The UTSA Roadrunners track and field team celebrates winning its second Southland Conference Outdoor title in school history. Courtesy photo

First-place finishes by sophomore Teddy Williams in the 100 and 200 meters, a gold-medal performance by senior Will Vese in the 110-meter hurdles and a winning performance by the 400-meter relay team vaulted the UTSA men’s track and field title to its second Southland Conference Outdoor Championship in school history on Sunday at the York Track & Field Complex.

It was the Roadrunners’ first title since 2001 and their first indoor/outdoor sweep in school annals. UTSA, which has won the last three conference indoor crowns, had placed second the past two years, including a heart-breaking one-point loss a year ago in Nacogdoches.

The Birds scored 138.5 points to outdistance second-place finisher Southeastern Louisiana (129). However, it was not as close as the final score indicated, as UTSA held a commanding 22.5-point cushion after finishing 1-2-3 in the deuce. The Roadrunners also claimed the top three spots in the 100 three events earlier. UT Arlington finished third with 106 points.

“When you lose by a point like we did last year, it became an obsession to try and win this year,” head coach Aaron Fox said after the victory. “Our goal all year long was to become the first UTSA team to sweep both the indoor and outdoor championships and we were able to accomplish that. The way the guys competed all three days was unbelievable. It reminded me of the final day of the indoor meet earlier this year. We knew it was going to be close heading into the running events and the 400-meter relay set the tone for the evening. Finishing 1-2-3 in both short sprints with the times Teddy, Steven and Cedric ran was just unimaginable. This victory is dedicated to the seniors because they have been the backbone of this program the last four years.”

Coupled with junior Tommy Wolfe’s victory in the decathlon on Saturday – the third year in a row that a Roadrunner won the event – UTSA posted a total of five first-place finishes during the three-day meet, tying the school record established in 1996. The Roadrunners now have a total of 41 individual and relay conference champions in their 17-year history and 14 of those gold-medal performances have come under the direction of Fox.

UTSA is back in action in three weeks when it travels to Lincoln, Neb., for the NCAA Midwest Regional. Ten Roadrunners have qualified in a total of eight events.