“I always wanted to win and three-peat,’ said Burke, a senior from Barbados. “Even if we didn’t win, I didn’t want to go out like that. I wanted someone to take it from me instead of just handing it to someone.
“The reason I felt so bad, too, was because it happened on my exchange. I felt like I let the team down because it’s points that we lose. It was just disappointing.”
UH is projected to finish fourth in the team race with 47 points, according to FloTrack, behind Texas Tech (57), Florida (55) and LSU (50). The potential for up to 10 points for winning the 400-relay could have elevated the Cougars into contention for the team title, a route that now becomes increasingly difficult although not impossible. The Cougars are coming off a third-place finish at last year’s outdoor championships and finished national runner-up during the indoor season earlier this year.