Men's Track and Field Preview: NCAA Indoor Championships
March 9, 2011
MEET INFO: FOLLOW THE ACTION: The 2011 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships will be live-streamed on ESPN3.com and NCAA.com/Aggieathletics.com. The schedule is as follows: To follow the live results, visit flashresults.com. TEXAS HEADS TO NCAA INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS: The Texas Men’s Track and Field Team will head to the 2011 NCAA Indoor Championships on Friday and Saturday, March 11-12. The two-day meet is being hosted by Texas A&M at the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium in College Station, Texas. The Longhorns have finished in the Top 10 for seven of the last eight seasons, including back-to-back third-place finishes in 2007 and ’08. UT will be represented by six athletes. Senior Jamal Wilson (high jump), junior Jacob Thormaehlen (shot put), sophomores Hayden Baillio (shot put), Marquise Goodwin (long jump) and Keiron Stewart (60-meter hurdles) as well as freshman Mark Jackson (triple jump) all earned the right to compete. NCAA TOP 10: Texas has finished in the Top 10 at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in seven out of the last eight seasons. UT started the streak when they tied for ninth at the 2003 meet. Since then, the Horns have posted two third-place finishes, two fourth-place finishes and two 10th-place finishes. Prior to 2003, the Horns had only recorded two Top 10 finishes (1986, ’99) in the previous 38 seasons since the indoor national meet started in 1965. INDIVIDUAL NCAA HISTORY: The UT men have captured 13 individual or relay indoor national titles with 11 coming since 1999. UT has won titles in a variety of events, including five high jump titles, three heptathlon crowns, two mile championships, an 800-meter title, a pole vault crown and a DMR title. ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Texas sophomore hurdler Keiron Stewart was named USTFCCCA South Central Region Men’s Indoor Track Athlete of the Year. Stewart currently holds the nation’s top 60-meter hurdles time of 7.66. The nation-leading mark came in a victory at the Big 12 Indoor Championships, Stewart’s first. On the season, Stewart has clocked NCAA automatic qualifying marks on three occasions. GOODWIN ADDED TO THE BOWERMAN WATCH LIST: Sophomore long jumper/sprinter Marquise Goodwin is one of 11 male athletes on The Bowerman Watch List released by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). Goodwin currently boasts the country’s second-best long jump mark on the season with a jump of 26-8.50 (8.14m). Goodwin’s jump is the top indoor long jump in UT history. The sophomore is the defending NCAA outdoor long jump champion with a mark of 26-9 (8.15m). LAST TIME OUT - BIG 12 INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS: The Texas men earned a fourth-place finish at the Big 12 Indoor Championships in Lincoln, Neb., behind victories from sophomores Marquise Goodwin, Patrick McGregor and Keiron Stewart. Goodwin claimed the long jump title and Stewart was victorious in the 60-meter hurdles, while McGregor took the top spot in the 1,000 meters. ISLAND INFLUENCE: The Longhorns’ success thus far is due largely to two athletes from the Caribbean, senior high jumper Jamal Wilson from Nassau, Bahamas and sophomore hurdler Keiron Stewart from Kingston, Jamaica. Wilson has cleared 7 feet on four occasions this season. His best of 7-4.25 (2.24m) at the Don Kirby Invitational to automatically qualified him for the NCAA Indoor Championship. Stewart currently holds the nation’s top 60-meter hurdle time of 7.66, an NCAA automatic qualifying mark. NATIONAL LEADER: Sophomore hurdler Keiron Stewart is the national leader in the 60-meter hurdles this season. His Big 12 Championship time of 7.66 is not only the top time in the country in 2011 but is also a school record. MULTI-SPORT STAR: Sophomore Marquise Goodwin enters his second track and field season after competing for the Longhorn football team. Goodwin tallied 31 receptions for 324 yards and a touchdown in 2010. In the track season, Goodwin is the nation’s leading long jumper with a leap of 26-8.50. Goodwin is the defending NCAA outdoor long jump champion. THROWERS RETURN TO NCAA MEET: Throwers Hayden Baillio and Jacob Thormaehlen are no strangers to the NCAA Championships. Last season, both qualified for the indoor and outdoor championships. Baillio became an All-American during the outdoor season where he finished sixth at the NCAA outdoor meet. Both Baillio and Thormaehlen picked up All-Big 12 honors at the indoor conference championships where Baillio placed third and Thormaehlen came in eighth. Baillio’s throw of 63-4.75 (19.32m) is a personal best and automatically qualified him for NCAA’s. Thormaehlen punched his ticket to the national championships at the Arkansas Final Qualifier where he tossed the shot put 62-1.25 (18.93m). THORMAEHLEN LOOKING TO BE ALL-AMERICAN: Junior thrower Jacob Thormaehlen is making his third trip to the NCAA Championships. Last season, Thormaehlen appeared at both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships. Indoors, he earned a 13th place finish and outdoors, he finished 12th. The junior will be looking for for his first All-American honor in 2011. FRESH FACE: Freshman Mark Jackson is set to make his first appearance at the NCAA Championships. The triple jumper currently boasts a collegiate best of 52-5.25 (15.98m). Jackson also earned his first All-Big 12 honor at the Big 12 indoor meet where he recorded a fourth-place finish in the triple jump with a mark of 51-5.50 (15.68m). As a high school senior, Jackson was named the Texas Track and Field Coaches Association Male Athlete of the Year. TEXAS SCHEDULE Saturday, March 12
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