Texas freshman Abigail Wolfe breaks through in 100-meter performance at Texas Relays

Heading into her 100-meter season opener at the Texas Relays on Friday, Abigail Wolfe was still waiting on her "Welcome to Texas" moment.

The 19-year-old freshman from Wolmer’s Trust High School For Girls in Jamaica arrived on the Texas campus with massive potential — not far removed from a legendary figure like former Longhorns great Julien Alfred, who graduated from Texas in 2023 after scoring three NCAA outdoor titles and earning the coveted Bowerman trophy.

MORE: A day-by-day, event-by-event schedule for this year's Texas Relays

Wolfe likely knew that history. The teenager was a former high school star in her own right, having competed at major competitions like the Jamaican Under-20 Championships, the CARIFTA Games and the ISSA/Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls Championships — considered by many to be one of the greatest high school competitions on the planet.

Signing with Texas meant she would follow in Alfred’s footsteps.

But an underwhelming indoor season came and went. Wolfe still hadn’t broken out when she stepped to the line Friday at the Relays.

Then the gun went off.

Midway through her 100-meter heat, Wolfe shimmied away from the field in an NCAA-leading time of 11.01 seconds. The finish, which was wind-aided at 2.8 meters per second, sent her through to the women’s 100-meter final on Saturday. 

“It didn’t feel like I was running 11.01,” Wolfe said. “But I mean, I don’t know what that is because I’ve never run that before.”

Naturally, she said, credit goes out to Texas head coach Edrick Floréal and sprints coach Ricky Morgan, whose instruction over the last few weeks fine-tuned her approach. “I’ve been putting in the work,” she said.

What’s more, the coaching duo also helped shape Wolfe’s state of mind. Or more succinctly, they made her understand what it meant to be a Longhorn.

“Just pride,” she said. “Stepping out on the track and knowing I’m better than anyone else.”

Wolfe’s teammate, Carleta Bernard, was the second-fastest 100-meter qualifier on the day in 11.04 (+2.2) seconds. Tarleton State junior Victoria Cameron, who was third in the 60 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March, ran 11.05. Around the track, Longhorns senior Kelsey Daniel nabbed a mark of 25 feet and 10¾ inches — the second-best mark in the NCAA — to take the win in the men's long jump.

Back to the NCAA for more

As NCAA revenue-share continues to evolve and NIL programs offer more financial liberties to collegiate athletes, college athletics may be heading for more stories like Louie Hinchliffe, who was back on the track for the Houston Cougars on Friday for just the third time since winning an NCAA title in 2024.

The 23-year-old native of Sheffield, England won a collegiate 100-meter title as a sophomore with Houston under Olympian Carl Lewis. Then Hinchliffe turned pro, moved back home, and ran for Great Britain at the Paris Olympics, earning bronze in the men’s 400-meter relay. He was emerging as a real force until 2025, when he suffered a stress fracture in his back as well as a hamstring injury, according to the Houston Chronicle.

By October, Hinchliffe approached Lewis with thoughts of returning and worked with the UH compliance office to re-enroll with the program in the spring of 2026. He got it cleared through the NCAA’s Student-Athlete Reinstatement Process, becoming the first track and field athlete to transition from the professional ranks back to college. He’s now a senior. 

“The routine was something I was familiar with,” Hinchliffe said. “That was a big part, just getting back to the flow I had in 2024. I kind of missed that last year.”

On Friday, he anchored Houston to a leading time of 39.21 seconds in the prelims of the men’s 400 relay. Another interesting note: Hinchliffe, who signed with ASICs in 2024, remains with the brand and still wears ASICs spikes — even though Houston is a Nike school.

Hinchliffe says his goal is to return to nationals and win another title. “Everyone’s goal is to go after an NCAA title,” he said. 

Kendrick Smallwood excels in the hurdles

This season, Kendrick Smallwood is thinking a bit differently.

“You have to treat every single race as if it were a final,”  the Texas senior said. 

He glided through the first round of the men's 110-meter hurdles with a wind-legal time of 13.24 seconds. Best of the field. Part of that re-framing is because of recent performances. The Longhorns hurdler finished fourth in the 60-meter hurdles at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March. He was disqualified at the outdoor championships last June.

This spring represents his final season as a Longhorn. Smallwood, who was coming off an abductor injury last year, wants to put his best foot forward.

“I’m trying to go out with a bang,” he said. “And the only way to accomplish that is to give every race, no matter how good or bad it is, everything that I have.”