Sampy Scores All-American Honor, Duo Advance to Finals

Wednesday, June 7

Austin, Texas

University of Houston

NCAA Championships

Sampy Scores All-American Honor, Duo Advance to Finals

6/7/2023 10:27:00 PM | Track and Field

First Cougar pole vaulter to score at outdoor meet since 1980, Wilson sets school record

AUSTIN, Texas – Houston track and field sent juniors Shaun Maswanganyi and De'Vion Wilson through to the finals in the 100- and 200-meter dash, and 110-meter hurdles, respectively, on Saturday at the NCAA Championships, while senior Christyan Sampy earned his first All-American First Team honor in the pole vault.

Maswanganyi advanced in both the 100- and 200-meter dash races as an automatic qualifier in sizzling fashion. The junior ran 9.99 seconds in the 100 which moves the South African up to fourth all-time in school history, 0.01 seconds ahead of head coach Carl Lewis' 10.00 from 1981. Maswanganyi then returned just over an hour later to run 19.99 in the 200 to move up to third all-time in the program record book.

The junior has now advanced to the final in the 100 and 200 three-straight years. Maswanganyi's best finish at the NCAA Championships came in 2021 where the Olympian was a silver medalist in the 100 and a bronze medalist in the 200.

Wilson, who finished third in his heat, and had to wait for the final semifinal section to finish, flew to a school record in the 110-meter hurdles of 13.37 seconds. Wilson was nearly flawless through the 10-hurdle race, posting the fifth-fastest time in the semifinals by beating the previous school record by 0.01 seconds.

The junior also broke the American Athletic Conference all-time record of 13.40 (wind-aided) set by Houston's Amere Lattin in 2019.

Sampy returned to the NCAA Championships and produced the program's best pole vault result at the championships since 1980. Sampy finished tied-for-eighth place, splitting a point three ways with two other competitors, to become Houston's first point scorer in the pole vault since Marc Herns in 1980.

The Houston native was perfect over the two first bar heights, clearing 5.30 and 5.45 meters on his first attempt at each bar. Sampy looked good at 5.60 meters on his first attempt, which would have been a school record, but just nicked the bar on his way down, knocking it off the standard. The senior did not clear 5.60 meters but finished as an All-American for the second time in 2023. The All-America honor is the second such outdoor honor for Sampy, but the first time he has been an All-American First Team.

UP NEXT
Senior Sydni Townsend will compete on Wednesday in the 400-meter hurdles at 9:30 p.m. in heat two. Maswanganyi and Wilson will compete in the final of their respective events on Friday night beginning with Wilson's 110-meter hurdle final at 8:42 p.m.

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