Men's Track and Field ranked 14th in first Trackwire poll
AUSTIN, Texas -- The Texas men's track and field team open the 2007 outdoor campaign tied for No. 14 in the nation in the Trackwire Top 25 National Poll. UT has four student-athletes in the Dandy Dozen ratings, including two multi-time national champions in senior Andra Manson (Brenham, Texas) and junior Leo Manzano (Marble Falls, Texas), and four returning All-Americans including seniors Derek Randall (Beeville, Texas) and incoming transfer Samyr Laine (Newburgh, N.Y.). Texas is tied with Clemson and fellow Big 12 school Baylor, as all three teams are projected to score 19 points at the national meet. Florida State is ranked No. 1 in the national poll and is projected to score 62 points. USC is second with 40 points, followed by third-ranked Auburn (30 points), No. 4 Arizona (33 points), and No. 5 Wisconsin (32 points). A total of four conference teams are represented in the Trackwire Top 25 poll. Texas and Baylor have the highest ranking while Nebraska is tied for 17th with 16 points, and Texas Tech is tied for No. 22 with 15 points. Junior two-time national champion Leo Manzano (Marble Falls, Texas) is ranked No. 2 in the 1,500-meter run, senior two-time national champion Andra Manson (Brenham, Texas) is rated the fourth-best in the high jump, senior triple jumper and four-time All-American Samyr Laine sits at No. 7 and senior All-American thrower Derek Randall is fifth. The Trackwire 25 projects a hypothetical score for the NCAA meet, factoring in injury reports and other variables supported by information gathered from coaches and NCAA-qualifying competitions across the country. This projection is generated by scoring the Dandy Dozen, a power ranking of the top 12 athletes and relay squads in each NCAA event. UT hosts the largest home track and field meet of the season - 2007 80th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays - beginning Wednesday, April 4 at the Mike A. Myers Track and Soccer Stadium. The four-day event features the most talented professional, collegiate and high school athletes in the country.
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