The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
NCAA West Preliminaries
No. 17 Men's Track and Field sends seven events to NCAA Outdoor Championships
05.30.2025 | Track & Field / Cross Country
The Longhorns set three program records on the third day of NCAA West First Round.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The No. 17 Texas Men's Track and Field team advanced seven entries to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore., on the final day of the NCAA West First Round. The Longhorns also set three program records at E. B. Cushing Stadium on Friday night.
The men's 4x100-meter relay of Kendrick Smallwood, John Rutledge, Almond Small and Xavier Butler posted the fastest time in the region at 38.57 to advance to the semis in Oregon. It also took down the program record that was set last season (38.60) in Eugene by Marcellus Moore, Nolton Shelvin, Small and Rutledge.
Kelsey Daniel only needed two jumps to qualify for the triple jump, using his second jump of 6.34m (53-7.5) to secure a spot at NCAAs. The jump was an outdoor personal best, the fourth best in the competition and moved him to No. 8 on the school's all-time performer list.
Sophomore Osawese Agbonkonkon also advanced to the NCAA Championships in the high jump after matching his personal-best jump of 2.17m (7-1.50). It marks the first time in his career that he has reached the NCAA meet.
Later in the afternoon, Smallwood matched his program record in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 13.13 and broke Texas A&M's facility record on his way to the fastest qualifying time in the west. Smallwood now holds the six fastest times in school history.
Xavier Butler took down his second program record of the day after running the 200-meters in 20.02 seconds. The time bested Micaiah Harris's six-year school record set at the 2019 NCAA Championship meet. Butler's time was the second-fastest time of the day and earned him a spot at his first-ever NCAA Championship.
Kody Blackwood will compete in his third NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 400-meter hurdles after posting the fastest qualifying time in 48.83. The time is the 17th-fastest time in Texas history.
The men's 4x400-meter relay of Blackwood, Logan Popelka, Nabil Tezkratt and Rutledge finished with the fourth-fastest time of the competition at 3:02.55 to advance to the NCAA semifinals. The time was the 10th-fastest time in school history.
Results
Smallwood, Rutledge, Small, Butler – 1st – 4x100 – 38.57
Kendrick Smallwood – 1st – 110mH – 13.13
Kody Blackwood – 1st – 400mH – 48.83
Xavier Butler – 2nd – 200m – 20.02
Kelsey Daniel – 4th – triple jump – 16.34m
Blackwood, Popelka, Tezkratt, Rutledge – 4th – 4x400 – 3:02.55
Osawese Agbonkonkon – 10th – high jump – 2.17m
Chris Brinkley – 16th – 400mH – 50.99
Nabil Tezkratt – 22nd – 400m – 46.52
Players Mentioned
