The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Track and Field programs both slotted at No. 4 in USTFCCCA Preseason Rankings
01.08.2020 | Track & Field / Cross Country
Texas is one of only two schools with both its men’s and women’s program ranked in the top five.
AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas Track and Field programs both were ranked No. 4 in the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association's (USTFCCCA) Preseason Rankings, which were released on Wednesday.
The Texas men also began last season with a top-five preseason ranking, marking the first time in program history that the Longhorns have achieved the feat in consecutive seasons. UT welcomes back the nation's best shot putter in junior Tripp Piperi, who won the 2019 NCAA Outdoor title in the event with a personal-best 21.11m/69-3.25 effort that ranks as the fourth-best throw in school history. Piperi received votes from The Bowerman Watch List Committee and tops the USTFCCCA's Individual Rankings in the shot put this preseason. He'll be joined by a number of talented competitors in burnt orange, including senior jumper O'Brien Wasome, who ranks No. 3 in the triple jump and No. 8 in the long jump, among others.
The Longhorns' No. 4 ranking on the women's side is the program's best preseason mark since 2016. Texas sophomore Julien Alfred has already posted a blistering 7.18 in the 60-meter dash this season, doing so at the FasTrak Collegiate Opener (Houston, Texas) back in December. Head coach Edrick Floréal also features impressive returners such as sprinter Kynnedy Flannel (No. 4 – 200m; No. 13 – 60m) and transfer Tara Davis (No. 2 – Long Jump; No. 4 – 60m Hurdles), among others.
Both Texas teams placed in the top 15 at the NCAA Indoor Championships during Floréal's first season in charge last season. The UT women took 12th, while the men tied for 13th.
The Longhorns return to action on Friday, Jan. 17, when they compete at the Leonard Hilton Invitational in Houston, Texas.
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