The University of Texas women's track and field program scored two major recruiting successes on Wednesday during the first day of the National Letter of Intent (NLI) early period with the commitment and signing of two major sprint standouts.
Both Kynnedy Flannel, ranked No. 2 on FloTrack's top 10 rankings of girls sprinters and No. 4 on MileSplit's board of the top 50 recruits in the class of 2018, and Kennedy Simon, No. 4 on FloTrack and No. 8 on MileSplit's top 50, have the ability to raise the ceiling of the Longhorns' program in the coming future.
Talk about a coup.
In June, Texas finished fourth at the NCAA Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, but it graduated some of its best talent, including Courtney Okolo, who won the 400m (50.36), and Morolake Akinosun, who nabbed a third-place effort in the 100m (11.07).
So in comes Flannel, a Longhorns commit and Alvin (TX) High senior who swept the 100m and 200m at the Texas state University Interscholastic League Championships in May, posting wind-legal marks of 11.43 (+1.0) and 23.34 (+0.4). Flannel went on earn a national title in the 200m at New Balance Nationals Outdoor (23.72) and finished fifth in the 100m (11.47).
Meanwhile, in the jumps Flannel also has an opportunity to score. She's landed a PB of 21-2.75 in the long jump, where she earned a second runner-up finish at NBNO. A multiple champion both at the AAU Junior Olympic games and the USATF Jr. Olympic Games, Flannel has a resume that could immediately translate to Big 12 competition.
But the same can be said about Simon, a senior from Atlanta Westlake (GA) who in May won three state titles in Class 7A in Georgia, locking down wins in the long jump (18-11.750, the 200m (23.74, +4.4) and the 400m (52.94). She also pocketed a third-place bid in the 300m hurdles in 44.14.
Later in June, Simon finished fourth at Brooks PR in the 400m. And she's versatile enough to run in the 800m, where she's clocked a split of 2:14.49.
Don't sleep on the Longhorns in the near future, because it seems the Longhorns are only reloading.