Texas' distance medley relay highlights a rainy, final day at the 2007 Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Leonel Manzano was looking forward to some stiff competition in the men's distance medley relay Saturday at the Texas Relays. Instead, the Texas junior got cold rain and sleet through the backstretch. Manzano anchored the Longhorns, who won for the second consecutive year in 9 minutes, 48.79 seconds through the worst conditions in recent Relays history. "The weather definitely had an effect on a lot of people," Manzano said. "I was ready to run. I just told myself, 'if they call it, they call it.'" Though few were cancelled, most of Saturday's races were scratched down to just a few runners or combined with other divisions. Manzano said he was disappointed that tough teams like Arkansas and Southern California didn't run the distance medley because, on a day like Saturday, racing the competition means more than racing the clock. "We knew it was going to be hard to run a decent time," Manzano said. "We decided just to race and not try to be heroes. We just wish the weather was better so we could give the fans a better show." Texas' shot putter Michelle Carter also won her event with a 53-foot, 2 3/4-inch toss. The victory helped the Longhorn women grab the meet's Outstanding Team award and was Carter's first college shot put title at the Relays. "It feels really good. I've been trying to win this for four years," Carter said. "I actually got a sense of relief." Carter, who placed sixth in the discus Saturday while competing against her sister D'Andra, is now looking toward the Olympic Trials and World Championships. While her shot put title is a big personal victory, she said it won't do much to advance her international aspirations. "People are still going to be out there practicing hard," she said. The meet went to a rolling schedule at 1:45 p.m. due to the weather, causing some early field events to be slightly delayed, including the men's high jump. Once it started, though, Texas' Andra Manson dominated, clearing 7-2 and beating BYU's David Pendegrass by 6 3/4 inches. He, like Carter, competed in his final Relays Saturday. "It's a little disappointing that it has to come to an end," Manson said. "I just wanted to enjoy my last Texas Relays." On a normal final day at the Relays, Manson would've been jumping in front of around 18,000 fans. Instead, his final jump in burnt orange came in front of an announced crowd of 2,000. By the time Louisiana State finished winning the Cleburn Prince Jr. 1,600 relay with a time of 3:09.93, the crowd was down to less than a hundred. "I'm just glad the fans that were here showed up," Manson said. "They're true Texas fans and true track fans."
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