Sports
 

Routt takes 2nd in 200m national final

Whitley finishes 11th in men's high jump 

By Tony Hernandez
The Daily Cougar

Earning NCAA All American honors for two consecutive years is no easy feat, but junior Stanford Routt achieved this after a solid finish this weekend at the Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Austin on Friday.

Routt started strong at the Michael A. Myers stadium in his preliminary race in the 200-meter dash, finishing in first place with a time of 20.36 seconds.

"I just wanted to run a smooth, relaxed, safe race," Routt said about his preliminary heat. His first-place finish automatically qualified him to the finals.

Routt said he knew coming into the finals that there was good talent among his competitors, yet he felt confident about winning the race.

When the final heat began, Routt took the early lead and maintained it through the curve with Jabari Fields of Texas Christian following closely behind. It wasn't until the final 30 meters that Wallace Spearman of Arkansas caught Routt and Fields to take the win.

"I got out to the curve really well, but then I pressed too much on the curve," Routt said. "When I got to the straightaway, I should have relaxed."

Despite his disappointment with his second-place finish, Routt said he was honored about his being named All American. He felt that getting this distinction for the second year validates his abilities, and proved that last year wasn't just a fluke. 

Freshman Tristian Whitley also finished strong in Austin in the high-jump competition. Whitley qualified for the finals after clearing 2.17 meters on Thursday, nearly beating the UH freshman high-jump record.

At the finals, Whitley cleared the same 2.17 meters but was unable to jump any higher. Andra Manson of Texas took the event with a jump of 2.32 meters, followed by Kansas State's Kyle Lancaster with a jump of 2.29.

Six other UH athletes did not qualify to the finals, but had commendable results in the championships. Junior Andrew Carruthers ran a 14.0-second 110-meter hurdles and clocked in at 51.33 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles. In the triple jump, sophomore Vincent Marshall jumped 15.58 meters.

Freshman LaDedra Guy ran in the 100- and 200-meter dashes, in which her times were 11.57 and 23.48 seconds, respectively. Freshman Lisa Wilson also ran the 200-meter, recording a time of 11.61. In the 100-meter hurdles, junior Alicia Cave clocked in at 13.39 seconds. Junior Krystal Ward started the heptathlon but had to withdraw because of an illness.

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