Stripling 4x400M win at Texas Relays

AUSTIN, Texas – Senior Katie Stripling won the pole vault and the 4×400-meter relay picked up a victory for Arkansas Razorback women’s track and field on the final day of the 2010 Texas Relays, held at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin, Texas.

"This is a very exciting win for our mile relay," head coach Lance Harter said. "We changed up the order a little bit and it really worked in our favor. This race may be a preview of the national championship race and they competed well, especially among some of the best in the nation. Katie Stripling was definitely in her element today and it was good to see her compete like that. I know they wanted to jump higher but it’s still a very good, very consistent effort. I’m impressed by and excited about our young hurdlers. Brittany Hyter and Leah Orley are becoming very consistent and shaving time off every week."

Junior Shelise Williams (51.7), freshman Regina George (52.2), junior Edina Brooks (54.4) and sophomore Whitney Jones (52.4) won the title in the 4×400-meter relay to end the four-day competition. The quartet combined for a time of 3:31.20, the No. 1 time in the NCAA and the SEC and the No. 3 time in Arkansas school history.

Stripling cleared 13-11.75 to take the title in the pole vault, her second-straight win in as many weeks. She is a first-time Texas Relays Champion. She led a 1-7-11 finish for Arkansas in the event. Sophomore Tina Sutej was seventh with a clearance of 13-5.75 and senior Janice Keppler was 11th with a height of 12-8.

Freshman Leah Orley was seventh in the finals of the 400-meter hurdles. She clocked a time of 1:00.82, just off her PR of 1:00.83. Sophomore Brittany Hyter was ninth in the finals of the 400-meter hurdles. She clocked a time of 1:01.69, just off her PR of 1:01.68. They clocked prelim times of 1:01.67 and 1:01.68, respectively.

Arkansas will compete next when it hosts the John McDonnell Invitational on Sat., April 10.

Download: Texas_Relays_Complete_Results.pdf