They say you can never go home again, but at the Midwest Regional meet in College Station on Saturday, Texas' women's track team earned the right to return to Austin for the national championships from June 9-12.
In two blustery days, the Texas women's track team qualified both relay teams and won 4-out-of-5 sprint and hurdle events in the qualifying meet for the NCAA championships.
The NCAA established regional meets a year ago as the definite qualifier for events outside the decathalon and heptathalon. The top five finishers in the nation's four regions advance to nationals, but at-large bids announced today allow another chance for several Longhorns.
"This meet is not a team focus, it's more about individual performances," Texas head coach Bev Kearney said. "But you need good performances to gain confidence, and our team will have that in the national championships."
Friday, the freshmen set the tone as Marshevet Hooker took fifth for the women in the long jump with a 20-foot, 11 3/4-inch leap. Indoor national champion Andra Manson also earned fifth in the high jump, clearing the bar at 7 feet, 1 inch for an eight-way tie in the event. Freshman Lacy Smith broke the school record in the pole vault but did not qualify for nationals.
Friday, Sanya Richards eclipsed her own school record in the 400-meter race with the nation's fastest time in 50.49 seconds.
The Texas women continued on Saturday with a win in the 4x100-meter relay.
In the women's 100-meter hurdles, Nebraska's Pricilla Lopes passed senior Raasin McIntosh in the final two hurdles. Although sophomore teammate Ashlee Williams fell after the fourth hurdle, Texas saw McIntosh take second in 12.85 and Denby earn third in a 13.0 performance.
McIntosh followed with her keynote event in the 400-meter hurdles, shortly after qualifying in the 100-meter. Alongside senior teammate Alyssa Aiken, McIntosh won with a 56.15 performance while Aiken qualified in fourth with a 1:00.13 run.
Continuing in their dominating sprint tradition, the Texas women swept the three sprint events. Marshevet Hooker recorded a 11.18 run, currently the nation's third fastest despite the event's 5.1 measured headwind. Sophomore Ashlee Williams gained retribution from her fall in the 100-meter hurdles by winning the 200-meter in 22.79, her personal best and the nation's fourth-fastest time.
After breaking her school record the day before, sophomore Sanya Richards won the 400-meter in 50.66 with freshman teammate Jerrika Chapple close behind in a 51.75 second-place run.
"Each time we run it's great practice for the next meet," Richards said. "Everything's going really, really well, and hopefully we'll go faster and be that much more competitive at nationals."
To finish the day, freshman Michelle Carter surprised Nebraska's Big 12 Indoor and Outdoor champion Becky Breisch in the shotput. With a first-place, personal-best throw of 56 feet, 7.5 inches, Carter won the event over the Husker.
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