Following an underwhelming conclusion to the indoor season, Texas track & field got off to a solid start at the UTSA Invitational in San Antonio on Friday and Saturday. The Longhorns dominated the throws and turned in other noteworthy performances in the first meet of the outdoor season.
After securing second place in the weight throw at the Big 12 Indoor Championships last month, Elena Bruckner started her outdoor season strong with a third-place finish in the hammer throw and a victory in the discus. In her discus series, Bruckner bested the competition by almost 12 feet. To complement her big win, she walked away from the meet on Saturday with the number 6 throw in school history, adding on to her record-breaking résumé.
Prior to Bruckner’s performance, the Longhorns were victorious in the javelin. On Friday, Trevor Danielson and Camille Johnson powered their ways to first place. Competing for the first time in the burnt orange, Danielson’s and Johnson’s performances made them the number 8 and number 10 performers in school history, respectively.
Several other Texas athletes also made their debuts as Longhorns. Olivia Buntin rounded out the top five of the high jump in her first career outdoor meet. Heptathlete Virginia Preiss set a personal record in the 800-meter run to start off her outdoor season. In the high jump, Marleen Guerrero leaped into second place and Jared Dupree set a personal best in his third-place finish.
Ahead of the weekend, head coach Edrick Floreál emphasized the importance of each meet in the context of pursuing a championship.
“Our ultimate goal for the outdoor season is to have a successful NCAA Championships meet at home,” Floreál said. “This weekend is the the first step in the process toward a successful outdoor campaign.”
Although only few athletes competed in the meet, the performances that came out of it set the tone Floreál had hoped for to start the season. The Longhorns hope to continue this winning energy when they head back to San Antonio next weekend for the Roadrunner Invitational before hosting the Texas Relays at Mike A. Myers Stadium from March 27-30.
