Men's Track and Field preview: New Balance Invitational
AUSTIN, Texas -- The fourth-ranked Texas men's track and field team travels back across the country for the 2007 New Balance Collegiate Invitational at the New Balance Track and Field Center in New York City. Defending national champion Florida State and current national poll leader Arkansas are among the teams entered in the meet. Fellow conference teams Oklahoma and Texas A&M will also send representatives. Other college programs scheduled to attend include: Alabama, Albany, American, BYU, Columbia, Duke, Iona, Kentucky, LSU, Maryland, Miami, UNC, NC State, NYU, Ohio State, Penn State, Pitt, Princeton, Rutgers, Seton Hall, St. John's, South Carolina, Syracuse, Tennessee, Villanova, Virginia, Wake Forest Senior Andra Manson (Brenham, Texas) will open his 2007 senior campaign this weekend, and in a place where he has experienced great success. The two-time national champion and New Balance Collegiate Invitational record holder has won the meet's high jump in each of his three seasons competing. The 2007 season started strong for the Texas men's track and field program with event champions in each of the first three meets. At the NYC Gotham Cup, junior national champion Leo Manzano (Marble Falls, Texas) won the 800-meter and anchored the 4x800-meter relay to an event championship. Junior high jumper Joel Hargett (Conroe, Texas) grabbed his first event title of the season. Two weeks later at the Leonard Hilton Memorial, the men's team placed second in one of three scored meets on this season's schedule, boasting three event winners. Senior Trey Hardee (Birmingham, Ala.) won the long jump, and juniors Joseph Davis (San Antonio, Texas) and John Rouse (Kaufman, Texas) won the triple jump and weight throw, respectively. Last weekend, the Longhorns' win streak continued as senior Donovan Kilmartin (Eagle, Idaho) edged outdoor decathlon national champion, Arizona's Jake Arnold, for the Roger Cox Multi's Meet Championships. Kilmartin was one of two UT heptathletes who finished in the top six. The two-time national champion became the first Longhorn to automatically qualify for nationals in scoring 5,700 points. Kilmartin swept the field events (high jump, long jump, shot put and pole vault) and won three of four events on the first day. Sophomore Andrew Webb (Midland, Texas) placed sixth and missed the provisional qualifying standard by of 5,300 by 53 points, scoring 5,247. This week, four Longhorns are rated in the Trackwire.com Dandy Dozen power ratings. Hardee and Kilmartin are rated one-two in the heptathlon. Manzano is ranked third in the mile run. Senior Andra Manson (Brenham, Texas) who starts his 2007 campaign for a national title this weekend, is rated fifth in the high jump. Currently, UT is fourth in the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association national poll and seventh in the Trackwire Top 25 national poll.
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