University of Texas Austin - Cactus Yearbook (Austin, TX)

Page 173 text:

PASSING THE BAR: James Loll, physical educa- tion senior, clean 7 ' 5 at ihe Texas Relays April 4. STRONG ARM: Dag Wennlund, liberal arts junior, 5 els in a few warmup tosses before his competition. LIMPING FOR JOY: Eric Meicalf. liberal arts sophomore, gives his all during the long jump com- peiilion. AN EXTRA PUSH: Mitch Long, liberal arts junior, tries for the extra momentum to get him over the bar in the pole vault. Men ' s Track 1 6S

Page 172 text:

urning back the Razorbacks rack by Steve Engler When the men ' s track team ended Arkansas ' four-year domination of the Southwest Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 1986, some people thought the first-place finish was a fluke. Any doubts about the Longhorns were put to rest in 1987 as the UT squad captured its second con- secutive outdoor crown. The Horns depth proved to be the dif- ference in the meet, held in Lubbock May 16-17. The Longhorns edged Arkansas 145-113 despite the fact that the Razorbacks won the most events, six. The majority of UT points came in Arkansas ' weakest area, the field events. Boasting a 79-5 lead, Texas was spearheaded by a 1-2-3 finish in the long jump by Eric Metcalf, Rodny Terry and Johnny Washington, respectively. Texas ran great and competed well, Arkansas Coach John McDonnell said. The long jump really killed us. Texas went 1-2-3 and got big points. Also contributing to Texas ' dominance in the field events were first and fourth place finishes in the high jump by James Loll and John Shelton, respectively, and a third-place in the shot put by Paul Jetton. Any chances of a Razorback come- back were put down by Harry Green and Noel Byrne, who took second and third place respectively in the 5,000- meter run. These performances put Arkansas out of reach of victory going into the final event of the day. I ' m not sure if I enjoy this more than the win last year, UT Coach Stan Huntsman said. They are a lot alike in that both were top-to-bottom true team efforts. The Longhorns followed their SWC victory with a second place finish at the National Collegiate Athletic Associa- tion Outdoor Championships in Baton Rouge, Louisiana June 1-6. Dag Wennlund captured first in the javelin, Winthrop Graham took second in the 400-meter hurdles, and Metcalf third in the long jump. Texas ' outdoor conference victory avenged an earlier second-place finish to Arkansas in the SWC Indoor Cham- pionships in Fort Worth Feb. 21. Headlining UT performances were Lott, who captured first in the high jump, and Byrne and Shelton, who took second and third in the two-mile run, respectively. Lott continued his dominance of the high jump in Oklahoma City March 13- 14 at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Indoor Championships as he captured first in the event to secure his third consecutive national title. After competing in several tune-up meets for the outdoor season, Texas hosted the 60th running of the Texas Relays April 1-4 at Memorial Stadium. Competing against contestants from 54 collegiate teams, the UT men were able to hold their own. Dag Wennlund garnered his third straight Relays javelin championship with a record- breaking toss of 271 feet, 1 inch. This throw broke his own Relays, Memorial Stadium and collegiate records and earned him the outstanding male per- former of the Relays.

Page 174 text:

eginning with sights set high aseball by Doug Rice After not making the College World Series last season for the first time since 1980, Texas baseball coach Cliff Gustaf- son and the Longhorn baseball team set its sights on a return trip to Omaha, Nebraska, ;he annual site of the College World Series. Returning six starters and 1 1 let- termen from the 1 986 team, Texas was again a power to be reckoned with. The polls reflected the teams ' strength as the Horns began the season top-ranked in the nation. The season opened with a win streak as Texas swept two games from the University of Miami in front of capacity crowds of more than 7,100 at Disch- Falk Field. The Horns did not stop winning after the Miami series. Texas ripped through its non-conference schedule, losing a total of six games, and coming out on the short end on just one series. The Longhorn ' s non-conference schedule proved to be quite exciting. Highlights included Texas taking two of three from perennial power, Arizona State Feb. 20-22. Freshman right- hander Trent Turner beat the Sun Devils 1 1-2, as the Texas hitters pound- ed ASU pitchers for 16 hits. The second win of the series came in game three, as Mark Petkovsek went the distance in a 7-4 Longhorn victory. Texas was led by a three-hit, five RBI performance by first baseman Brian Cisarik. The Horns ' record then stood at 10-1. On March 3, Texas came close to making history during a doubleheader against Southwestern University. Petkovsek threw a seven-inning no- hitter in the first game, as the Horns won 2-1. In game two, Kevin Garner had a no-hitter with one out in the ninth inning, but was not to be, as Garner gave up a single to left field. Texas just missed pitching back-to-back no-hitters. The Horns won the second game, 1 3-0. Their season record now stood at 1 5-3. A triple play was the highlight of the Longhorns ' three-game series with Washington State, March 7-8. It was the team ' s first triple play in three years, and it helped propel Texas to an 11-7 win in the first game of the series. The Horns won game two, 3-2, before drop- ping the finale, 5-2. When spring break rolled around, most students left Austin and headed for the beach, but not the UT baseball team. Gustafson kept his team very busy playing a total of nine spring break games, all at Disch-Falk Field. Texas won eight of these games. Gustaf- son had his team ready to play a tough SWC schedule. DIGGING IN: As the Houston baserunner tries to take him out of the play, Todd Haney, pre- business sophomore, attempts to complete the double play. PICK-OFF ATTEMPT: Mike Patrick, pre-business junior, attempts to beat the pick-off attempt back to second base against Miami. BALANCING ACT: Dale Ray puts his body into a pitch during the Miami game May 8. . 166 Baseball