LINCOLN, Neb. -- The Texas men's and women's track and field teams combined to post 12 personal bests and sophomore Marshevet Hooker notched the Longhorns first Big 12 title of the weekend at the Big 12 Indoor Track & Field Championships on Friday, Feb. 25 at the Bob Devaney Center in Lincoln, Neb. After the first day, the Texas men stand in fifth place with 17.33 points after five scored events, while the Texas women are tied for eighth place with 13 points after five scored events.
Hooker posted three provisional-qualifying marks and an automatic qualifier of 21-0.75 on her final attempt in winning the long jump. She became the first female Longhorn to win an indoor conference long jump championship since Nicole Devonish won the Southwest Conference title in 1996. Hooker also qualified for the finals on Saturday in the 60 meters and the 200 meters. She notched a season-best 7.35 in the prelims of the 60 meters and then topped that in the semifinals with a provisional-qualifying 7.33. She moved on from there to post the second-fastest time in the 200 meters with a 23.81, which was just .02 off of her personal best.
The women's team also received three points from its distance medley relay of freshman Mariya Townswick (Briarcliff, Texas), junior Sheretta Jones (Houston, Texas), freshman Temeka Kincy (Indianapolis, Ind.) and sophomore Carlee Clark (Bozeman, Mont.). The quartet finished in sixth place with a time of 11:47.24.
Junior Melaine Walker (Kingston, Jamaica) had her best day as a Longhorn after running three personal bests in qualifying for the finals in the 60 meters, the 200 meters and the 60-meter hurdles. She ran a personal-best 7.54 in the prelims of the 60 meters and then clocked a 7.46 in the semis to advance to the final. She went on to post a personal-best 24.12 in the 200 meters and a personal-best 8.26 in the 60-meter hurdles.
Other qualifiers for the women include junior LaTashia Kerr (200m and 400m), sophomore Jerrika Chapple (200m and 400m), junior Sheretta Jones (600 yards) and sophomore Carlee Clark (1,000m). The Longhorns will also have sophomore Michelle Carter competing in the shot put, sophomore Mallory Rodgers and freshmen Ashley Laughlin and Anne Phillips in the pole vault, freshman Temeka Kincy in the 800 meters, freshman Mariya Townswick in the 3,000 meters and the 4x400-meter relay.
On the men's side, senior Mark Nichol (Short Hills, N.J.) finished third in the 5,000 meters with a personal best and provisional-qualifying 14:06.42 to score six points. The distance medley relay of senior Matt Caterisano (Chicago, Ill.) and freshmen Hamza Deyaf (Richardson, Texas), Kyle Miller (Katy, Texas) and Erik Stanley (Spring, Texas) also earned six points with a third-place finish in 9:50.74.
Junior Ronald Hill (Walnut, Calif.) added five points with a fourth-place finish in the long jump (collegiate best 24-2.50), while junior Brandon Mahler (Seagraves, Texas) rounded out the first-day scoring with a tie for eighth place in the pole vault with a personal-best 16-5.50.
The Longhorns got a great performance from junior Quincy Boles (Harker Heights, Texas) in the 60 meters. Boles posted a personal-best 6.72 in the prelims and then bettered that time in the semifinals with a 6.69. Both times were also provisional qualifiers.
Junior Trey Hardee (Birmingham, Ala.) and sophomore Donovan Kilmartin (Eagle, Idaho) are in second and third place, respectively, after four events in the heptathlon. Hardee used personal bests to win the 60 meters (6.89) and the long jump (22-9), while Kilmartin cleared 6-9.75 to take the high jump.
In the 800 meters, junior Tomas Finol (Spring, Texas) gutted out a personal-best 1:51.63 to qualify for the final.
Other qualifiers for the Texas men include Kyle Miller (1,000m) and senior Ryan Ponsonby and freshman Leonel Manzano (Mile). The Longhorns will also have sophomore Andra Manson and junior Nick Talley competing in the high jump, junior Brian Robison in the shot put, freshman Joseph Davis in the triple jump, seniors Matt Caterisano, Mark Nichol, Ryan Ponsonby and Jon Von Letscher and freshman Leonel Manzano in the 3,000 meters and the 4x400-meter relay.
Action on the second day will kick off with the heptathlon's 60-meter hurdles at 9:30 a.m. (Central).
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