University of Houston Athletics
University of Houston
Leonard Hilton Invitational
Cougars Win 10 Events at Home Opener
1/13/2017 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
Final Stats | USATSI Photo Gallery 
HOUSTON â€" The Houston Cougar Men's and Women's Track & Field teams returned to action in a big way on Friday, winning 10 events and placing 26 student-athletes inside the top-3 at the Leonard Hilton Invitational.
BURRELL RUNS WORLD'S FIFTH-FASTEST MARK
The last time senior Cameron Burrell was in a 60-meter race, he finished runner up at the NCAA Indoor Championships by one one-hundredth of a second. Burrell picked up right where he left off on Friday, running 6.66 to win the event. The mark for Burrell is the top time in the NCAA this season, and stands fifth in the world according to IAAF.org.
Burrell also holds the nation's ninth best mark in the long jump at 24-7.0 (7.49m), which he set at the Reveille Invitational in December.
FRESHMEN TALLY TOP MARKS
Three freshmen making their collegiate debuts took home the top spot in their respective events at the Leonard Hilton Invitational. For the men, sprinter John Isom ran 50.60 in the 400-meters to claim the top spot in his first meet.
On the women's side, it was Debra Taylor who crossed the line first in the 800-meters, while Birexus Hawkins (who competed in the 4x400-meter relay at the Reveille Invitational) took the championship in the 200-meters in her first solo collegiate race. Taylor ran 2:27.85 in the 800, while Hawkins ran the 200 in 25.59.
In the distance, Houston picked up their second win in the mile this season, when Nicholas Hamilton crossed the line ahead of the competition. Hamilton ran 4:24.32 in his first indoor competition to win the event.
NATION'S TOP TIMES
Including Burrell, Houston finished four events with times or marks inside the top-15 in the NCAA in the early season. Finishing on Burrell's heels, sophomore Mario Burke took third in the 60 in 6.73 to claim the 11th best time in the NCAA this season.
In the field events, Cameron Cornelius improved on his season best to throw 59-1.5 (18.02m) to win the shot put and register the eighth best mark in the country. For the women, it was Tony Burks who leapt 40-11.5 (12.48m) in the triple jump to rank No. 12 nationally.
JUMP AROUND
The Houston men claimed both titles in the horizontal jumps, winning each of the long jump and triple jump competitions. Antwan Dickerson went 22-9.25 (6.94m) to win the long jump, while Cameron Prejean made his indoor debut in the triple jump with a 46-1.25 (14.05m).
For the women, sophomore Haley Houston claimed victory in the pole vault after clearing the bar at 11-11.75 (3.65m).
TOP-3 FINISHES
The Cougars finished with 26 top-3 finishes, and seven runner-up places. In the vertical jumps, the Cougar men tallied a pair of top-3 finishes, with Colin George (6-4.0, 1.93m) taking second in the high jump and Hayden Flores finishing third in the pole vault (15-3.0, 4.65m).
For the women, freshman Klara Mattson jumped 11-11.75 (3.65m) in the pole vault to finish second behind Houston (who cleared the bar on an earlier attempt to win), while in the women's high jump, Leah Moorer took second place with a mark of 5-2.25 (1.58m). Freshman Anna Larsson rounded out the jumps with a third-place finish in the long jump at 17-4.25 (5.29m).
Houston tallied a pair of top-3 finishes in the women's weight throw, when A'Nease Linnear and Nora Monie finished second and third respectively. Linnear threw 44-8.0 (13.61m), while Monie finished right behind her at 43-1.75 (13.15m). In the men's throws, school record holder in the weight throw Damon Thompson set his initial mark of the season at 61-0.0 (18.59m).
The Cougars had a trio of third place finishes in the distance, including Jahnavi Schneider who ran 5:43.15 in the mile. In the men's mile Aaron Hurd ran 4:28.52, while in the 3,000-meters freshman Liam Gallagher ran 9:58.96.
Houston's Kelsey Roy and Christina Tillett finished second and third in the 60-meter hurdles respectively. Roy made it up-and-over the hurdles in 8.88, while Tillett finished in 9.03. On the straight track, senior Tori Williams finished third in the 60 at 7.53, while on the one-lap race freshman Nikesha Keith clocked 25.52 to finish second in the 200-meters.
UP NEXT FOR HOUSTON
Houston will also play host to the Carl Lewis High School Invitational and the Joe Deloach Youth Meet this weekend. The high school event will be held Saturday beginning at 8:30 a.m., while the children's meet will run at 9 a.m., Sunday.
The team will be back in competition at the Mark Colligan Memorial, in Lincoln, Neb., on Saturday, Jan. 21.
FOLLOW THE COUGARS
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