Briscoe clears career mark to grab second in high jump at NCAAs
June 8, 2012 DES MOINES, Iowa -- Sophomore Shanay Briscoe leaped a career-best 1.90 meters (6-2.75) to capture second place in the high jump for Texas Women's Track & Field on the third day of the NCAA Outdoor Championships at Drake Stadium. Briscoe, making her second appearance at the national meet and improving upon her third-place finish in high jump in 2011, cleared the mark on her third attempt and added eight points to the Longhorns' weekend total. "I was just trying to stay focused, remembering my steps, remembering what I did in practice," Briscoe said of her strategy in competition today. "I feel good. I wish I would have gotten the 1.93 (meters), but I'm still happy to have placed that well. I've jumped 1.90 in practice already, but it's good to have jumped it in a meet so I'm excited." Briscoe was one of three Longhorns to compete in the high jump on Friday. Also scoring in the event was senior Victoria Lucas, who tied for sixth place and earned two team points. Lucas matched her career-best with a jump of 1.83 meters (6-0.0), the same mark that earned her second place at NCAAs a year before. "It was unbelievable that ten girls cleared six feet today," Lucas said. "You can tell I think with it being an Olympic year that all the times, all the heights and everything are just incredible. It's really a fun meet to be at right now." Fellow senior Beverly Owoyele rounded out the event for Texas, finishing in 15th place with a jump of 1.79 meters (5-10.5). UT has had at least one competitor qualify for the high jump finals at NCAA Outdoors in six of the last seven years. "Texas has a history in the high jump all the way back to some of the great athletes even before I got to Texas as the coach," head coach Beverly Kearney said. "It is an event that has been a stabilizer for us to score points at the NCAA Championships." Sophomore Danielle Dowie grabbed Texas' first three points of the Championships earlier in the day, finishing sixth in the finals of the 400m Hurdles. Crossing the finish line in 56.85, Dowie improved upon her preliminary time by half a second and garnered the first All-America honors of her collegiate career. "That feels great," Dowie said of earning a spot on the podium. "Last year I wasn't there, so this will be a good accomplishment from last year. Next year, I will definitely have more experience, so hopefully by then I'll be able to get things right. But it feels good to be up on that podium, so I'm happy about that. The Longhorns finished the day with 13 points, placing them in a tie for 11th place with San Diego State and Arizona State. LSU and Oregon sit atop the leaderboard with 40 points apiece. Still to compete for UT on the final day of NCAAs will be Christy Udoh in the 200m, Sara Sutherland in the 5,000m and Texas' 4x400m relay team. Saturday's events begin at 10 a.m. CT with the men's shot put finals and conclude with the women's 4x400m relay finals at 12:50 p.m. ESPNU will carry coverage of the final day starting at 11 a.m. and all events will also be broadcasted on ESPN3.com. Results: Friday, June 8 400m Hurdles
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