Women's Track and Field preview: Big 12 Outdoor Championships
WACO, Texas -- Top-ranked Texas will look to complete a sweep of the conference titles for the 2005-06 season this weekend when it heads to the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Baylor's Hart-Patterson Track and Field Complex. The meet gets under way Friday, May 12 and continues through Sunday evening, May 14. Without competitors in Friday's heptathlon, hammer throw and 10,000 meters, Texas will begin competition on Saturday. Live results will be available at . Fresh off of titles from the Big 12 and NCAA indoor championships, Texas hasn't missed a beat in outdoor competition. The Longhorns return each of their 2005 Big 12 outdoor champions and are featured prominently in the Big 12 rankings this season. Junior Marshevet Hooker (San Antonio, Texas) returns as the defending champion in the 100 meters, 200 meters and the long jump. The nine-time All-American currently holds the league's top marks in the 100 meters and the long jump and is in prime position to capture the 200-meter crown, as well. Hooker also anchors Texas' 4x100-meter relay, ranked No. 1 in the country at 42.84. Junior Michelle Carter (Ovilla, Texas) returns as the Big 12's outdoor shot put champion. Carter fell shy of the Big 12 indoor shot put title but rebounded considerably in March by capturing the NCAA indoor shot put crown. She enters this weekend's meet ranked No. 2 in the event behind Nebraska's Becky Breisch. Texas is the defending champion in the 4x100 and 4x400-meter relays, and although the Longhorns return each leg of those winning relays, UT likely will go with different relay lineups to chase those same titles this weekend. Freshman Alex Anderson (Chicago, Ill.) stands to be a factor in each relay, running the second leg in the 4x100 and the first or second leg in the 4x400. Senior Melaine Walker (Kingston, Jamaica), an integral part of the 4x100 and 4x400 relays, returns as the defending champion in the 400-meter hurdles. Walker registered the nation's top time of 54.87 last month at the Texas Relays. She likely will be a factor in the 100-meter hurdles, as well, given her ranking as the second-fastest 100-meter hurdler in the conference. UT also features three of the top 800-meter specialists in the conference. Sophomore Temeka Kincy (Indianapolis, Ind.) ranks third at 2:07.26, while freshman Janine Davis (Elizabeth, N.J.) ranks seventh at 2:08.37 and senior Dee Dee Cortez (Mission, Texas) comes in eighth at 2:08.49. Notably, freshman Katara Rosby (Baton Rouge, La.) ran a sub-2:05 anchor split on UT's winning 4x800-meter relay last month at the Penn Relays Carnival. Freshman Destinee Hooker (San Antonio, Texas) enters the meet as the league's top high jumper at 6-2. Hooker claimed the Big 12 indoor high jump title in February and ranks second nationally after winning the event at last month's Penn Relays Carnival. Texas is a five-time winner of the Big 12 outdoor championship. UT fell just shy of winning the title a season ago, as Nebraska took the crown with 126.66 points to 117 points for the Longhorns.
|
|
