The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Husky Classic
Worley breaks school record in mile
02.10.2018 | Track & Field / Cross Country
Freshman runs sub-4 time at Husky Classic
Complete Results | Texas Post-Meet Notes
SEATTLE – Freshman Sam Worley wasted little time to put his name atop the record book for Texas Track & Field.
Already one of the best high school runners in U.S. history in the mile, he now ranks No. 1 for the Longhorns after his run at the Husky Classic as he clocked in at 3:58.04. That time placed him fourth in the seeded section of the mile and was better than Evan Jager, silver medalist in the steeplechase at the Rio Olympic Games.
"I'm so proud of Sam and the immediate impact he has made on this team," Assistant Coach Brad Herbster said. "Breaking the school record in his third indoor race ever, and placing fourth in that field of runners was very impressive."
Worley was not the only Longhorn to impress at the Husky Classic.
Junior Alex Rogers, and former high school teammate of Worley's, shattered his personal best in the mile but also suffered heartbreak. Rogers won his heat of the seeded mile competition and saw 4:00.00 as his official time, coming up short of the milestone sub-4 mile. Rogers' time put him in 10th place in the event and moves him to No. 5 on the all-time list at Texas.
"The highlight of the day was by far the mile. Right before Sam broke the school record Alex won his section running 4-flat and looked really good doing it," Herbster said. "It would have been exciting to see what he could have done in a faster section. I think Alex and Sam both have a lot more in the tank and we are looking forward to seeing them run at the Big 12 Championship."
Both Worley and Rogers will have to see where their times stack up nationally after other meets across the country featured strong distance fields beside the Husky Classic. A sub-4 mile has been needed to qualify for the NCAA Championships the last few years, and if they are not in the Top 16, the pair of Longhorns can try to cut their times at the Big 12 Championship in two weeks.
Also running hard for the Longhorns at the Husky Classic was Meghan Lloyd in the 5,000 meters. She finished in eighth place in the unseeded section of the 5k late Friday night. Her time of 16:27.21 improved on her previous best by more than 20 seconds and moves her up to No. 8 in school history.
Another big PR came from sophomore Abby Guidry. She finished in sixth place in the unseeded 3,000 meters with a time of 9:34.98. Sophomore Olivia Thompson also made a big improvement in the 3k. She crossed in 15th place with her time of 9:40.78.
Gabby Crank ran a solid time for the Longhorns in the 800 meters. She came just shy of her PR, finishing in 2:09.48 to claim second place in the unseeded section.
The men's seeded 3,000 was the final event of the night for Texas and John Rice performed well. He finished in 8:12.57 to post his fastest time of the season that is not converted for altitude. Rice was up against some of the top runners in the country and a number of professional runners as well and came away in 39th.
Charles Mills ran the fastest time of his career in the unseeded 3k, crossing the line in 8:17.11 to finish in 18th place. That time moves him up the Big 12 performance list this season and gives Texas multiple scoring threats for the event at the conference championship meet.
"John Rice did a nice job in a tough field. It will be a good experience for him to prep for the conference meet," Herbster said. "Mills ran tough and PR'd, securing his spot in the fast section of the 3k at the Big 12 meet."
Texas heads home with the bulk of the team taking next week off from competition. The men's distance crew will send a distance medley relay to the Alex Wilson Invitational at Notre Dame. That meet has become the place to run DMRs with every DMR that qualified for NCAA Championships last year coming out of the Alex Wilson on the men's side.
The Longhorns also will send a handful of athletes to the USATF Indoor Championships in Albuquerque to attempt improving their marks and solidifying a spot in the top 16 to qualify for the NCAA meet.
Players Mentioned
