University of Houston Athletics
University of Houston
Conference USA Indoor Championships
Houston Men, Women Claim C-USA Indoor Titles
3/1/2003 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
March 1, 2003
For the first time since 1998, the University of Houston men's and women's track and field team both claimed the indoor titles in the same year - the women repeating as champions from a year ago - at the 2003 Conference USA Indoor Track and Field Championships hosted by Houston Feb. 28-March 1 at the Yeoman Fieldhouse on the UH campus.
The Houston men, who have posted their fifth indoor title since joining C-USA in 1997, beat out second-place TCU, 155 points to 140.50 points. Meanwhile, the Houston women, winning back-to-back titles and their third since 1998, squeaked by South Florida, 135.5 points to 131 points. Entering the 4x400 meter relay, the final event of the day, the Lady Cougars led the Bulls by just two-and-a-half points before winning the relay to maintain their lead.
Following the conclusion of the meet, Cougar head coach Leroy Burrell was named C-USA Coach of the Year for both men and women, while Houston freshmen Clayton Cretors and Ebonie Floyd each were named C-USA Male and Female Freshman of the Year, respectively.
For Burrell, the award was his third overall for the men and second straight for the women.
Top performers for the Cougars in the two-day meet's second day of competition included Krystal Ward, who won the women's high jump, and Robert Foster in the men's 200-meter dash. Ward claimed the league title in the women's high jump in clearing a personal and Cougar season-best 1.72 meters (5-7.75 feet), while Foster provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships en route to besting his previous career mark (21.35 seconds in 2001) and winning the men's 200-meter dash for the third time in four years with a finishing time of 21.20 seconds.
Freshman Ebonie Floyd followed up her top finish in the 200-meter prelims yesterday with a career-best finish time of 24.19 in the 200-meter, which provisionally qualifies her for the NCAA Championships and earned her the conference championship in the event.
Magenta Taylor claimed her first league title in the women's 60-meter hurdles, beating out teammate and 2002 indoor champion Lauren Smith in crossing the finish line in a Cougar season and career-best 8.45 seconds. Smith followed in second place (8.49 seconds) and Alicia Cave rounded out Houston's scoring in the event with a fourth-place finish (8.65 seconds).
The Cougar men racked up 27 points in the men's pole vault, with Daniel Patton, Alex Cantu and Kevin Watson taking 1-2-3, respectively. Patton matched his career-best in
clearing 5.0 meters (16-4.75 feet), and Cantu set a new season high in clearing 4.85 meters (15-11.0 feet).
In the men's heptathlon, Cougars Ron Veillon and Clayton Cretors finished 1-2, respectively. Cretors had been leading the event up until the seventh and final event, the 1,000-meter run, when Veillon jumped from third to first place, combining with Cretors to give Houston 19 points in the event.
Overall, the Houston men and women combined to claim 2003 champion status in 10 events.
Next up for the Cougars in the 2003 indoor season is the NCAA Qualifier meet hosted by Iowa State in Ames, Iowa, on March 8, followed by the NCAA Indoor Championships in Arkansas March 14-15.
The 2003 outdoor season gets underway March 20-21 with Houston traveling to College Station, Texas, to compete in the Texas A&M Multi's March 20-21.
Players Mentioned
