| Senior Larry Brooks won his third SLC Outdoor 800-meter title in four years on Sunday. |
NACOGDOCHES ? The UTSA men’s track & field team came up just short of its second Southland Conference Outdoor Championship in school history, missing the title by just one point on Sunday at Fletcher Garner Track at Homer Bryce Stadium. Texas-Arlington rallied in the meet’s final event and finished with 128 points for its eighth title in school annals and first since 1997.
Holding a slim three-point lead entering the 1,600-meter relay, the Roadrunners needed to defeat or finish just one spot behind the Mavericks to clinch their first indoor/outdoor sweep in school history. However, it was not meant to be, as Texas-Arlington raced to an NCAA Regional 3:09.81 for first-place honors, while UTSA’s foursome of senior Scott Briscoe, senior Brandon Buteaux, junior Dominic Brown and senior Larry Brooks finished third in 3:11.43.
The Roadrunners, who entered Sunday’s action in second place, took over the lead after scoring 11 points in the 100 meters. Junior Cedric Harris (NCAA Regional 10.46), junior Steven Brown (10.51) and freshman Teddy Williams finished third, fifth and eighth, respectively, to give UTSA a 94-93 edge.
The Roadrunners then extended the lead to 15 after Brooks led three runners who scored points in the 800 meters with his third outdoor title in the last four years (1:50.12). Junior Eric Miller placed fourth (1:52.80) and freshman Bryan Ugochukwu crossed the tape eighth (1:55.02), while UTA’s Idilio Campos finished seventh.
The Mavericks drew within seven following Coby Morrison’s second-place performance in the 400-meter hurdles, but UTSA gained an additional point after Harris (personal-best 21.05), Briscoe (21.51) and Williams (21.85) combined for 11 points in the 200 meters despite Jay Connaughton’s league crown for Texas-Arlington.
UTA picked up five points in the 5,000 meters and trailed 121-118, setting the stage for the final-event heroics.
Earlier in the day, freshman Alton St. Rose led three Roadrunners who combined to score 12 points in the triple jump with a wind-aided 14.63m (48-0), which was good for fourth place. Freshman Mo Jackson (14.59m/47-10 ?) placed fifth, while freshman Johnathan Whittaker was eighth (14.06m/46-1 ?).
UTSA is back in action on Friday, May 25, when it competes at the NCAA Midwest Regional in Des Moines, Iowa.