Forty Acres Insider: March 29 - University of Texas Athletics

Forty Acres Insider banner logo

Chris Del Conte head shot

Longhorn Nation,

It was Texas Fight until the very end for our Women's Basketball and Men's Swimming & Diving squads at the NCAA Championships. I couldn't be prouder of our student-athletes, coaches, staff and everyone involved in those programs as we advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Women's Basketball Championship and finished as the NCAA Men's Swimming & Diving runner-up. They were both right there on the cusp of that ultimate goal of winning the Natty, and did secure top-five finishes. We've set a standard and goal here for all of our programs to be in the top-10, and with those top-five finishes, we now have one National Championship, three NCAA runners-up and six top-five finishes already in 2021-22. There's so much more yet to play for, but congratulations to Coach Reese and Coach Schaefer on tremendous seasons, and to all of our teams that are continuing the pride and winning tradition.

As always, thank you Longhorn Nation for providing your patented passion, spirit and support to push us through. You bring it big-time, we can always count on you, and you are the absolute best. Speaking of showing up and showing out, the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays presented by Truist were back in full force last week, and it brought great delight having nearly 50,000 in the stands over the four days. More than 20,000 filled Mike A. Myers Stadium on Saturday, and that's something to cheer about indeed. We appreciate you so much, and are grateful for the inspiration you always provide! We're right back at it this week, so let's do this!

Back-to-Back Elite Eights for Texas Women's Basketball
We were right there in the mix as we made another deep Women's Basketball NCAA Tournament run, and I couldn't be more inspired by the effort and Texas Fight our Longhorns play with. What a year it was, a 29-7 record, Big 12 Tournament Champions, plus another Elite Eight appearance and top-five finish. Coach Schaefer is building something truly special, and what he and our squad accomplished this season was exceptional, and we know it's just the beginning of much, much more in the years to come. This team is just so darn fun to watch and cheer for! Our 66-63 win over Ohio State on Friday sent us to the Elite Eight for the second-straight year, marking the first time we've done that since going to five straight from 1986-90! And it sent us into the NCAA Championship Regional Final on a 14-game winning streak. How about that?! I can't say enough about this team and the grit and determination they showed in the Elite Eight game against No. 1-seeded Stanford. We came up just short in the 59-50 loss that was a toe-to-toe, closely-contested game to the final whistle. Coach Vic and his fast-paced offense and intense, in-your-face defense brought so much success and excitement this year, and we can't thank our seniors Joanne Allen-Taylor, Audrey Warren and Lauren Ebo for all they did to help us build this great foundation. But with Fabulous Freshman Rori Harmon back as our floor general to go with talented teammates like Aaliyah Moore, Aliyah Matharu, Deyona Gaston, Shay Holle, Kyndall Hunter and Latasha Lattimore, and so many more, the future is so, so bright. I can't wait to cheer them on in the Moody Center in 2022-23!

All-Tournament Honors for Joanne Allen-Taylor and Rori Harmon
You've heard their names a lot, and the honors have rolled in all season long, so add another well-deserved recognition to the list. Kudos, congratulations and Hook 'Em to Joanne Allen-Taylor and Rori Harmon who earned a spot on the Spokane Region All-Tournament Team. Our fantastic backcourt duo provided thrilling highlights all season and carried that right into the NCAA Tourney. In four games, Rori tallied 41 points, 28 assists and five steals, while Joanne posted 51 points and five steals. What a dynamic duo they were and such a joy to watch. Congratulations ladies!

Men's Swimming & Diving finishes as NCAA Championships runners-up
Coach Reese and our Longhorn Men's Swimming & Diving squad were again right in the thick of that hunt for the National Championships last week in Atlanta. After four days of competition, we just missed another title in a tightly contested race with Cal, but did earn an NCAA runner-up finish. Our Horns competed, had so many great performances, and it absolutely was Texas Fight until the very end! Drew Kibler was the highlight of the meet for the Longhorns, winning the 200-yard freestyle championship and also swimming the opening leg for the national title-winning 800-yard freestyle and 400-yard freestyle relays. And how about that 800-free relay?! Kibler, Coby Carrozza, Luke Hobson and Carson Foster set a new American record – 6:03.89! Foster also brought home a silver in the 200-yard backstroke and bronze in the 400-yard IM, while Caspar Corbeau won silver in the 100-yard breaststroke, and Hobson took bronze in the 500-yard freestyle. We did bring home the second-place trophy to add to an amazing legacy for our legendary coach and one of the premier programs — in any sport — in NCAA history. Think about it, this class of seniors never finished worse than second at NCAAs, and we've finished first or second in eight-straight NCAA Championships. Take it even further, and in 44 years under Coach Reese, our Horns have won 15 NCAA Championships, finished second 13 times and were among the nation's top-three on 35 occasions. They've also won 43-straight conference titles. They continue to be simply the best and we're so proud of them.

What a glorious 94th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays presented by Truist
The 94th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays were back in full force, and it was magnificent. It was just awesome seeing the fans in the stands, the competitors on the track and in the field, and of course, our Longhorns being the highlight of it all. All totaled, our squad secured 13 Texas Relays titles (6 relays/7 individual), set seven school records and six Texas Relays records. What a phenomenal start Coach Flo and our Horns produced to open the outdoor season, and as an added reward, both teams are now ranked No. 1 in the nation! I gotta give some huge shoutouts, too, as after a cancellation in 2019 and limited schedule in 2020, kudos to James Barr and our staff that did just an amazing job ramping things back up and putting on a great show this year! We had nearly 50,000 fans in the house over the four days, including nearly 19,000 on Friday and more than 20,000 on Saturday. That's a whole lot of folks, and y'all handled it splendidly. Of course, we're also so grateful for our friends at LHN that provided extensive coverage of the event. Now for our triumphant Longhorns who were rewriting the Longhorn and Texas Relays record books! Our multi-event All-American Leo Neugebauer started the Longhorn stampede, winning the decathlon and moving into third-place on the UT all-time list with 8,131 points. Fellow All-American Jonathan Jones followed by winning the 800m with a personal best time of 1:45.83, just .01 second off the Texas Relays record. Yaseen Abdalla won the men's 5,000m, and Monica Hebner the women's 10,000m to give the Longhorns four champions as the Relays got rolling on Thursday. Our Women's relays were en fuego all week, setting new Texas Relays and program records in winning the 4x200m (1:29.03/No. 2 in NCAA history), and in the prelims of the 4x100m (42.42/No. 6 in NCAA history), an event they went on to win, as well. The distance medley relay also was victorious (10:59.91) and set the UT and Texas Relays records in the process. Our Men's relays were atop the medal stands, too, winning the 4x200m for the first time since 2003, and at 1:20.80 was just .01 off the school record. They also won the title in the sprint medley relay (3:14.64). Records fell in the field, as well, with Tripp Piperi eclipsing Longhorn Legend, World Record Holder and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Ryan Crouser's UT outdoor shot put record. His toss of 21.54m (70-8) secured the victory, and took down the record mark of 21.39m (70-2.25) Crouser posted in 2014. That effort also garnered Tripp the Most Outstanding Men's Performer of this year's Texas Relays. Additionally, Ackelia Smith broke a long-standing record in the triple jump, leaping 13.87m (45.6) to surpass Terri Turner's 36-year-old UT record. She now holds the Longhorn indoor and outdoor records in that event, and she's just a freshman! Not to mention, Tyra Gittens put another Horn on the victory stand, winning the long jump (6.82m/22-4.5). It all culminated in our Women's 4x400m relay team capping the meet in extraordinary fashion by winning the event named for our Honorary Referee Sanya Richards-Ross in record-breaking fashion. Not only did they break the UT and Texas Relays records that Richards-Ross helped set all the way back in 2004, but they also registered the second-fastest time in NCAA history in clocking 3:22.94. It sealed the deal for our Women's Team taking home the Texas Relays Most Outstanding Team. What a meet we had, and it's just the start as Coach Flo and our Longhorns continue to prepare to take dead aim on the Big 12 and NCAA Championships in the months ahead.

A joyous few nights of Lighting the Tower for Women's Basketball, Men's Track & Field and Women's Swimming & Diving
Talk about beaming with pride, last week it was our great privilege to Light the Tower on consecutive nights in honor of two of our extraordinary championship programs. First it was our Big 12 Tournament Championship Women's Basketball team on Tuesday, and 24 hours later it was our first-ever Men's Track & Field National Championship squad. Then, last night we paid tribute to Women's Swimming & Diving and their 10th-straight Big 12 Championship. What a glorious sight it is seeing the teams proudly posing in front of the symbolic and classic Tower bathed in Burnt Orange. And there's nothing quite like the number one beaming prominently on its sides in tribute to a National Champion. But equally as joyous is spending time with our student-athletes, cherishing and celebrating this awesome moment and historical accomplishment with them. Being a part of one of those iconic images that will forever be a part of Longhorn history is so memorable for each and every one of them. Congrats and Hook 'Em to our latest and greatest Big 12 and National Championship programs!

Defending National Champs Rowing continue to dominate
Our top-ranked Rowing crews continues to make waves, sweeping eight races over two days of competition at the San Diego Crew Classic last weekend. Our squad raced four boats in each of the two days, and UT remains unbeaten so far this season. In fact, our First Varsity Eight boat has won 12 consecutive races, a streak that started at the beginning of the 2021 season in Michigan.

Three Longhorns earn National Performer of the Week honors
Pretty much every game our guy Ivan Melendez is providing us with at least one highlight reel, laser shot home run blast that makes you say, WOW. He's been on fire and continued that last week with a .625 batting average, 2.152 OPS and four home runs. For those efforts, he was named Collegiate Baseball's National Player of the Week. He also was selected as Big 12 Player of the Week for the second time this season. Also on the Longhorn honor roll this week is Tripp Piperi, who after his record-breaking effort at the Texas Relays, was named the USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week. In case you missed it, check out the spectacular shot heard round the stadium this weekend, with the sights and sounds that my man Tripp is famous for. Joining Ivan and Tripp in receiving national honors is Softball's Hailey Dolcini, who earned Wilson/NFCA National Pitcher of the Week recognition. Hailey helped our Horns extend our current unbeaten run to 16 games by registering a 4-0 record over four appearances (two starts) with a miniscule 0.37 ERA and 34 strikeouts over 19.0 innings (12.53 K's-per-7 innings). She gave up just one earned run and four combined hits while limiting opponents to a .066 batting average. Congratulations Ivan, Tripp and Hailey, it's well-deserved and worthy recognition for all three of you.

Pair of Women's Golfers set to play in major events this week
It's a very special week for a couple of our Women's Golfers as they'll have the opportunity to represent us in a pair of major events. Bohyun Park was selected as an amateur on a special sponsor's invitation to compete against LPGA Tour players in the Chevron Championship, and Sara Kouskova accepted an invitation as one of the world's premier amateur golfers to compete in the Augusta National Women's Amateur. What a terrific honor and reward for all they've accomplished. Good luck ladies, we'll be watching!

Texas-OU Baseball headed to Globe Life Field in Arlington this weekend
We told you a couple of weeks ago, and here's a reminder. The Red River Rivalry series will be going big near Big D at Globe Life Field in Arlington, April 1-3. It will be a historic weekend as Globe Life Field will serve as the first-ever regular season off-campus site for the rivalry series. This is Oklahoma's home series and was set for Norman, but now it's half the distance from Austin and a great early preview of the site of this year's Big 12 Tournament. What a great opportunity to showcase our Baseball program, playing in an MLB stadium, and on national television with Saturday's game on ESPN2 and Sunday's series finale on ESPNU. Single day tickets and weekend passes for the series are on sale now at texasrangers.com/collegebaseball. Tickets are $30 for general admission for one game, or a weekend pass can be purchased for $80. Parking is available the day of the game for $25.

Another full week on the 40
After a pair of heartbreaking losses to open the Big 12 season at Texas Tech — both in extra innings (5-4 in 10 Friday, 16-12 in 10 Saturday) — Coach Pierce and our Baseball squad bounced back Sunday to run-rule the No. 16 Red Raiders, 12-1, in seven Innings. Now, it's on to a historic rivalry game tonight at UFCU Disch-Falk Field with the Aggies of Texas A&M in the house (6:30 p.m./LHN), and that will launch another full week of Texas Sports. It's been sold out for a while, but you can catch it live thanks to our friends and partners at Longhorn Network and the Longhorn Radio Network. After opening Big 12 play with a three-game sweep at Kansas last weekend, Softball will host Louisiana on Wednesday, before welcoming in Iowa State to Red & Charline McCombs Field for a Big 12 three-game series this weekend. Fresh off a Red River Showdown 5-2 victory over Oklahoma at the Texas Tennis Center on Sunday, Men's Tennis takes on No. 9 Baylor at the Texas Tennis Center on Friday (6 p.m. CT) and follows that with a doubleheader on Sunday, first versus another Big 12 foe in Texas Tech (Noon CT/tape-delayed on LHN at 7:30 p.m. CT) then against UTRGV (4:30 p.m. CT). Baseball later travels to Arlington and Globe Life Field for its Red River Rivalry showdown three-game road series with Oklahoma Friday-Sunday. Men's Golf is coming off of a second-place finish at the Arizona N.I.T. in its last time out and head to Augusta for the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational this weekend. After a really impressive Texas Relays showing, our now No. 1-ranked Track & Field Men's and Women's squads will compete with our longtime rivals Texas A&M in a dual meet on Saturday in College Station.

In honor of Women's History Month, this is a must watch
It was our great honor to celebrate our Longhorn Legend Sanya Richards-Ross as the Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays Honorary Referee. A National Champion, All-American and Olympic legend, Sanya has taken the lessons she learned as a student-athlete to accomplish great things far beyond the track. She truly epitomizes our school mantra, "What starts here, changes the world." Thanks to our friends at LHN for this wonderful interview, and we're so grateful for the incredible example Sanya is for young women and girls across our nation and worldwide!

Hometown hero Scottie Scheffler wins WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play
In closing, Longhorn Men's Golf great Scottie Scheffler won the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play championship last weekend at the Austin Country Club. Scheffler is en fuego as he recorded his third PGA TOUR victory in his last five starts and ascended to the No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Ranking. We couldn't be prouder of our Longhorn For Life, know the future is event brighter and send an empathetic Hook 'Em and congratulations!

We've had so much success this year already, and we're ready for more! This week is loaded up again with Baseball, Spring Football, Golf, Softball, Tennis and Track & Field all in action. Here's to another great week!

Hook 'Em Horns,

Chris Del Conte

Chris Del Conte signature
Chris Del Conte