THE WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD team opened the 2013 outdoor season at the Aztec Invitational in San Diego, Calif., on March 15-16 with 32 team members, including five returning first- team All-Americans. Seniors and true freshmen alike show- cased the athletic prowess that ultimately resulted in 12 top- five finishes.
“We had a great weekend to kick off the outdoor season,” interim head coach Rose Brimmer said. “We mixed things up and gave the girls an opportunity to get their feet wet in events they don’t normally run.”
During the first day of competition, the Longhorns made …
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their presence known after three athletes placed in the top five in the 3,000-meter race. Junior Brittany Marches led the charge, coming in second with a time of 9:59.07 seconds. The 4×100-meter relay team of Morgan Snow, Christy Udoh, Danielle Dowie and Chalonda Goodman captured the Longhorns’ only first-place finish with a 44.54 race.
Coming on the heels of their performance at the Aztec Invitational, the Longhorns received their highest preseason ranking to date. The Longhorns’ No. 5 ranking by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association, gives them a top-10 ranking in the NCAA division preseason poll for the third-consecutive year. The team also placed 19 athletes in the top-50 event-by-event rankings, with No. 2 high jumper Shanay Briscoe leading the way.
Texas’ next event was the hometown Texas Relays, held between March 27 and March 30 at Mike A. Myers Stadium. Dowie captured the nation’s fastest time in the 400-meter hurdles when she clocked a time of 56.58.
The women also scored a pair of top-five finishes in the medley relays, with the squad of Marielle Hall, Courtney Okolo, Katie Hoaldridge and Mia Behm notching a second-place finish in the distance medley relay. Arguably the team’s most impres- sive accomplishment was qualifying for the finals in every relay competition and placing among the top three in each event. The 4×200-meter relay team of Kiersten Duncan, Goodman, Udoh and Okolo came in first with a time of 1:32.37, barely edging Texas A&M in the process.
“It was an amazing feeling,” Goodman said after the race. “The whole race was an adrenaline rush.”
The Longhorns capped off the meet with a memorable 4×400 relay, with the team of Dowie, Briana Nelson, Kendra Chambers and Okolo coming in second with a time of 3:27.65. Only 0.04 separated them from the first-place Florida squad.
On April 5, Texas headed to Gainesville for the 69th Annual Pepsi Florida Relays, where the team posted four top-five finishes on the first day. Sophomore pole vaulter Kaitlin Petrillose highlighted the day when she cleared 13-51/4” (4.10 meters), tying her for second place. The Longhorns closed out the competition with two more top-five finishes in the relay events.
The Longhorns performed well at their next event — the Texas Invitational — and picked up four first-place finishes along with nine personal records. The victories came in the 800, the 100, the 1,500 and the 400. Okolo’s personal-best time of 52.52 in the 400 was the fourth-fastest time in the nation this year. The Longhorns went 1-2-3 in the 800, with Chambers leading the way with a time of 2:06.73.
The outdoor season continued in Walnut, Calif., for the 55th Mt. SAC Relays, April 18-19. Texas’ sole entrant in the field events — high jumper Briscoe — won the women’s open high jump, clearing a height of 5-10” (1.80 meters).
And with the Longhorn Invitational, the Longhorns finished the outdoor regular season on their home turf. The women managed to score five wins in a strong showing, including a 1-2-3 finish in both the 100 and the 400 hurdles. The meet served as a chance to improve individu- al times in order to qualify for the West Regional and a final warm-up for the Big 12 Outdoor Championships, where Texas placed second. “We don’t have clearly defined captains, but that works well for the team,” distance runner Mia Behm said. “Everyone, including the seniors, has stepped up to lead the team and contribute this year, regardless of the circumstances.”
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