The Texas Track & Field team brought a small number of athletes on a short trip down I-35 to compete in the UTSA Invitational on Friday and Saturday, with the majority suiting up in burnt orange for the first time.
With the 2020 outdoor season canceled due to COVID-19, the Longhorns kicked off this year’s outdoor campaign by bringing a squad of sophomore distance runners to San Antonio.
Texas sophomore Alyssa Duhart sped down the track to earn first place in the women’s 800-meter with a time of 2:15.14 — a personal best. During the recent indoor season, the distance runner earned personal records in the 1000-meter at the Big 12 Indoor Track & Field Championships and in the 400-meter at the Tyson Invitational. With not as many curves and laps on the outdoor track compared to the indoor, Duhart sprinted gracefully down the rubber and stood out from the pack.
The other sophomores in the women’s 800-meter followed closely behind. Jennelle Jaeger-Darakjy finished third with a time of 2:17.78, and MiKenna Robinson took fifth place. Jaeger-Darakjy and Robinson both ran outdoors in the Longhorn Invitational earlier this month.
The rest of the women’s distance group ran hard in the 1,500-meter race. Sophomore Halena Rahmaan clocked a time of 4:38.40, placing second. A couple of strides behind, sophomore Isabella West finished with an outdoor personal best of 4:52.22. As the outdoor season unfolds and the temperature rises, the Texas women’s distance team is poised for a solid year with a promising group of sophomores.
Aside from dominating in the distance categories, the Longhorns also enjoyed a strong showing in the field portion of the meet.
Freshman Trinity Tomlinson made her Longhorn debut in the high jump, clearing the bar with a height of 1.61m/5-3.25 to earn a third-place finish. In the women’s pole vault, freshman Madison Gawthorp soared high to take fourth place at 3.50m/11-5.75. With some collegiate outdoor experience on their spikes, these young jumpers will look to continue to post impressive marks during the outdoor season.
The men’s team gained some newfound confidence after posting strong performances in the air. Freshman Kevin McMillan exploded in the triple jump with a high mark of 13.94m/45-9 (-1.8). McMillian’s finish earned him second place in the event. Junior Grahm Gonzalez took fourth place in the men’s pole vault with a mark of 4.65m/15-3.
After a dynamic indoor track and field season, Texas can now shift its full focus to the outdoor competition.
Next week, Texas will host the much-anticipated Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays at Mike A. Myers Stadium. The Texas Track & Field program will go toe-to-toe with the best in the country Thursday through Saturday. This year’s relays will include a loaded roster of Texas’ men’s and women’s teams along with many former Longhorns.
