The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Big 12 Outdoor Championship
Track & Field takes runner-up at Big 12 Championship
05.13.2018 | Track & Field / Cross Country
Daniels, Burton, Burt, Worley win individual titles
Big 12 Outdoor Championship
Complete Results | Texas Post-Meet Notes: Sunday | Saturday | Friday
Sunday Highlights
WACO, Texas – It came down to the final event to decide the team title at the Big 12 Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championship on Sunday night for the women and it was Kansas State that just edged the Texas Longhorns for the win as the Longhorns finished in second place and four points behind the Wildcats.
The men's competition did not come down to the wire, but did see the Longhorns battle and push the No. 2-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders before Texas secured second place overall as well.
Texas scored a total of 131 points for the women over the 21 events and three days of action, but it was not enough with K-State using its strength in the field events and scoring crucial points late in the meet in the 5,000 meters to help set up the 4x400 showdown.
"What it boiled down to was we had some of our top kids did not show up today," Interim Head Coach Tonja Buford-Bailey said. "There was probably a few that we really counted on coming in that didn't step up today, but we still had some really nice results. All of our performances over the weekend, though, we can't look down on that.
"Kansas State had a great meet. They were the defending champions so there was no way that we could overlook them. They score a ton of points in the field events. That way they start the meet with a lot of points, so you're starting the last day behind and you have to be perfect."
The men's squad scored 117 points and added two more individual titles on Sunday.
Scoring a back-to-back win for the women was junior Teahna Daniels in the 100 meters. She kept her top spot in the Big 12 with a time of 11.11 seconds. That was a season-best time and was wind-legal. It moves her into the top 12 in the NCAA this season.
Daniels was emotional after her victory, falling to her knees on the track and wiping tears from her eyes. The win on Mother's Day meant a little more for Daniels after the sudden passing of her father during the indoor season.
"Teahna was a little bit in her head going in. I could tell yesterday that today was going to be a hard day for her," Buford-Bailey said. "Fortunately, I've never experienced what she has, but the way she came back and rebounded was amazing."
Texas continued its dominance in the hurdles with sophomore Rushelle Burton winning back-to-back in the 100m hurdles. She blazed down the track in a wind-legal 12.65 seconds to tie her personal best. That time also set a new Clyde Hart Stadium record and was only .02 off the Big 12 Championship meet record.
Then, it was John Burt's turn to win a conference title. The wide receiver has made strides on the track over the last few weeks after the end of spring practice. With a recent tweak to his technique, Burt's times have steadily been dropping and he took a chunk out of his personal best, clocking in at 13.56 seconds for the win. The time was slightly wind-aided but ranks him No. 8 in the NCAA this season.
"We were working on some technical things and knew once those things came together he could run like this, but it made his confidence better, too," Buford-Bailey said. "It made him feel good about hurdling and feel smooth over the hurdles. Mentally, he just turned into another guy."
The other individual title on the final day of the Big 12 Championship went to freshman Sam Worley. He led a group of four Longhorns into the final of the 1,500m and made history for Texas.
Worley set a new stadium record with his time of 3:44.63 with former high school teammate Alex Rogers right behind him to give Texas a 1-2 punch. Senior Logan Emery also made the podium with a seventh-place finish for a total of 20 points in the event.
The win for Worley marks the first time Texas has won the men's 1,500 since Leo Manzano crossed the finish line first in 2008.
Assistant Coach Brad Herbster said he was proud of how Worley performed and has helped make the distance crew a force this year scoring 38 points for the team.
"As a freshman he really stepped up and did a great job. It was a group effort, though. There's no way he was going to be able to do that without Rogers taking the lead for the first 800 meters and breaking up the field. I thought for Sam to win in a conference that has strong distance runners right out of the gate your freshman year, and set the stadium record, that's really impressive."
Back to the hurdle dominance by the Longhorns, Texas scored in bunches in that event.
In addition to Burton winning the women's crown, seniors Pedrya Seymour and Ariel Jones finished right on her heels to give Texas the 1-2-3 sweep. And Mariam Abdul-Rashid finished in eighth to bring the point total to 25 points in the 100 hurdles.
Burt had redshirt freshman Medric Roberson behind him in third place and decathlon champion Steele Wasik finished in eighth place to give the men 17 points.
Jones also finished second in the 400m hurdles in her attempt at history.
Already a three-time Big 12 champion in the 400m hurdles, Jones was attempting to become the only woman to win four Big 12 titles in the event. She was passed on the final stretch, however, and finished as the runner-up in 57.08 seconds.
Also shining for the Longhorns on Sunday was men's pole vaulter Barrett Poth. He has posted new personal bests in three straight meets and safely sailed over the bar today at 5.48m (17-11.75). That mark put him in the lead for a moment before falling behind the NCAA Indoor champion at the next height. Poth's height moves him to No. 12 in the NCAA this season as he heads to the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds eyeing another appearance at the national championship meet.
Junior Gabby Crank made an impact on the meet in the 800 meters and showed she could do some damage at the regional meet in two weeks.
Crank laid out at the finish line to clock a new personal best time, 2:04.58, to take fourth place. She was in a battle down the final stretch with only .14 separating her from a silver medal. Her time also moves her into the top 20 in the NCAA this season.
The men's throwers continued their impressive meet on Sunday with all three competitors in the discus advancing to the final.
Brian Peterson had his best throw of the season at 55.12m (180-10) to finish in sixth place after holding third for a while during the competition. Fifth-year senior Alan Zapalac finished eighth and freshman Tripp Piperi missed out on scoring points but finished ninth with a new personal best mark.
In the field events for the women on Sunday, Georgia Wahl took seventh place in an exciting triple jump competition. She leapt 12.78m (41-11.75) to come up just short of her personal best.
Senior Lauryn Caldwell finished ninth in the shot put and just off the podium.
In showing her dedication to the team, senior co-captain Kally Long competed in the high jump a day after winning her first conference title in the pole vault. Also a high jumper in high school, Long was competing in the event for just the second time since high school in an attempt to see if she could clear enough bars to possibly score points for the team. Long only managed to clear the opening height 1.67m (5-5.75), and nearly made it over the next bar on her third attempt.
In total, Texas combined to win 10 individual Big 12 titles with the men claiming six of them. The Longhorns swept the javelin titles on Friday with Fabian Dohmann and Haley Crouser. It was the first time Texas had ever swept the men's and women's javelin titles at the Big 12 meet. Crouser also broke the school record in the process. Wasik won the decathlon on Saturday along with John Rice taking the 3,000m steeplechase and Piperi winning the shot put.
Texas now turns its focus on the NCAA West Preliminary Rounds on May 24-26. After a week off to prepare the Longhorns head to Sacramento, California, for the first rounds of the NCAA postseason. The top 48 individuals and top 24 relays in the West region qualify for the NCAA West Prelims with the top 12 finishers advancing to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon, slated for June 6-9.
There are no multi-events in the NCAA East/West Preliminary Rounds. The top 24 athletes in the decathlon and heptathlon automatically qualify for the championship final in Eugene.
Coach Talk
Interim Head Coach Tonja Buford-Bailey
On the men's team: The men, we knew they came in down. I felt like they fought. We came to this meet with the majority of our scholarship athletes not here. We knew that, but I liked that way they fought. They fought really hard.
On the women's team: Right now we're not deep enough, but we will be. We signed eight really fantastic signees on the women's side. I think that's going to be huge. Every one of those kids coming in is No. 1 in the world or No. 1 in the U.S. in their events. We're going to be really deep next year.
Associate Head Coach Ty Sevin: Throws/Pole Vault/Multi-Events
On Barrett Poth: He's really made huge strides in the last couple of weeks and putting himself in a position to be really successful. He's going up against the defending national champion and with a bunch of kids that have had success not only at the conference but international level. I can't say enough. The kids that came here ready to compete didn't disappoint. I'm just really happy and really proud that he's on our team.
On men's discus: You saw the intensity on their first throws. Both Alan and Tripp threw over 52 meters on their first throw and Brian hit 55 on his. That's what we want. We want kids to come to meets and whether we're fighting for seventh or eighth place it to put that energy out there and represent Texas the way they should be, and I'm really happy with what they did today.
On assistance he gets from other coaches: We've had a lot of success in the pole vault and throws, and I have the best volunteer in the country in Brian Elmore. He really helps me manage coaching the multiple disciplines I do. I couldn't do it without Brian. And Assistant Coach Ben Dalton has to get a lot of credit for the multi-athletes and for helping me manage all of those event groups. I'm very grateful to have Ben and Brian stepping up and helping at this conference meet.
Assistant Coach Brad Herbster: Distance
On Alex Cruz and Gabby Crank: Cruz fought hard. She the 16th girl coming into the meet and ends up third. That's a big testament to what she can do and the fight that she has. I was happy with how Gabby Crank literally laid it on the line. I thought she was in a nice spot but just came a little short. It's bittersweet not coming away with a team title for the men or the women.
Assistant Coach Zach Glavash: Sprints/Hurdles/Relays
On the meet: This is track and field. Sometimes things go exactly as you want them and a lot of those things did. We had a lot of great things and a lot of big PRs. You also have some things that don't go your way. Track and field is a close sport and every little thing matters and Kansas State came out and put it together.
On the sprinters overall: Our sprinters had a good day. We cannot hang our heads on the fact that we didn't come out of here with a championship. We're both top two teams and a lot of great performances leading into nationals. Those were a lot of national times, so that's important to look at that Teahna ran a national title contending time, and John Burt and Serenity Douglas.
On Teahna Daniels: Before the race, I told her she didn't look like herself until this race at this meet in the final and she won it, and that propelled her through nationals. I told everyone before the race, if she does anything like she did last year, they better be on watch. And she did. From the gun it was a different person.
On John Burt: He figured some stuff out. He's a competitor. That's a big PR and he finally got over the hump that he's been close a few time at conference and he finally got that championship. He's in rarified air to be a Big 12 champion and also a football player. We're proud of him and what he brings to the team.
Players Mentioned
