Men's Track and Field tabbed No. 6 in track coaches' poll
AUSTIN, Texas -- The Texas men's track and field team earned a No. 6 ranking in the first release of the year by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association national poll. The Longhorns remain in the top 15 in the latest edition of the Trackwire Top 25 national poll, announced late on Monday, April 9, as they are tied with fellow Big 12 Conference program Baylor and are projected to score 19 points. Texas nearly doubled its number of NCAA Midwest Regional qualifiers from six to 11 at the 80th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays, despite horribly cold and rainy weather conditions in normally temperate Austin. Seniors Hamza Deyaf (Richardson, Texas), Samyr Laine (Newburgh, N.Y.), and Derek Randall, and juniors Joseph Davis, Joel Hargett and John Rouse (Kaufman, Texas) have already met the standard. At the Relays, Davis improved his mark in the triple jump to the farthest in the nation while Deyaf moved into the top five NCAA times in the 400-hurdles this year. Adding to the regional qualifiers list was senior two-time national champion Andra Manson (Brenham, Texas) who cleared the high jump bar at 7-2.25 (2.20m) with ease in a constant downpour on Saturday (April 7) afternoon. Senior Ryan Wilson (Wichita, Kansas) became the first Longhorn this year to regionally qualify in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, marking the second consecutive season that he has met the region standard in the event. Sophomore Elliot O'Hare (Austin, Texas) and true freshman Will Paine (Houston, Texas) qualified for their first NCAA Midwest Region Championship in the triple jump and pole vault, respectively. Redshirt freshman Andrew Webb (Midland, Texas) met the provisional standard for the decathlon, earning a spot in the at-large pool for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships. In the Trackwire Top 25 poll, Florida State maintained a 19-point lead on the rest of the field as the Seminoles are projected to score 63 points and repeat as national champions. The second-ranked Auburn Tigers (44 points)are just one spot and four points ahead of No. Southern California (40 points), and 10 points ahead of fourth-place Arizona (34 points). The Tennessee men's team is fifth with 30 points. Nebraska (No. 18 - 16 points) and Texas Tech (No. 23 - 15 points) are the only other conference schools in the Trackwire 25. In the USTFCCCA poll, Florida State is first, followed by second-ranked Auburn, third-ranked Southern California, fourth-ranked Arizona. Tennessee rounds out the top five. Texas returns to the track for the Texas Twilight on Saturday, April 21 at Mike A. Myers Track and Soccer Stadium.
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