University of Houston Athletics
University of Houston
Houston Indoor Invitational
Houston Indoor Track & Field Hosts Invitational
2/8/2003 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
Feb. 8, 2003
The University of Houston Track and Field team hosted the Houston Indoor Invitational, its fourth-straight indoor meet of the 2003 season, on Saturday (Feb. 8) at the Yeoman Field House inside the Athletics/Alumni Center. Despite the meet not being scored, the Cougars provisionally qualified three individuals and a relay team for the NCAA championships.
Among the schools competing in the meet were Cal State-Los Angeles, Northwestern State, Rice (Women), Sam Houston State, Stephen F. Austin, Lamar, Arkansas, Jackson State, Grambling, UL-Monroe, Texas A&M, Southeastern Louisiana, Southern Miss, Southwest Texas, Texas (Men), University of New Orleans, UT-Pan American and UT-San Antonio.
Three Cougars qualified for the NCAA provisional standard in their respective events, including Robert Foster in the 200-meter (21.49 seconds), Milton Manson in the men's 60-meter hurdles (7.93 seconds) and Courtnie Ratliff in the women's 400-meter dash (54.64 seconds).
Then in the final women's event of the day, the Houston women's 4x400-meter relay, which last week fell short of meeting the provisional qualifying time by a mere three seconds, eclipsed the mark with a season-best time of 3:40.19. In addition to reaching the NCAA mark, the relay team also set a new meet record, besting Rice's previous record by 72-tenths of a second.
Prior to his victory in the 200-meter, Foster posted his first win of the day in the 60-meter dash with a season-best time of 6.78 seconds. Following Foster across the finish line in the 60m were Jason Hodge (6.84 seconds) in fourth place and Brandon Womack (6.89 seconds) in seventh. Dameon Williams placed third in the 200-meter with a season-best mark of 22.12 seconds, while teammate Mike Francis placed fourth in his first race of the season with a time of 22.33 seconds.
In the 60-meter hurdles, Manson, who last week placed sixth and earlier this afternoon had a time of 8.10 seconds in the preliminaries, finished the race with Houston's best time of the season while provisionally qualifying with a time of 7.93 seconds. He placed second behind Texas A&M's Chris Pinnock.
Despite placing second in the 400-meter to Rice's Allison Beckford, Ratliff crossed the finish line in a personal-best time en route to provisionally qualifying for the NCAA championships. Fellow Cougars Crystal Freeman (57.09 seconds) and Renee Clark (57.11 seconds) followed Ratliff in fifth and seventh place, respectively.
For the other Houston women, sprinter Ebonie Floyd, competing in the 200-meter dash for the first time this season, placed second with an official time of 24.62 seconds. In the 3000-meter run, three Cougars set season bests, including Jessie Oakes (10:24.11, fourth place), Heather Howse (10:41.15, eighth place) and Shiara Combs (11:33.96, 33rd place).
Houston's distance medley team finished in second place behibs Southwest Texas State with a season-best mark of 12:17.47.
The meet was the fourth of six indoor meets that Houston hosts this season. Next weekend, the Cougars host the UH/RunSport All-Comers Meet on Saturday, February 15, before hosting the annual Conference USA Indoor Championships on February 28-March 1.
