- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 399,294
- Reaction score
- 43
Texas track and field had a few standout performances Friday at the 97th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays. Sophomore Carlita Bernard and junior Kendrick Smallwood earned the top times in the 100-meter dash and 110-meter hurdle, respectively, while junior Solomon Washington finished fourth in the long jump.
However, there was a feeling of dissatisfaction among the athletes. Having experienced the standard of the Southeastern Conference, the Longhorns know there's a ways to go before they can reach the prominence they had in the Big 12.
"Big 12, it's not a cakewalk but it's not too hard," Smallwood said. "Versus SEC where everybody's top dog, you want to be up there with them."
More: Texas' Eva Jess notches first Texas Relays win of career in women's 5K
Texas track and field dominated their old conference over the past few seasons. The women won four of the last five Big 12 Indoor titles, while the men finished third in the 2024 conference meet. Coach Edrick Floréal has led his team to 15 outdoor and indoor Big 12 titles since joining the Longhorns in 2018.
Contrast it to this season's SEC Indoor Championships. Only six Texas athletes qualified for the finals in their events and neither the men nor women landed in the top 10 of the standings. The fall can be partially blamed on the departure of talents like distance runner Yusuf Bizimana, decathlete Leo Neugebauer and sprinters Dejanea Oakley and Ziyah Holman.
In the Big 12, Washington might've been happy with a long jump hovering around 7.70 meters. He knows that won't cut it in the SEC, where the room for error has shrunk dramatically. Now, the Texas junior sees his 7.67-meter attempt in the Texas Relays as far from sufficient.
"It's a solid opener, but there's a lot of room for improvement," Washington said. "In the SEC, you got to jump around 7.90, eight meters to be really competitive."
The Longhorns haven't met Floréal's standards through two days at the Texas Relays. While he says they've been more good than bad, he stopped short of giving them an "A" grade because of a few lackluster performances.
"There's a small group who've been really performing and have been competing at a high level," Floréal said. "Another group, we're very capable. We're just struggling with just trying to put everything together."
Smallwood is one of the UT athletes who has performed to Floréal's expectations. The sprinter suffered an abductor injury during his sophomore season, leading to a long bout of rehab and inactivity. Instead of letting it devastate him, Smallwood continued to grind and worked on preventing further injury.
MORE TEXAS SPORTS: Sean Miller hire was right fit for Texas basketball's future. Here's why | Golden
During the first round of the 110-meter hurdles Friday, Smallwood recorded a personal best of 13.35 seconds. He'll look to build on his performance Saturday, when a spot on the podium will be on the line.
Despite his athletes' statements, Floréal believes they've built up the SEC to be a monster that it really isn't. The coach has faith that their skills are more than adequate, as long as they relax and remember to focus on maximizing their performance.
"It's just another conference, with people competing as regular human beings," Floréal said. "I think if they give their best, it will be okay."
Follow the American-Statesman on Facebook and X for more. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Get access to all of our best content with this tremendous offer.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: At Texas Relays, Longhorns prep for 'tougher' SEC competition
Continue reading...
However, there was a feeling of dissatisfaction among the athletes. Having experienced the standard of the Southeastern Conference, the Longhorns know there's a ways to go before they can reach the prominence they had in the Big 12.
"Big 12, it's not a cakewalk but it's not too hard," Smallwood said. "Versus SEC where everybody's top dog, you want to be up there with them."
More: Texas' Eva Jess notches first Texas Relays win of career in women's 5K
You must be registered for see images attach
Texas track and field dominated their old conference over the past few seasons. The women won four of the last five Big 12 Indoor titles, while the men finished third in the 2024 conference meet. Coach Edrick Floréal has led his team to 15 outdoor and indoor Big 12 titles since joining the Longhorns in 2018.
Contrast it to this season's SEC Indoor Championships. Only six Texas athletes qualified for the finals in their events and neither the men nor women landed in the top 10 of the standings. The fall can be partially blamed on the departure of talents like distance runner Yusuf Bizimana, decathlete Leo Neugebauer and sprinters Dejanea Oakley and Ziyah Holman.
In the Big 12, Washington might've been happy with a long jump hovering around 7.70 meters. He knows that won't cut it in the SEC, where the room for error has shrunk dramatically. Now, the Texas junior sees his 7.67-meter attempt in the Texas Relays as far from sufficient.
"It's a solid opener, but there's a lot of room for improvement," Washington said. "In the SEC, you got to jump around 7.90, eight meters to be really competitive."
The Longhorns haven't met Floréal's standards through two days at the Texas Relays. While he says they've been more good than bad, he stopped short of giving them an "A" grade because of a few lackluster performances.
"There's a small group who've been really performing and have been competing at a high level," Floréal said. "Another group, we're very capable. We're just struggling with just trying to put everything together."
Smallwood is one of the UT athletes who has performed to Floréal's expectations. The sprinter suffered an abductor injury during his sophomore season, leading to a long bout of rehab and inactivity. Instead of letting it devastate him, Smallwood continued to grind and worked on preventing further injury.
MORE TEXAS SPORTS: Sean Miller hire was right fit for Texas basketball's future. Here's why | Golden
During the first round of the 110-meter hurdles Friday, Smallwood recorded a personal best of 13.35 seconds. He'll look to build on his performance Saturday, when a spot on the podium will be on the line.
Despite his athletes' statements, Floréal believes they've built up the SEC to be a monster that it really isn't. The coach has faith that their skills are more than adequate, as long as they relax and remember to focus on maximizing their performance.
"It's just another conference, with people competing as regular human beings," Floréal said. "I think if they give their best, it will be okay."
Follow the American-Statesman on Facebook and X for more. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Get access to all of our best content with this tremendous offer.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: At Texas Relays, Longhorns prep for 'tougher' SEC competition
Continue reading...
