Thursday, March 16
Houston, Texas
University of Houston
vs
Kirk Baptiste Spring Break Invitational
No Break Here, Cougars Enter Outdoor Season
3/15/2023 10:00:00 AM | Track and Field
Houston hosts Kirk Baptiste Spring Break Invitational, attends Texas Southern Relays
HOUSTON – The Houston Track and Field team switches gears to begin its outdoor season with its Kirk Baptiste Spring Break Invitational on Thursday before crossing Scott Street for the Texas Southern Relays Friday-Saturday.
STARTING LINE NOTES
As a member of Houston's Track & Field program from 1983-85, Baptiste was a two-time NCAA Champion in the 200 meters including setting the NCAA record in the event at the 1985 NCAA Championships with a time of 20.03.
Baptiste competed for the United States in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles where he won the silver medal in the 200 meters with a time of 19.96. It was the first time anyone had finished with a sub-20 second time and finished runner-up behind former teammate and friend Carl Lewis won the event. Baptiste passed away in March 2022.
The Beaumont, Texas, native decided to forgo his final season at the University of Houston after his successful run at the Olympics and another NCAA Championship title. He went on to be a gold medalist in the 200 meters at the 1987 World Championships in Indianapolis.
Baptiste was inducted into the University of Houston Athletics Hall of Honor in 2008. As the University of Houston celebrated the "75 years of Houston Athletics" in 2021-22, Baptiste was honored as one of the greatest student-athletes in school history.
SUPPORT HOUSTON RISE
Join Houston Rise, a $150 million fundraising campaign for Houston Athletics dedicated to championship success in the Big 12 Conference. Every Houston Rise contribution prepares our Cougars to compete and win when we start Big 12 competition in July 2023. Click here to rise and be counted.
JOIN the PODIUM CLUB
The Podium Club serves as a unique and effective way to enhance the level of excitement and support for Houston Cougar Track and Field and Cross Country. Gifts to the Podium Club provide financial support directly to the programs for needs beyond their operating budgets.
Donations made to the Podium Club are used at the discretion of the head coach. For more information or to sign up, click here. To join the Podium Club, fans may call Cougar Pride at 713-743-GoUH (4687).
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates on #HTownSpeedCity by following @UHCougarTF on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarTF or on the team's Instagram page at @uhcougartf.
| KIRK BAPTISTE SPRING BREAK INVITATIONAL | ||||
| Dates | Time | Thursday, March 16 | 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. | |||
| Location | Carl Lewis International Complex | Houston, Texas | |||
| Teams | Houston (host), Harvard, Houston Christian, Prairie View A&M, Rice, Sam Houston, Coffeyville CC | |||
| Live Stream | Watch | |||
| Live Results | Live Results | |||
| Meet Information | Meet Information | |||
| Social Media | @uhcougartf  | @uhccougartf  | H-Town Speed City Track and Field  | #GoCoogs | #HTownSpeedCity |
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| TEXAS SOUTHERN RELAYS | ||||
| Dates | Time | Friday, March 17 – Saturday, March 18 | All Day | |||
| Location | Alexander Durley Stadium | Houston, Texas | |||
| Teams | Texas Southern (host), Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Alcorn State, Arkansas Pine-Bluff, Bethune Cookman, Florida A&M, Grambling State, Mississippi Valley State, Southern, Houston Christian, Chicago State, North Central Texas College, Western Texas College, St. Thomas (men), Northern Colorado, Southwestern Christian College, Lane (men), Fort Scott CC, Rice, Huston-Tillotson, Houston, Coffeyville CC, Prairie View A&M, Northern State | |||
| Live Results | Coming soon | |||
| Social Media | @uhcougartf | @uhccougartf | H-Town Speed City Track and Field | #GoCoogs | #HTownSpeedCity |
|||
STARTING LINE NOTES
- Houston begins its outdoor season after a successful indoor season where the Cougars claimed five All-American honors.
- The Cougars claimed eight individual titles and the women's 1,600-meter relay title at the American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships in February.
- Houston returns five of its 20202 outdoor conference champions for 2023.
- Four different event school records were broken indoor in 2023. De'Vion Wilson (60-meter hurdles), Christyan Sampy (pole vault), Kelly-Ann Beckford (800-meter run) and Nu'uausala Tuilefano (shot put).
- Beckford and Tuilefano's records indoor would break the current Houston records in the same events outdoor were they to post the same mark outdoor this season.
- In addition to the four school records, eight men and seven women posted new top 10 all-time marks during the indoor season.
- The Kirk Baptiste Spring Break Invitational was renamed from the Houston Spring Break Invitational after the passing of legendary Houston track star and Hall of Honor inductee, Kirk Baptiste's passing in March 2022.
- Texas Southern is running its 71st Annual edition of its Texas Southern Relays.
- The Texas Southern Relays meet does not include a 3,000-meter steeplechase or the 10,000-meter run events but includes the 800-meter relay (4x200 meters).
As a member of Houston's Track & Field program from 1983-85, Baptiste was a two-time NCAA Champion in the 200 meters including setting the NCAA record in the event at the 1985 NCAA Championships with a time of 20.03.
Baptiste competed for the United States in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles where he won the silver medal in the 200 meters with a time of 19.96. It was the first time anyone had finished with a sub-20 second time and finished runner-up behind former teammate and friend Carl Lewis won the event. Baptiste passed away in March 2022.
The Beaumont, Texas, native decided to forgo his final season at the University of Houston after his successful run at the Olympics and another NCAA Championship title. He went on to be a gold medalist in the 200 meters at the 1987 World Championships in Indianapolis.
Baptiste was inducted into the University of Houston Athletics Hall of Honor in 2008. As the University of Houston celebrated the "75 years of Houston Athletics" in 2021-22, Baptiste was honored as one of the greatest student-athletes in school history.
SUPPORT HOUSTON RISE
Join Houston Rise, a $150 million fundraising campaign for Houston Athletics dedicated to championship success in the Big 12 Conference. Every Houston Rise contribution prepares our Cougars to compete and win when we start Big 12 competition in July 2023. Click here to rise and be counted.
JOIN the PODIUM CLUB
The Podium Club serves as a unique and effective way to enhance the level of excitement and support for Houston Cougar Track and Field and Cross Country. Gifts to the Podium Club provide financial support directly to the programs for needs beyond their operating budgets.
Donations made to the Podium Club are used at the discretion of the head coach. For more information or to sign up, click here. To join the Podium Club, fans may call Cougar Pride at 713-743-GoUH (4687).
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates on #HTownSpeedCity by following @UHCougarTF on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarTF or on the team's Instagram page at @uhcougartf.
– UHCougars.com –
Players Mentioned
Sprints/Distance
/ Track and Field
Pole Vault
/ Track and Field
Throws
/ Track and Field
Hurdles
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