The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Big 12 Outdoor Championships
No. 1 Women's TF's Smith and Blazevica win Big 12 titles
05.13.2023 | Track & Field / Cross Country
Ackelia Smith becomes the No. 2 performer in NCAA long jump history.
NORMAN, Okla. – The No. 12/1 Texas track and field program finished the second day of the Big 12 Outdoor Championships with two event wins and countless Longhorns advancing to Sunday's finals.
Saturday was highlighted by Kristine Blazevica and Ackelia Smith who totaled 20 points for the women's team score. The No. 1 women are currently third after eight scored events with 44 points behind Oklahoma (75) and Iowa State (49). With 42.5 points, the No. 12 men are fourth behind Oklahoma (55), Kansas (51) and Iowa State (47).
Blazevica got the scoring started for Texas winning the heptathlon for the third-straight season. Her personal best score of 6,146 points ranks as the second-best score in Texas history and her winning performance made the four-time All-American the first ever to be a three-time Big 12 heptathlon champion.
She capped the final day of her competition with three first place performances in the long jump (6.22m/20-5), javelin (41.34m/135-7) and the 800-meter (2:13.57). Blazevica led the competition from the very first event and now ranks as the No. 2 performer in the NCAA this season.
Smith later joined Longhorn legend Tara Davis as the only two female collegians to jump over seven meters in the long jump. The sophomore's wind-legal jump of 7.08m (23-2.75) ranks as the No. 2 jump in collegiate history, No. 2 in Texas history and broke both the conference and facility record. The mark also ranks as the world-leading jump and leads the NCAA heading in the NCAA West Preliminaries.
Sophomore Darja Sopova added one point to the team total with her personal best jump of 6.13m (20-1.5) to finish eighth.
The women's shot put added 16 team points after senior Marilyn Nwora finished as the runner-up with a personal best throw of 17.31m (56-9.5). The mark improves her mark as the No. 4 performer on the all-time list. Sophomore Chrystal Herpin finished just behind in third with her own personal best at 16.67m (54-8.25), moving her up to No. 6 on the all-time list. Kiana Lowery's seventh-place performance of 15.80m (51-10) moved her to No. 10 on the Texas performer list and concluded the scoring for the Longhorns.
The men's side was led by the long jumpers who combined for 15 team points. Junior Leo Neugebauer earned the bronze medal with his personal best jump of 7.66m (25-1.75). Just behind in fourth and fifth was Jathan Belaire who registered a season best jump of 7.62m (25-0) and Solomon Washington who recorded the same mark.
Patrick Piperi tallied four points in the shot put with his season best throw of 18.84m (61-9.75).
Staying in the field events, Sam Hurley and Dylan Linberger combined to score 3.5 points in the high jump. Hurley finished tied for sixth after clearing 2.06m (6-9) on his first attempt, while Dylan Lineberger also cleared 2.06m (6-9) but needed two attempts on 2.01m.
Sam Bass recorded the final point for Texas finishing eighth in the 3000-meter steeplechase with his personal best time of 9:10.16.
The final day of competition will be highlighted by the track finals, men's pole vault, men's and women's discus and triple jump and the women's high jump. The competition is scheduled to begin at 12:00 p.m.
Players Mentioned
