Horns’ Lutz faces talented field for NCAA berth
At this week’s NCAA track and field West preliminary meet, Texas distance runner Craig Lutz will encounter a stacked field in the 10,000 meters.
Lutz, ranked fourth in the nation, is ranked third in the meet.
“It feels really good to know we’re one of the hardest events to qualify out of, so when you do make it to nationals, you feel a little bit prouder,” Lutz said this week.
Competition gets underway Thursday at Myers Stadium, where Texas will host its fourth meet of the outdoor season. Athletes with the top 12 times or marks at the East and West regionals advance to the NCAA championships in Eugene, Ore. on June 10-13.
Lutz will run the 5,000 meters as well, but his primary focus is the 10,000, where he’ll line up against BYU’s Jason Witt, who holds the nation’s top time (27:54), and Tulsa’s Marc Scott (third, 28:30). Lutz, a senior who earned All-America honors two years ago, ran 28:33 at the Stanford Invitational in early April.
In all, eight of the nation’s top 10 10,000-meter runners will be in Austin.
Texas, which is coming off a title sweep at the Big 12 meet, is ranked 10th nationally on the men’s side and sixth on the women’s.
Sophomore Morolake Akinosun said the postseason “is the time you see the really great teams come to light” as scoring points increases in difficulty.
Akinosun has a taxing schedule, competing in the 100 and 200, and the 400 and 1600 relays.
She handled it just fine at the Big 12 meet, though, winning golds in all four races.
“Just think about the next race and not the fact you have seven or eight races on the week,” Akinosun said.
Golf nationals: None of Texas’ golfers have played the Concession Club in Bradenton, Fla, which will host the NCAA championships beginning Thursday. But they’ve been watching the women’s national tournament on TV to get an idea of how the course will play.
Texas women’s coaches Ryan Murphy and Kate Golden, who accompanied the Longhorns’ Bertine Strauss to nationals, have shared advice.
“They were able to give us some good course knowledge and we’ve been able to speculate on how the golf course is gonna play when we get there,” sophomore Gavin Hall said.
If all goes to plan, second-ranked Texas will be in the Tampa area for the next six days. The first four rounds are used to determine the individu- al champion as well as to qualify for the eight-team match play championship. Texas will be looking to capture its second national championship in four years.
“We understand this is the biggest tournament of the year,” Hall said. “Our goals to start the year are to win the Big 12, win the regional, and win the NCAAs. We’ve done two of those things. I know for Coach ( John Fields), coach ( Jean-Paul) Hebert and the rest of the guys, this is our top priority. We’ve prepped really well and I think we’re ready to get after it.”
Hall is playing as well as anyone on the team, carding four top-10 finishes in Texas’ last five events, including runner-up at the Big 12 championship in Tulsa and a third-place effort at the regional in Lubbock. Last week, Hall shot an 8-under 63 at his home course Mendon Golf Club in Pittsford, N.Y. to advance to the U.S. Open sectional qualifying round for the third year in a row.
“I’ve really been fixed on playing the golf course and tightening up my wedge game and my driver,” Hall said. “I’ve been able to do that which is why each of my scores has been pretty consistent in my last few tournaments. I’ve been avoiding bogeys and putting up a lot of birdies.”
Final tally: In the 2014-15 school year, Texas won 10 Big 12 titles in its 20 sports.