Distance group opens Aztec Invitational for Women's Track & Field
March 15, 2013
SAN DIEGO - The Texas Women's Track & Field team embarked on its 2013 outdoor season on Friday night, competing at the Aztec Invitational in San Diego. On the first of two days of competition for UT, 11 Longhorns raced in the distance events. Five of them in senior Anne Jones and freshmen Kendall Howen, Claire Andrews, Meghan Shea and Katie Burford were making their first appearance for Texas in 2013. UT placed three in the top five in the 3,000 meters invite race, led by junior Brittany Marches, who finished second in 9:59.07. Close behind was Howen, who posted a third-place time of 9:59,92 in her first race as a Longhorn. Sophomore Connor Ward clocked 10:03.14 for fifth, while redshirt freshman Alaina Perez (10:14.08) and Andrews (10:40.53) were seventh and ninth, respectively. Shea paced Texas in the invitational 1,500 meters, crossing 13th with a time of 4:37.86. She was joined by Burford and Jones, who notched back-to-back finishes in 22nd (4:43.76) and 23rd (4:43.83), as well as senior Kendra Chambers, who ran a 4:58.87 in her first collegiate 1,500m race for 34th.
"The freshman were solid tonight, especially Meghan Shea, who ran a very competitive race and tried to put herself in a position to win," Texas distance coach Steve Sisson said. "Having sat out the indoor season, they could have come out hesitant but instead were very aggressive and, as a whole, had a really positive day. For the team, it's great to kick off our outdoor season with the energy that we showed here tonight." The Texas distance group set the stage for the Saturday session in San Diego, when the Longhorns will contend in the sprints, relays and field disciplines. UT will open with three teams in the 4x100-meter relay at 12:10 p.m. Central, with the final 4x400-meter relay event scheduled for 6:15 p.m. TEXAS RESULTS - AZTEC INVITATIONAL 1,500m 5,000m |
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