The UH track and field teams collectively stumbled over the hurdle this weekend, as several Cougars placed and ran personal-best marks but failed to earn automatic-qualifying times to the NCAA Indoor Championships at the LSU and Iowa State Qualifiers.
The Cougars will find out today whom they will send to Fayetteville, Ark. for Friday and Saturday’s competition. Head coach Leroy Burrell said those who do make the NCAAs will have their work cut out for them.
With only a select number of athletes making the trip, many of the athletes are eager to transition into the outdoor season.
“I’m a little bit disappointed overall. We’re close, but not quite there,” Burrell said. “At this point in the season, it’s an all-or-nothing thing.
“You have to improve and run fast enough to get into the NCAA Championships, or it’s time to prepare for outdoor. That’s where we are right now. It’s time for the majority of the team to prepare for outdoor.”
In Ames, Iowa this weekend, the men’s 4×400-meter relay team placed fifth with a time of 3 minutes, 10 seconds. That finish marked the third best time in school history, but Burrell said the team can still trim a few seconds off its time.
“They improved, and I’m pretty excited, but I felt like we could have run 3:08,” Burrell said.
The women’s 4×400 relay team had a rougher experience, finishing eight with a time of 3:39.
Freshman Cameron LaCour failed to get past the preliminaries in the men’s 60-meter hurdles, clocking in at 8.14 seconds. Burrell said he expects to see him progress throughout the outdoor season.
“I was pretty satisfied with his performance,” Burrell said.
“It’s really difficult to go to the well emotionally week in and week out with the younger athletes.”
Whitney Harris’ 7.46-second finish in the women’s 60-meter dash earned third place. In the men’s 60-meter, Tyron Carrier qualified for the finals after finishing seventh with a 6.97-second performance.
Junior Kalyn Floyd earned second in the 200-meter, finishing in 23.74 seconds. In the men’s 200, Errol Nolan placed fourth in 21.33 seconds, followed by Isaiah Sweeney in fifth in 21.66.
Ciera Johnson posted a sixth-place finish in the 800-meter, crossing the finish line in a personal-best of 2:08.
The Cougars flexed their muscles in the triple jump at Friday’s LSU NCAA Qualifier.
Chris Carter continued his successful season with a first-place leap of 15.77 meters. His teammates weren’t far behind, as Jonathan Williams placed second with a 15.31-meter jump.
Thomas Lang and Lamar Delaney placed fifth and sixth, respectively.
The unpredictable nature of track and field, Burrell said, makes mental recovery tougher than physical recovery for younger athletes.
“For the team as a whole, it’s pretty difficult to come from an emotional situation like the conference meet and go back and compete, but it’s the demand of the sport,” Burrell said. “Our athletes are well trained, but at the same time, track and field — especially with the sprints and hurdles — it’s real ballistic. You’re giving it a maximal performance.
“When you do that several times over a few weeks, it just wears you out. With younger athletes, there’s a lot of emotion and a lot of adrenaline involved with going out their performing. For every high, you’re going to get a low. We have to find a way to deal with those lows, especially when they come at a critical time in the season.”
