SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The No. 9 men's Texas track and field team competed at the first day of the NCAA West Preliminaries on Wednesday night. Senior Patrick Piperi was the first Longhorn to earn a spot at the NCAA Championships after finishing in the top 12 of the shot put.
Piperi finished 12th with a personal-best throw of 19.31m (63-4.25) on his second attempt to reach the finals in Austin on June 6-10. Piperi also made the NCAA Indoor Championships for the first time this season. Wednesday's advancement is also his first time making the outdoor championship meet.