CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

AMES, Iowa – The Texas men and women are the 2015 Big 12 Indoor Track & Field Champions. It is the first time a school has swept the team titles since 2012. The Longhorn men were last team winners in 2013, while the women defended their 2014 title.

The UT women finished with a team total of 139 points, besting second-place Kansas State by 6.5 points. The men’s squad won more comfortably, with 44.5 points separating them from runner-up Texas Tech.

Edward Kemboi (Iowa State) won the men’s high point scorer award with 21 points at the Championship. The senior claimed two titles on Saturday, first winning 1,000 meter race with a time of 2:26.70. Kemboi returned to the track just 30 minutes later to defend his 800 meter title. Kemboi, who boasts the top time in the nation this year in the event, cruised to victory in 1:48.68.

Kansas State newcomer Akela Jones took home high point honors on the women’s side. Jones won the long jump crown on Friday with a jump of 20-10.75 (6.37m). The junior also took second in the high jump (6-01.50) and third 60m hurdles (8.14).

Kimberly Williamson (Kansas State) won the day’s first event in the women’s high jump after clearing the bar set at 6-01.50 (1.87m). Williamson was followed by K-State teammates Jones and Alyx Treasure, who took second and third, respectively. Brianna Richardson of Baylor won what would be the one of four individual titles on the weekend for the BU women, with a 13.10 mark in the triple jump.

Junior Felix Obi (Baylor) leapt 52-00.00 (15.85m) to take the men’s triple jump title. Obi is now a three-time Big 12 champion in the event. Texas Tech senior Jacorian Duffield was the champion in the men’s long jump with a mark of 2.22m, just edging K-State freshman NaTron Gipson.

Texas’ Ryan Crouser continued his dominance in shot put with a throw of 69-04.25 (21.14m) on his third attempt. With that mark Crouser shattered the previous Lied Center record (20.98m) and the Big 12 meet record (21.08m).

Dani Winters helped the Kansas State women continue their dominance in the field events, as she registered the top two throws of the competition in the women’s shot put, including a mark of 16.80 (55-01.50) to win the event.

The day’s track events were kicked off with the 60 meter hurdles. In the women’s race, Morgan Snow of Texas (8.10) out-dualed Le’Tristan Pledger of Texas Tech (8.10) to claim gold. The men’s race would also come down to a Red Raider and a Longhorn, with Texas Tech’s Chris Caldwell claiming victory in 7.76. Texas’ Spencer Dunkerly-Offor took second in 7.84.

Perhaps the most-anticipated event of the day was the men’s 60 meter dash, which pitted the two top ranked sprinters in the nation against each other in John Teeters (Oklahoma State) and Trayvon Bromell (Baylor). However, it was last year’s champion Senoj-Jay Givans pulling the minor upset to defend his crown with a clocked 6.585, a new Lied Center record. Morolake Akinosun made it a clean sweep for the Longhorns, as the Texas junior ran to victory in the women’s 60 meters with a time of 7.23.

The crowd got another chance to see Bromell, Teeters and Givans face off in the men’s 200, with Bromell taking first with a time of 20.71.

The women’s one mile race was all Baylor, as teammates Mariah Kelly (4:42.17) and Maggie Montoya (4:42.60) claimed the top spots on the podium. Oklahoma State’s Chad Noelle crossed the finish line first in 4:08.64 to take gold in the men’s mile.

The women’s 600 yard race saw another Big 12 meet record fall, as Courtney Okolo of Texas ran a blistering 1:18.24, breaking former Longhorn Kendra Chambers’ mark of 1:19.16, set in 2011. Kenneth McCuin of Kansas claimed gold in the men’s race in 1:09.21.

The Texas women also claimed the top two runners in the 400 meter dash, with Kendall Baisden (51.90) and Ashley Spencer (52.27) crossing the line first. Zack Bilderback completed the Longhorn dominance in the event with a victory in the men’s race in 46.31.

Oklahoma State’s Kaela Edwards made history in 1,000m, setting a new Big 12 meet record in 2:43.11. OSU Teammate Clara Nichols claimed victory in the women’s 800 in 2:06.95.

Another Lied Center record fell shortly after, as Texas Tech senior Cierra White climbed to the top of the podium after clocking a 22.98 in the women’s 200 meter dash.

The top three runners in the women’s 3,000 meters all ran times that broke the previous Big 12 meet record. Rachel Johnson took first in 9:06.42, while Iowa State’s duo of Katy Moen (9:08.69) and Margaret Connelly (9:08.96) took second and third, respectively. Oklahoma’s Brandon Doughty held off Fabian Clarkson of Oklahoma State to win the men’s 3,000 meters in 8:03.99.

The Texas women capped off a championship day with a victory in the 4x400 in 3:34.72. The Baylor men won a thrilling men’s 4x400 in the final race of the day with a time of 3:07.47.

The 2015 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships are set for March 13-14 in Fayetteville, Ark.

FINAL TEAM STANDINGS

Women

1. Texas – 139 points

2. Kansas State – 132.5

3. Baylor – 105

4. Oklahoma State – 77

5. Texas Tech – 75.5

6. Kansas – 71

7. Iowa State – 68

8. Oklahoma - 52

9. West Virginia – 16

10. TCU - 5

Men

1. Texas – 140 points

2. Texas Tech – 95.5

3. Oklahoma State – 94

4. Oklahoma - 89

5. Iowa State - 81

6. Kansas – 80.5

7. Baylor - 69

8. TCU - 49

9. Kansas State - 43