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Sports

UH welcomes tough competition

UT, Jackson State to take part in Leonard Hilton Memorial on Friday

by LOURDES CASTILLO
The Daily Cougar

The UH track and field team, with only one competition under its belt, hopes to continue to improve early in the season as it welcomes schools including Texas and Jackson State to Yeoman Field House on Friday. 

"This meet is larger. We have more teams coming in this week but really the competition is about the same," head coach Leroy Burrell said. "The men traded out Baylor and get Jackson state, which is pretty tough. The women are going to go against the University of Texas, which is a big challenger."

Freshman Seum Adigun, who earned her first Conference USA Athlete of the Week award after an outstanding performance in the 55-meter hurdles competition, will stride for similar results during this week's Leonard Hilton Memorial all-day meet. 

Adigun, of Glenwood, Ill., joined the team as a walk-on. During her first collegiate meet, a first-place victory slipped away as she finished behind Texas' Melanie Walker (7.77) with a time of 7.81 in the 55-meter hurdles.

"She had a tremendous debut on the home track and performed really well, but when things like that happen I'm not surprised, because there are signs all along the way that indicate that an athlete is capable," Burrell said. "She's at such a young age, it's just real rewarding." 

"It made me really happy. I wasn't expecting anything like that coming in as a freshman," Adigun said. "It puts confidence in me, but it also gives me a window to see what I need to do and it keeps me grounded. It reminds me that I have a job now, and I can't slack off." 

But Adigun isn't the only threat on the team, Burell said.

"We have a lot of women like that on our team. It just happens that this week Seum was the one who stood out," Burrell said.

As UH prepares for tough competitions early in the season, some athletes will get a feel of the pressure and intensity for the first time. Both the men's and women's teams will attempt to measure exactly where they stand and what it will take to improve.

"We have a few people who didn't compete for various reasons, and we want to get them out and see where they are," Burrell said. "The first couple of weeks are really of taking a measurement of where we are, what we can do, who does what well, and as we get further in the season we start to make a plan for conference and for nationals."

Adigun is confident the team won't have any trouble improving.

"We are just a great group of girls, even with the guys, and all together, we have a lot of chemistry," Adigun said. "It's so much fun being around everybody, and I just know that we are going to do good as a team because we all support each other. We all like each other, and we all have fun."
 

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