The Longhorn women’s track & field team walked away from the Sports Performance Center in Lubbock as a Big 12 Champion on Saturday. But with a fifth-place finish at the conclusion of the meet, the weekend did not carry the same tune for Texas men.
Despite a middling team performance, the Burnt Orange was well-represented on the podium, with three Longhorns claiming individual conference titles on the final day of competition.
Tripp Piperi rocketed to first in the shot put for the second straight season, thanks in part to his zeal for competition.
“I had great energy today,” Piperi said. “I had a great throw at the beginning. I was very fired up today which was great.”
Meanwhile, John Burt reigned victorious in the 60m hurdles with a personal record time of 7.73 to make him the No. 3 performer in school history.
“(Winning) was always the goal coming in here, to come out with a championship,” Burt said. “After my race (on Friday) I was real upset, but I was able to come back today and run a PR and qualifying time.”
Later, Sam Worley won the mile and Alex Rogers finished on his heels to take second in his last conference indoor meet.
“I knew it was going to be a tough race no matter what,” Worley said. “My plan was to just kick really hard the last 300m and that’s what I tried to do, and I was able to come out on top. It just gives me confidence going into NCAAs with a few more races under my belt, and knowing how to win will carry me far.”
With the conference championships now behind them, the Longhorns will begin preparing for the NCAA Indoor Championships that will take place in Birmingham, Alabama, on March 8-9.