The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
04.13.2020 | Track & Field / Cross Country
The junior matched his personal best and won his third-straight Big 12 Indoor shot put title.
AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Track and Field junior Tripp Piperi continued to leave his mark in the Longhorns' record book during the 2019-20 indoor season, as he matched his personal best in the shot put (20.98m/68-10) and won his third-straight Big 12 title in his signature event at the conference meet.
Piperi, a native of The Woodlands, Texas, competed four times in 2020 and topped the podium in each of his last three appearances. His marks improved each time out, capped by a 20.98m/68-10 effort in the men's shot put at the Big 12 Indoor Championships, helping him clinch his third-straight indoor conference title. Piperi's mark placed him alongside Dana LeDuc (1974-76) and Ryan Crouser (2012, 2014-16) as the only Texas men to win the indoor conference shout put title on at least three occasions. The junior's personal-best effort in Ames, Iowa also further solidified him as the second-best indoor shot put performer in Texas history, behind only Crouser.
Prior to his Big 12 title, Piperi out-threw the field at the Tiger Paw Invitational (Clemson, S.C.) on Valentine's weekend by launching the orb 20.83m/68-4.25. His mark made him the NCAA leader at that stage of the season. It was a significant improvement on his 20.20m/66-3.25 effort at the Razorback Invitational two weeks prior. Piperi's effort in Fayetteville, Ark., continued an impressive run of 20-meter performances. Since first surpassing the 20-meter mark at the 2018 Big 12 Outdoor Championships, Piperi has hit the mark in 19 of his last 20 appearances for UT.
Piperi entered the 2020 NCAA Indoor Championships as the reigning shot put national champion outdoors and his 20.98m/68-10 mark stood as the second-best throw by any collegiate competitor this season. It was also the sixth-best throw by an American in 2020.
