The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Charlie Thomas Invitational
No. 11/5 Track and Field shines at Charlie Thomas Invitational
02.06.2021 | Track & Field / Cross Country
Led by Tripp Piperi’s school-record shot put showing, the Longhorns posted impressive marks in College Station Saturday.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The No. 11/5 Texas Track and Field program posted a number of impressive marks and times on Saturday at the Charlie Thomas Invitational, hosted by Texas A&M. The biggest of those was senior thrower Tripp Piperi, who broke the UT indoor shot put record and moved to No. 2 in NCAA history in the event. Overall, the Longhorns won 12 events on Saturday.
On his final throw of the shot put competition, Piperi launched a school-record throw of 21.74m/71-4, winning the event and breaking Olympic gold medalist and Longhorn Legend Ryan Crouser's five-year-old record (21.73m/71-3.5 – 2016) in the process. Piperi's previous lifetime-best was a 21.12m/69-3.5 effort two weeks ago at the Wooo Pig Classic in Fayetteville, Ark. Saturday marked the first time in Piperi's career he broke the 70-foot mark, doing so twice in College Station. On his fourth attempt, he launched the orb 21.62m/70-11.25.
Piperi's record-breaking throw was a meet and facility record, in addition to breaking the UT indoor record. It was also the second-best throw in NCAA history and No. 2 in the world this season. His second 70-footer on Saturday gave him possession of two of the top seven performances in NCAA history.
In the women's 60-meter dash, Julien Alfred continued to cement herself as one of the top sprinters in the country and UT history. She set a meet record in the prelims, clocking 7.15 – the second-best mark in the country this season and tied for the sixth-best run in school history. Alfred followed it up by winning the final in 7.17. Her two marks give her possession of five of the top eight 60-meter runs in school history (all 7.15 or lower) and seven of the top 12 times overall (all 7.18 or lower).
Kynnedy Flannel placed second in the women's 60-meter dash, clocking a personal-best 7.23 in the final. Her time ranks sixth in the NCAA this season, helping to solidify her efforts to qualify for the NCAA Championships in both the 60- and 200-meter dashes this season. Flannel entered the weekend ranked third in the country with a 23.09 in the 200-meter dash.
Crayton Carrozza and Valery Tobias combined to sweep the 800-meter runs for the Longhorns. Tobias did so first, winning in 2:08.26 – the fourth-best indoor run of her career to date. Carrozza followed quickly after in the men's race, clocking a 1:49.66 en route to victory. His mark is the 13th-best in the NCAA this season and ranks him seventh in Texas history in the event.
Cruz Gomez won the men's mile behind a personal-best 4:01.41 – the 10th-fastest mile in the NCAA this season. His victory was the highlight of a race that saw Texas sweep the medal podium, and have four of the top-six finishers overall. Graydon Morris (4:02.08) and Brendan Hebert (4:05.37) placed second and third, respectively, with Liam Walsh (4:13.66) taking the sixth spot.
In the men's 5,000-meter run – the last individual event of the day for the Longhorns – Texas had a 1-2 sweep at the top of the podium, with Yaseen Abdalla and Abraham Avila-Martinez claiming the top two spots, respectively. Abdalla clocked 14:11.48 in the race, with Martinez finishing behind him in 14:19.38.
Sophia Falco shined in the triple jump competition, jumping a season-best 12.93m/42-5.25 to win on Saturday. It was the second-best jump of Falco's indoor career, trailing only a 13.13m/43-1 effort at the 2019 Big 12 Championships that earned her a second-place finish at the conference meet.
Opening the day for Texas on the track was a 1-2 sweep from Beth Ramos (9:44.19) and Ava Peeples (9:57.22). Ramos' mark was a personal-best time for the junior from Edinburg, Texas. Freshman Gracie Morris added another win in the distance events, clocking a 4:51.97 to win the women's mile in her collegiate indoor debut.
Chanel Brissett, a former national champion hurdler, picked up her second win in as many outings in the 60-meter hurdles, clocking an 8.10 to win on Saturday. IN her UT debut two weeks ago at the Wooo Pig Classic, Brissett ran an 8.07 to tie for fifth in Texas history.
Olivia Buntin and Madison Gawthorp shared the gold in the women's pole vault, eaching clearing 3.83m/12-6.75 to tie for first place on Saturday. It was a solid start for Buntin in her junior campaign, and a successful indoor debut for Gawthorp.
Texas capped its impressive showing in College Station by winning the women's 4x400-meter relay in 3:35.84. The team, made up by Kevona Davis, Stacey Ann Williams, Kennedy Simon and Davicia Patterson, pushed Texas to No. 10 in the NCAA in the event this season with their run on Saturday. In the men's counterpart, the team of Matt Nortje, Micaiah Harris, Willington Wright and Paramveer Chohan finished second in 3:07.88 – the fifth-fastest time in the country this season and No. 16 in UT history.
Texas is scheduled to compete in its final meet before postseason action next weekend, when the Longhorns head back to Fayetteville, Ark. for the Tyson Invitational on Feb. 12-13.
Players Mentioned
