Jan. 14, 2012
Final Results
Team Standings
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The UT Arlington men's and women's track and field teams each had strong showings Saturday in their 2012 indoor season opener, the Texas 10-Team Invitational hosted by Texas A&M. The men placed third with 67 points, just one behind second-place Baylor, while the women landed in a fourth-place tie with 48 points.
"We just had a good, solid meet," head coach John Sauerhage said. "We did some really good things and showed some balance. We also got to see some Southland Conference teams and we feel pleased with how we matched up with them."
The men were buoyed by the field events, claiming individual wins in the pole vault, high jump and long jump.
Jeff Rodriguez claimed the pole vault title by clearing 17-0. It was an indoor personal record for the junior from Fort Worth, who bested the field by four inches.
The Mavericks dominated the high jump, as senior Isiah Clements won with a mark of 6-10 1/4, while freshman Kemarki Absalom placed third and junior Romain Martin took seventh.
Freshman Quentin Butler had an outstanding debut, as he won the long jump crown with a jump of 23-8 ¾ inches. He also placed seventh in the 60 meters with a time of 6.92. Butler's sophomore teammate Brandon Waller made the long jump a 1-2 affair, as he was runner up at 23-6 3/4.
Also competing well in the field was sophomore Branko Petrovic, who placed fifth in the shot put at 51-0.
On the track, Martin placed fourth in the 60 hurdles (8.39), while sophomore Anthony Hilliman had the same placement in the mile with a time of 4:14.65.
The top finisher for the women was sophomore Emily Koenig, whose time of 9:56.07 in the 3000 meters was good for a third-place finish. Sydney Hampton also had a strong showing in a distance event, as she snagged fifth in the mile (4:58.23).
Hampton teamed up with senior Lindsey Putman and freshmen Ashly Wright and Courtney Mose to take the bronze in the distance medley relay with a clocking of 12:00.56.
Wright added an eighth-place landing in the 800 (2:16.52), while DeAndrea Smith placed fifth in the 400 (55.95).
The 200 was a solid event for the Mavs with Shannon Reynolds (24.61) placing sixth, just ahead of teammate Keondra Mallard (24.69).
The women's squad also picked up key points in the field events. Freshman Julianne Burch notched a mark of 11-3 to place fifth in the pole vault, while junior Jennifer Brown (18-10) and freshman Kailey Bostic (17-8) grabbed fourth and seventh, respectively, in the long jump.
The Mavericks also went fourth and seventh in the triple event with freshman Shae Johnson (39-0 ¼) and senior Eld-hah Kaswatuka (38-2 ¾).
UTA returns to action next Saturday at the Oklahoma Sooner Open in Norman, Okla.
