At the Tyson Invitational this weekend in Fayetteville, Ark., Texas track coach Bubba Thornton's focus on one event paid off.
Stressing the importance of the Distance Medley Relay, which consists of four legs of different distances, Thornton wanted his team to meet the NCAA automatic time. The runners took it a few steps further and set a world record.
"Our first goal was to automatically qualify," said senior Leo Manzano, the anchor leg of the DMR. "Last week was our first race of the season, and we felt that we ran slower than we were capable of running. This week we were ready to go out and see what we could do."
On the NCAA Championship track, the Longhorns' DMR not only qualified for a return trip and a chance to win a national title next month, but they also shattered five records by finishing in 9 minutes, 25.97 seconds - nearly 2 seconds better than the previous world record set by Michigan in 2004.
Texas was in the lead from the beginning when junior Kyle Miller put the team in front with a 2:54.11 in the 1,200-meter first leg. Miller handed the baton off to freshman Danzell Fortson, who kept the Longhorns' lead with a 46.90 in the 400-meter portion. Following Fortson, junior Jacob Hernandez kept up the furious pace, finishing the 800-meter leg in 1:47.
As Hernandez handed off to two-time NCAA champion Manzano for the 1,600-meter leg, the excitement grew.
"I heard the fans and my teammates shouting times and saying I was on pace for a world record," Manzano said. "I just told myself to run hard and fast and don't worry about that. I just needed to stay calm and finish the race for my teammates. Once I crossed the line and saw the time, I knew we had the mark."
Manzano finished the 1,600-meters in 3:57.96, securing Texas a place not only in the NCAA Championships but in the record books, too. The new world-record time, which also broke NCAA, American and Tyson Track records, shattered the old UT record by more than 5 seconds.
Excited to meet its NCAA qualifying goal, Thornton's team was stunned to break the world record.
"It was amazing. We're all still in disbelief," Manzano said. "I had a great time running that race, especially at a place like Tyson. Every time you go out, you have great fans who want to see great track and field, and I'm glad we didn't disappoint."
In their last meet before the Big 12 Championships (Feb. 29-Mar. 1),
Thornton stressed the importance of qualifying this week in order to prepare his team for not only the Big 12 but also the NCAA
Championships.
"We came in here trying to hit the automatic qualifying time in the DMR," Thornton said. "Each person performed to their ability. We saw the potential all season, so it was just a matter of it coming together at the right time."
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