University of Houston Athletics
Brian Barraza Named National Athlete OTW
12/13/2016 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
NEW ORLEANS â€" Senior distance runner Brian Barraza has been named the USTFCCCA Men's National Athlete of the Week, for his record-breaking performance in the mile run at the Texas A&M Reveille Invitational, the organization announced Tuesday.
Barraza became the first American-born athlete in history to run his first sub-4 minute mile while in December competition, when he crossed the line in 3:58.66 to win the event by more than 17 seconds. The El Paso, Texas, native's time broke the school record of 3:59.64 set by Olympian Leonard Hilton in 1971.
"This is a testament to the amount of work and dedication Brian has put in over the years," Head Cross Country Coach and Assistant Track Coach Steve Magness said. "He wasn't a state champion in high school. He's committed himself to getting better every step of the way. This is just a starting point for the entire Cougar Track and Field team."
Barraza's time landed him No. 1 on the collegiate list for the mile early in the season, and he now owns five program records for the Cougars. He also owns indoor records in the 3,000-meters (7:59.66, 2016) and 5,000-meters (14:23.29, 2014) as well as outdoor records in the 5,000-meters (13:52.52, 2016) and 10,000-meters (29:04.11, 2016).
UP NEXT FOR HOUSTON
The Cougars will enjoy a month break from competition before returning to host their first of three indoor meets with the Leonard Hilton Invitational on Jan. 13. The Cougars will also welcome teams to Yeoman Fieldhouse on Jan. 27-28 for the Houston Invitational and on Feb. 10 for the Howie Ryan Invitational.
FOLLOW THE COUGARS
Fans can keep up with the latest in University of Houston Cougar athletics by following us on Facebook (Facebook.com/HoustonAthletics), Twitter (@UHCougars), Instagram (houstoncougars) and YouTube.com (Youtube.com/UHAthletics). In addition, the Track & Field team has established its own official Facebook (facebook.com/HoustonCougarTrackandField) and Twitter pages ().
