Jan. 21, 2005

HOUSTON, Texas - Junior runner Ivorita Taylor (St. Elizabeth, Jamaica) overcame a fall season full of injuries with a strong opening performance in the 2005 indoor season by claiming third place in the 800-meter run with a time of 2-minutes, 16.54-seconds at the Houston Indoor Opener Track and Field Meet at the Bill Yeoman Fieldhouse on the University of Houston campus Jan. 15.

Taylor redshirted the 2004 cross country season with a leg injury, but the three-time all-SLC performer was nipped at the wire by Houston's Jennifer Hunt (2:16.51) for second place behind winner Genoah Collins of Alabama-Birmingham (2:14.27).

Courtney Carter (Mesquite, Texas) was behind Taylor for fourth with a time of 2:17.87.

Taylor took sixth place in the mile run with a 5:07.79, less than five seconds behind former UT-San Antonio runner Leticia Cerna who ran unattached to win with a time of 5:02.99.

"I thought we had some good individual efforts, but for every good thing we did, we made a mistake," said head track and field coach John Sauerhage. "We had too many false starts and mental mistakes, but we are a young team and they will learn from it."

Lacey Moore (Great Bend, Kan.) placed ninth in the pole vault with a height of 10-10.

UTA travels to Norman, Okla. to compete in a quadrangular meet with Oklahoma, Texas A&M and TCU on Jan. 22.