The University of Oklahoma hosted the first day of the Big 12 Outdoor Championships, with the No. 12/1 Texas track and field program making an impressive showing. After three scored events, the men’s team sits in second place with 19 points, while the women’s team currently holds the sixth position with seven points.
Jeremiah Nubbe, a freshman, emerged as the first conference champion for the Longhorns, winning the men’s hammer throw with an impressive 69.56m (228-02) throw. This effort is the second-best in Texas history, only surpassed by Nubbe’s own record set at the Texas Relays. Nubbe became the second-ever hammer throw champion for Texas, the first being Dylan Armstrong in 2001. His victory added 10 team points for the Longhorns.
In the men’s 10,000-meter run, sophomore Isaac Alonzo led the way, finishing third with a time of 29:49.78, scoring six points for the team. Freshman Nathanael Berhane finished seventh, setting a personal best time of 30:39.88 and adding two points, while Haftu Knight rounded out the men’s scoring with a point from his eighth-place finish in 30:47.17.
The women’s team earned their seven points from the 10K run, with Beth Ramos, Monica Hebner, and Isabel Hebner all contributing. Ramos led with a fifth-place finish and a time of 35:13.39. Monica Hebner finished seventh with a time of 35:33.30, followed closely by Isabel Hebner in eighth place at 35:49.12.
In pursuit of her third Big 12 heptathlon title, Junior Kristine Blazevica leads the field of 15 after the first four events. The three-time All American began with a personal best time of 13.38 in the 100-meter hurdles, earning 1,068 points. She added 928 points with a high jump of 1.76m (5-9.25), just .01 off her personal best. She then threw 12.22m (40-1.25) in the shot put and completed the day with a personal best in the 200-meter with her time of 24.32, finishing the day with 3,622 points.
The Longhorns will commence the second day of competition with Blazevica in the long jump at 11 a.m., and wrap up with the men’s 3000-meter steeplechase at 8 p.m.
