A rambunctious crowd of 22,500 got their first taste of 2004's American Olympic stars Saturday at the Texas Relays in Austin, led by 400-meter gold medalist Jeremy Wariner anchoring the winning USA Red team in the invitational 4x400m relay.

Wariner cruised to a 45.3 second split on the final leg to tidy up a 3 minutes,1.91 seconds world-leading effort that saw him team up with relay gold medalist Andrew Rock, 400 bronze medalist Derrick Brew and Bershawn Jackson.

The USA Red team also romped to a world-leading 3:28.53 win in the women's invitational 4x400, thanks in part to a 50.2 anchor by local favorite Sanya Richards. The squad also featured Debbie Dunn, former Texas star Raasin McIntosh and Kia Davis.

Long-time crowd favorite Maurice Greene, who burst onto the world scene in 1995 with a win over Carl Lewis in the meet's invitational 100, anchored two impressive relay wins for his HSI team, holding off J.J. Johnson and his USA Red team down the stretch for a 38.48 world leader in the 4x100. The 4x200 was a runaway win for the HSI quartet in 1:21.54.

Olympic 100m silver medalist Lauryn Williams had a successful return to the track where she won NCAA gold last year, helping USA Red to a 43.36-43.44 win over USA Blue in the women's invitational 4x100. Williams ran with Angela Daigle, Inger Miller and Latasha Colander, with Colander staving off a late challenge by USA Blue's Muna Lee on the final carry.

World leading marks also came from Texas hurdler Ashlee Williams, who sped to a 12.83 in the 100H, and from Williams and her Texas teammates in the women's 4x100 (43.25). Those performances, along with an impressive 6.65 meters/21 feet, 10 inches long jump win by Marshevet Hooker, helped the Lady Longhorns earn Most Outstanding Team honors.Gusting winds helped push the sprint times into rarified territory. Florida State freshman Walter Dix used a 4.5 tailwind to clock 9.96 in the second heat of the invitational men's 100, the second fastest time ever under any conditions by a junior athlete. NCAA Indoor 200 champ Tremedia Brice of Texas Southern blazed an 11.00 with a 5.7 wind in the university women's century, easily the fastest all-conditions time of the year thus far.

In other collegiate action, Florida's Kerron Clement, who set a world indoor record in the 400 at the NCAA meet last month, anchored his school to victory in the men's 4x400 at 3:02.47, while LSU's men edged Arizona State in the 4x100, 38.94-38.96.

Cinco Ranch High School's Scott Sellers was the top high school performer with a 7-5 clearance in the high jump. He had close misses at what would have been a U.S. prep and junior record 7-7.25. Sellers also ran a leg on Cinco's national-leader 4x200 relay.

For more information on the 2005 Texas Relays, including the complete results, visit:

www.texassports.com/mainpages/txrelays.html