North Texas track and field has failed to capture a conference championship for over two decades. The last trophy was hoisted by the women’s team, who claimed the Sun Belt Conference crown in 2005.

For Doug Marshall, director of track and field, that reminder inside the university Athletics Center serves as a flame of motivation for the team and himself.

“I keep seeing ‘2005’ every time I pass the [trophy case], so it’s a motivator for me,” Marshall said. “We’ve got to get some hardware in there.”

The Mean Green have spent the winter rewriting school history, toppling 11 program records on both the men and women’s side across jumps, throws and distance track events. The next step is now attempting to convert their momentum into a long-awaited breakthrough at the American Conference Indoor Track & Field Championship.

North Texas will take on 12 other conference foes at this year’s championship on Feb. 27-28 in Birmingham, Alabama, including defending men’s champion South Florida and defending women’s champion Tulane. Last season, the North Texas men’s team placed fourth while the women’s team finished seventh.

“Personally, I dig deep against everybody I run with, [especially] when I see familiar faces or certain teams [on the other side],” junior sprinter Aariyana Williams said. “I think the main competition we had in previous years were seniors, so it’s our time to go out there and take it over.”

On top of their 11 program records, the Mean Green have won 18 events across all five meets since opening the indoor season in January, including 10 at the Oklahoma Classic on Feb. 6.

For Marshall, the Mean Green’s achievements just scratch the surface of what he believes his squad is capable of achieving moving forward.

“We’ve always talked about everybody being in a boat and rowing in the right direction, just focusing on being a team,” Marshall said. “I think heading into this championship season, we want to keep our foot on the gas and head into this as a unit that can do some damage.”

Few athletes embody the analogy in Marshall’s vision better than Williams.

Over the last two seasons, Williams has battled compartment syndrome in both of her legs, a condition involving built-up pressure inside of a muscle,and underwent multiple leg procedures that limited her fall training. 

After preparing fully this year, she has set four new program records across the 200, 300 and 400 meter sprints while anchoring the women’s 4×400 relay to multiple record performances.

“It was like she went to [the Marvel Universe] and they did this special surgery on her,” Marshall said. “She came back amazing. I think it’s really just been her determination, she doesn’t back down from anything or anybody.”

In what she deems as “the year that we do it,” Williams believes the team’s depth gives it legitimate championship potential with an ability to gain a podium in almost every event.

“I feel like we’re all healthy and we’ve already talked about how we’re going to leave Birmingham with rings on our fingers and medals,” Williams said. “We have no intention of not getting first place.”

Senior jumper Alliyah McNeil has been another piece at the center of the team’s success thus far. McNeil opened the season with a 1.80 meter clearance in the high jump on Jan. 16 at the Arkansas Invitational to set the women’s program record. Since then, she has twice been named the American Conference Field Athlete of the Week. 

Now in her final collegiate season after stints at Iowa Western Community College and the University of Minnesota, McNeil has embraced the opportunity to compete for the Mean Green.

“I’m hungry, I’m going there for the title,” McNeil said. “I’m going to do it to represent not just me, but my school and my teammates. The [American Conference] is very competitive, so it’s been a dream to compete at a higher level and represent my [program].”

As the team heads to Birmingham, Marshall has preached keeping his squad “sharp” physically and “locked in” mentally. In a deep conference field, he said his team plans on embracing the opportunity at hand.

“I love this group, man, this is a group of warriors,” Marshall said. “We have a really good chance on both sides to be able to come out and fight for a championship. We’ve got to put our best foot forward, limit the mistakes and really execute at a high level.”