University of Houston Athletics
University of Houston
Mt. SAC Relays
Brian Barraza Breaks 5,000-Meter Record
4/21/2018 12:00:00 AM | Track and Field
HOUSTON -- Senior distance runner Brian Barraza capped the second day of the Mt. SAC Relays with a record-setting performance as the Houston Cougar Men's and Women's Track & Field teams continued competition in California.
ABOUT THE MT. SAC RELAYS
The final day of competition sees a later start, with field events opening action at 3 p.m. CT, with the elite invitational long jump, while the 4x100-meter relays open the final running slate at 3:10 p.m. CT.
A full schedule of events for the Mt. SAC Relays can be found by clicking HERE.
ABOUT THE J. FRED DUCKETT TWILIGHT INVITATIONAL
Rice's second home meet of the season will be a one-day event, held on Saturday, April 21. Action starts in the field at 10 a.m. CT, with the men's discus, while the afternoon running session kicks off with the women's 100-meter hurdles at 3 p.m. CT. The evening running session starts with the women's 4x100-meter relay at 6 p.m.
The meet schedule for the J. Fred Duckett Twilight Invitational can be found by clicking HERE.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Barraza was the final Cougar on the course for the men, ending the night in style by breaking his own school record in the 5,000-meter run. Barraza finished the 12.5-lap race in 13:38.71, shaving more than 13 seconds off his personal-best mark of 13:52.52 set in 2016.
Barraza finished the race in fourth overall and third among collegiates, giving him the third-best time in the NCAA this season. Barraza now holds two of the nation's top-3 times after running the third-fastest 3,000-meter steeplechase earlier this season, while also setting the school-record in that event.
In his career, Barraza owns six program distance records.
Jared Kerr turned in an impressive day of field action for the Cougars in each of the long jump and triple jump. In the morning, Kerr used his second attempt of the long jump to travel a personal-best 25-2.75 (7.69m) to take third in the event. The mark for Kerr moves him to No. 31 on the NCAA list this season.
Kerr would return to action later in the afternoon in the triple jump, where his first attempt of the competition would prove to be his best. Kerr marked a season-best 49-8.5 (15.15m) to take sixth overall and move inside the top-100 in the event this season.
Jack Thomas made his return to the javelin on Friday at the nearby Long Beach Invitational. Thomas took just one throw in the competition and marked a distance of 223-9 (68.20m) to take 10th in the competition.
Houston picked up two more personal bests on the afternoon on the women's side of the track. Meredith Sorensen opened the day with a lifetime best in the 1,500-meter run in 4:39.43, while Ebony White continued to make strides in the 400-meter hurdles with a personal-best of 1:02.86 in her second time racing in the event.
FOLLOW IT LIVE
Live results will be made available for each of Houston's meets this weekend. Mt. SAC Results can be found by clicking HERE, while Rice results are HERE and Long Beach State results are HERE.
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