 meters (49-11.75) on his final jump of the competition to move into seventh place.
Sophomore Georgia Wahl showed consistency as she was just shy of her personal best mark and improved on her mark from last week. She tallied a distance of 11.85 meters (38-10.50) to finish in 12th place. Freshman Teesa Mpagi was just one centimeter short of her personal best with a mark of 11.50 meters (37-8.75).
The Longhorns will take next week off, mostly, as they will focus on training to prepare for the Big 12 Conference Championship in Ames, Iowa, in two weeks. Texas will send some distance runners to the Alex Wilson Invitational hosted by Notre Dame next weekend. That meet has become the biggest meet of the year for distance medley relays with nearly half the qualifiers for NCAA's coming from the Alex Wilson Invite in 2016.
"Most importantly, we leave here healthy and I'm very pleased with what we were able to do," Sategna said. "Now we go home and prepare for conference, and I know the rest of the coaching staff will do what they need to do in order to get each of our groups ready for the Big 12 Championship."
Coach Talk
Head Coach Mario Sategna
On Aldrich Bailey Jr.: It was great to see him run his race and with 100 meters to go he saw that guy was tightening up and he just hits another gear. I was really happy for him and how he ended the meet.
On Teesa Mpagi and Georgia Wahl: This is a great place to jump if you line things up. They're both very young. They're doing some great stuff, I think, trusting the process in order to put it together for the conference meet. This is very new to them both. What we've been talking about is using these meets to get ready for conference.
Associate Head Coach Tonja Buford-Bailey – Sprints/Hurdles
On the men's 4x400m: Great run. I'm super excited for AJ to run a 45-flat anchor leg. He needs that confidence so it can translate to the open 400. It was very close to a school record, and I know those guys have a good shot at breaking that record from last year at the conference championship or at NCAAs.
On the women's 4x400m: Chrisann was about a second-and-a-half faster on her opening leg than last week. We're still missing a few pieces, but once we can put all the pieces together, we will be solid.
Assistant Coach Zach Glavash – Men's Sprints/Relays
On 4x400m Relay: The 4x4 was a great way to end the day. All of the guys stepped up when it counted and got the job done. That time will get us into the national championship so that is nice to have out of the way.
Assistant Coach Seth Henson – Jumps/Multis
On women's jumpers: It was a good day showing progress leading up to the championships, and that's what we ask for. Teesa's ready to make a big leap in the long jump and triple jump. Georgia showed great consistency. For Mawi it was good to jump at an indoor PR and clear a season's best. She's making steady progress.
On Nick Phynn: Nick Phynn showed a lot of promise today. He's going to be ready to go in two weeks. He's a seasoned veteran and when the curtain goes up at the conference meet, he's going to be ready to go.
