After a regular season full of ups and downs, broken records and hard-fought competition, Texas men’s track and field now turns the corner to face the Southeastern Conference Championships in College Station, Texas, this weekend.
The scoring for the SEC Championship comes down to an athlete’s placement in a particular race. The more athletes that finish higher in their individual races, the more points Texas can gather as a team.
However, an athlete’s individual time could also determine their qualification for the NCAA D1 indoor national championship taking place the weekend of March 13. The NCAA selects the top 16 nationally ranked athletes for individual races and top 12 for relays.
In a field filled with rival schools, the Longhorns will have to calm their nerves, settle in and focus on one event at a time.
For an athletic program not accustomed to being an underdog, Texas has an uphill climb set out for them. Ranked 11th out of 15 in the SEC, the Longhorns look to rely on a few standout performances to bring a spark of energy to the squad and add substantial scores to the team’s point total.
Graduate Kelsey Daniel enters this weekend as the reigning NCAA long jump champion, after winning last year’s title with a mark of 8.16 meters. Earlier this month at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Daniel jumped 8.14 meters and now ranks third nationally.
But he isn’t just a long jump specialist, also holding the NCAA’s number four rank in the triple jump after hitting 16.50 meters at the Tyson Invitational. Daniel holds the second-best long jump in Texas history and the No. 5 spot on the Texas triple jump all-time performer list, a definite must-watch this weekend.
If Daniel is Texas’ headline in the sand pits, the next swing event comes on the straightaway. Senior Kendrick Smallwood has proved time and time again that records are meant to be broken. Smallwood broke the Texas 60-meter hurdle record with a time of 7.56 seconds at the Razorback Invitational in January and then broke his own record two weeks later at the Tyson Invitational with a preliminaries time of 7.50 seconds.
Freshman Jonathan Hertwig-Ødegaard has quickly proven himself an important contributor as well, clocking a heptathlon score of 5,788 at the Razorback Invitational, ranking him 12th nationally. With only one SEC athlete currently ranked in front of him, Texas A&M senior Blake Harris, the pressure builds for the young star this weekend as he looks to add to the team’s point total.
Junior Michael Piñones boasted a 19.57-meter throw in the shot put at the Tyson Invitational, good enough for 12th nationally and fifth in the conference, making him another potential Longhorn to grab points.
Piñones just needs a 0.10-meter improvement to claim third place in the conference, so if he can find a way to push his limits this weekend, he could score big for the team.
While track and field may be considered an individual sport, Texas needs a full team effort to bring home the SEC Title.
