Women's Track and Field preview: Big 12 Indoor Championships
Feb. 24, 2010
Complete Release with performance list
MEET INFO
LONGHORNS HEAD TO AMES ... The University of Texas Women's Track and Field team heads to the 14th annual Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championships this Friday-Saturday, February 26-27 held at Iowa State's Lied Recreation Center. This marks the fourth time Iowa State has hosted the event. The indoor facility features a 300-meter track with eight 42-inch lanes, four pole vault runways and two long jump/triple jump pits. HORNS NO STRANGER TO BIG 12 TITLES ... UT's women's track and field team owns five Big 12 Indoor Championships titles, tying with Nebraska for the most by a women's Big 12 team since the inception of the league in 1996. The Longhorns also hold the record for the highest point total (167 pts, 2003) in the history of the league's indoor championship - men's or women's. PICKIN' UP PROVISIONAL MARKS ... Five Longhorns and a relay have picked up 15 NCAA provisional marks so far this season. Senior Jordyn Brown has reached the provisional standard in the shot put four times led by her season-best mark of 53-2.5 (16.21m) while sophomore Angele Cooper has also collected two marks, one in the 200 (23.88) and one in the 400m (53.23). Junior Chantel Malone has also reached provisional marks in the long jump (20-4.25), triple jump (41-10.5) and 400m (54.27) while freshman Natasha Malone earned two qualifiers in the pole vault (13-6.25 and 13-5.75). Betzy Jimenez was the most recent Longhorn to be added to the provisional qualifiers as she picked up a mark in the 3,000m (9:18.03) and mile (4:44.95) COOPER BREAKING OUT ... After a freshman season that included a trip to the NCAA Outdoor Championship semifinals in the 400m hurdles, sophomore Angele Cooper is building off of that experience this indoor season. This year, the California native has set PRs in both the 200m (23.99) and 400m (53.23) while picking up NCAA provisional marks in both events. JIMENEZ STEPPING UP ... After sitting out the 2009 indoor and outdoor seasons due to injury, redshirt junior Betzy Jimenez has picked up right where she left off by setting PR's in each event she's competed in this season including two NCAA provisional marks. Jimenez earned the provisional times in the 3,000m (9:18.03) and mile (4:44.95). She's also recorded PR times of 2:13.58 (800m), 16:55.56 (5,000m) and 2:49.49 (1,000m). MASTERSON CLIMBING FAST ... Freshman pole vaulter Natasha Masterson tied the Texas indoor pole vault record in just her second meet as a Longhorn with her NCAA provisional clearance of 13-6.25 (4.12m). Masterson matched Ashley Laughlin's height set on March 3, 2007 and joins the Texas Ex as the only Horns to clear 4.00 meters. Masterson then almost matched her record-setting height when she cleared 13-5.75 (4.11m) on Feb. 13 for her second NCAA provisional mark. The Pflugerville native is also one of just three freshmen nationally to clear at least 13-6.25. JIMENEZ MAKING UT MILE HISTORY ... Redshirt senior Betzy Jimenez's 4:44.95 mile at the Texas A&M Challenge II (Feb. 13) was not only a personal best, but it was also the fourth-fastest mile time in UT indoor history. Jimenez's time is just seven-tenths of a second off the UT indoor mile record of 4:44.17 set by Erin Sims in 2003. BROWN CONTINUES TO PROGRESS ... From walk-on to All-American, senior Jordyn Brown has made a name for herself in the shot put across the nation. After earning the first All-American honor of the career in 2009 with a fourth-place finish in the indoor shot put, Brown has continued to impress. This year, she has bettered her shot put mark in each meet and is currently ranked third in the Big 12 and 15th the nation with a throw of 53-2.25. Her success might be linked to changing of technique from the glide approach to the spin, which she has taken on this season. BEHM SHAVING SECONDS ... Sophomore distance specialist Mia Behm, fresh off her first NCAA Cross Country Championships appearance, has continued to take time off her events over the 2010 season. Behm entered the season with a mile PR of 5:05.96 but has since run times of 4:59.42 and 4:54.38. The Tyler, Texas native has also recorded a 9:39.53 3,000m, which is nine seconds faster than her previous PR and has taken three seconds off of her 5,000m PR with her mark of 16:51.74. LONGHORNS KNOCK OFF NO. 1 TEXAS A&M IN DUAL MEET (Jan. 23) ... The Longhorns won the Texas A&M Dual Meet (Jan. 23), 80.5-78.5, at Gilliam Indoor Stadium. The meet was decided by the last event of the night, the 4x400m relay, where the Longhorns edged the top-ranked Aggies 3:35.39 to 3:35.60 for the win. Both teams were knotted at 75.50 heading into the mile relay where UT also picked up an NCAA provisional mark. The Longhorns' earned seven provisional marks and won eight individual events along with the mile relay and the DMR. Freshman Natasha Masterson also tied the UT indoor pole vault record with her PR clearance of 13-6.25 (4.12m) NEW TO THE TRACK IN 2010 ... This year's roster features 10 fresh faces including the reigning world junior 100m and 200m champion in Chalonda Goodman. The sprinting standout is joined by pole vaulter Natasha Masterson (Pflugerville, Texas), sprinter Alicia Peterson (Sherman, Texas), middle distance specialist Katie Hoaldridge (Burleson, Texas) and throwers Helen Ubabuike (San Antonio, Texas) and Akua Sencherey (Jackson, Texas).
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