Texas women’s indoor track and field struggled over the weekend at the Southeastern Conference indoor track and field championships in College Station, Texas. The team dropped to 19th place nationally after mustering only 30 points and placing 11th in the conference championships.

The Longhorns came into the weekend with momentum after a strong end to their regular season. Graduate distance runner Sophie Atkinson and junior thrower Giovonna Meeks had strong showings in the weeks leading up to the SEC championships, each breaking different school records. 

Meeks continued to dominate over the weekend, earning first in the weighted throw competition. With a distance of 24.44 meters, her throw landed just short of breaking her own record, as well as the school record, 24.49 meters. 

Texas sophomore Tabea Eitel and freshman Elise Cooper also had productive weekends. Eitel earned first place in the long jump portion of the pentathlon. Cooper made her mark at the championships by placing fourth overall in the 200-meter sprint. 

Atkinson also had a strong showing. However, despite breaking a program record and achieving a personal best in the 5K with a time of 15:37.26, Atkinson only placed seventh in College Station.

Atkinson, who recently broke a school record in the 3K, placed 14th in the 3K race. Her time of 9:08.81, while impressive, fell short of other SEC competitors. 

The Longhorns otherwise struggled to place competitively in their events, finishing in the top 10  rarely, if at all. 

The 4×400-meter relay team for the Longhorns, which was composed of Cooper, freshman Bayleigh Minor, sophomore Anouk Krause-Jentsch and junior Amelliah Birdow, placed sixth out of 10 participating squads with a time of 3:30.44. 

Conference members Florida, Arkansas, Georgia and others each had impressive weekends. Florida, placing first, cleared second-place Arkansas by four points with a score of 77. 

NCAA championship berths are largely determined by athletes’ seasonal performances, and despite the Longhorns’ subpar performance at the SEC championships, they will still have the chance to qualify for the NCAA championships. 

Some Longhorns have already qualified — Cooper and junior Carleta Bernard will represent Texas in the 200-meter race. Cooper, Minor, Krause-Jentsch and Birdow will again represent the Longhorns in the 4×400-meter relay, and Eitel will participate in the pentathlon.

Texas will look to Meeks, who is set to participate in the weighted throw, to lead their charge at the championships. 

The NCAA indoor track and field championships will be held in Fayetteville, Ark., on March 13 and 14.