After running the fastest 4x100-meter relay in the country last Thursday, the Houston men’s outdoor track and field team became the first program in NCAA history to see a relay team take home National Athlete of the Week honors, as announced by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Tuesday. The Cougars are the two-time defending NCAA champions in the 4x100m relay.
The Cougars, who own the collegiate record in the 4×100m relay at 38.17 seconds, went sub-39 this past weekend at the Houston Spring Break Invitational with a time of 38.82 seconds. Their time stands as the second-fastest ever run by a collegiate team this early in the season.
The honor came to the quartet of Nicholas Alexander, Mario Burke, Brandon Taylor and Travis Collins. Burke recently finished second in the 60-meter dash at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
This is the first time that Houston received a National Athlete of the Week honor during the outdoor season and the first time that an NCAA Division I men’s relay team took home accolades.
Showing its depth just two days later, Houston rolled out another 4x100 relay that clocked the nation's No. 4 time as Alexander, Trent McDonald, Terence Ware and Edward Sumler IV rolled to a win in a time of 39.60.