Texas track and field heads to Stanford
Coming off the high of Texas Relays, the track and field team looks to keep the momentum rolling in a trip to Stanford, California, for the Stanford Invitational.
The meet, which begins Friday, will be the second chance for the majority of the team to make their mark on the outdoor season after putting up a solid performance this past weekend in Austin. Junior Morolake Akinosun was named athlete of the meet for her efforts in helping the Texas women pick up three victories.
Junior Katie Burford, who set her personal best in the 1500 meters with a time of 4:34.79 at last year’s Stanford Invitational, looks to improve upon that career best on what is known as a “fast track” by locals.
In outdoor season, it’s always important to keep an eye on local weather, as poor conditions can affect the athletes in a big way. The weather should be ideal out on the California coast as sun and 70-degree temperatures are in the forecast.
Stanford, which won its last national championship in 2000, plays host to the country’s track and field athletes. With head coach Chris Miltenberg at the helm, the Cardinal is ranked 14th in the country on the men’s side and 12th on the women’s.
The Texas men head into the affair ranked fifth in the country, and the women enter ranked third.
Men's tennis begins four-match home stand against Red Raiders
Coming off a 4–1 loss to No. 1 Oklahoma on Sunday, No. 9 Texas will begin its four-match home stand, starting against unranked Texas Tech on Saturday at the Caswell Tennis Center in Austin. All four matches will come against unranked opponents, and the Longhorns will look to improve upon their 15–3 record before the Big 12 Men’s Tennis Championship later this month.
Despite reaching No. 7 in the nation, their highest ITA ranking, on March 24 following their win against UT-Pan American, the Longhorns have struggled lately, narrowly defeating No. 22 Oklahoma State and falling to No. 1 Oklahoma last weekend.
The team’s drop-off in play has been most notable in the singles positions, especially from the Longhorns’ No. 1 singles player, Søren Hess–Olesen. Hess–Olesen reached the No. 1 overall singles ranking in the most recent ITA polls but subsequently lost his next two matches, both in straight sets.
With a top-10 overall ranking in the nation, the Longhorns are still contenders for a Big 12 championship, as well as a national title. In order to contend with the top teams in the nation, Texas looks to get back in the win column starting Saturday.
