Women's Track and Field advances three to finals at NCAA Outdoor Championships
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Despite the loss of junior All-American Marshevet Hooker (San Antonio, Texas), top-ranked Texas never missed a step Wednesday, earning three finals berths on day one of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the A.G. Spanos Sports Complex. Hooker, the nation's top seed in the long jump and the anchor of the Longhorns' top-ranked 4x100-meter relay team, was forced to withdraw from the Championships due to a hamstring injury she suffered during the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships on May 27 in Austin. The top-ranked Longhorns never missed a beat on day one, collecting three finals berths and a semifinals bid. Senior Melaine Walker (Kingston, Jamaica) figures to carry quite a load for Texas through the four-day meet, and the All-American got off to a terrific start on Wednesday. Walker clocked 13.00 in the 100-meter preliminary round and timed at 12.86 in the semifinals to land a spot in Friday's finals. Walker also filled in for Hooker on the anchor leg of the 4x100-meter relay, as Texas advanced to the finals with a second-place preliminary-round time of 43.25. Sophomore Jasmine Lee (Norwalk, Calif.) took the lead leg in place of senior LaTashia Kerr (Houston, Texas), who moved to the third leg in place of the new anchor, Walker. Freshman Alex Anderson (Chicago, Ill.) remained in the second leg. Kerr also added a qualifying time in the 400 meters, clocking a ninth-place time of 52.81 to move on to Friday's semifinals. Freshman Destinee Hooker (San Antonio, Texas) moved on to Friday's high jump finals with a qualifying clearance of 5-10.75 (1.80m). Texas kicks off day two of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at 5:30 p.m. CDT with the 100 meters. NCAA Outdoor Championships - Sacramento, Calif. 100-Meter Hurdles (preliminary) 100-Meter Hurdles (semifinals) 4x100-Meter Relay (semifinals) 400 Meters (preliminary) High Jump (preliminary)
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