Mark Wieczorek - Mid American Nazarene (NAIA)
Men's 800-Meter University/College Champion
I was just trying to get out good and get good position on the edge. The guys that were up front were really struggling going into that wind. I just tried to get into position and let them do the work for me. I'm happy, but it wasn't a great time. It turned into a strategic race. There was a lot of clutter there up front.
Landra Stewardson - University of Texas
Women's 5000-Meter University/College Champion
Coming into this race, I had planned to run even splits at 83 seconds. We went out a little bit faster, but no one wanted to take the lead, so I figured I might as well get up there and help (Texas') Asia (Myrland) in the lead, and it worked out well. When I first came here, I saw my teammate, Jodi Jones, win the 10K as a senior, and I thought, 'Wow, that must be awesome to go out with a win at the Texas Relays. When I become a senior, that's what I want to do.' I've been working these last few years thinking I was going to win the 10K at the Texas Relays during my senior year.
I looked on the meet schedule and there wasn't a 10K this year, so I entered the 5K not knowing how it would go because I'm better at the longer distances. It worked out well…I thought I might as well go for the win in the 5K…what did I have to lose? That was my plan, to win at the Texas Relays.
I had a PR (personal record) last week at Rice with a 17:32, so to come here and run 17:06…that was awesome! The weather was great tonight. I've run the 5K here the last two years, and it was really hot. With the cooler weather, it definitely set the stage for a PR.
Tonny Okello - University of South Alabama
Men's 5000-Meter University Champion
I had a teammate running with me, and our strategy was to stay in the lead. Unfortunately, we had another guy near us, so we had to change our strategy a little bit. We left and we wanted to see how strong we were. I found out the other guy had reached his peak, and I knew I had to go, so I took off.
I had an injury with my Achilles tendon, and I've only trained one week before this meet. I won this race for the fifth consecutive time and it's my third straight win at the Texas Relays. This is my senior year, and I wanted to finish my collegiate career with a win here.
My PR (personal record) is 14:00, but it was my best on this track. The weather was much better today (than in previous years). I'm quite happy.
