Vaulters Lead A Strong Sooner Showing In Austin

May 4, 2002

AUSTIN, Texas - There's something about the state of Texas, the month of May and senior Michael McNamara's efforts in the pole vault. Last year, he qualified for the NCAA with a vault in the Big 12 Championships at College Station. Two years ago, he posted his career best in Abilene at the ACU Invitational, earning a trip to the NCAA and the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials. On Saturday, he got his first NCAA provisional mark of the outdoor season, jumping 17-6.5 to finish third in the pole vault at the Texas Invitational.

OU junior Michael Westlund finished fifth in the vault with a 17-2.75, his first NCAA provisional mark of the outdoor season. OU volunteer vault coach and former Baylor vaulter Kurt Hanna was second in the competition, also with a 17-6.5.

After her first no height of the season last weekend, sophomore Leslie Dunlap showed a return to form, clearing an NCAA provisional mark of 12-5.5 to finish third.

All around, it was a good day for the Sooners as 14 season bests were posted by the OU women and eight were put up by the Sooner men. The lone OU winner was Cecil Rose, who took the 3000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:34.25. In the women's steeplechase, senior Jennifer Ledford cut another 11 seconds off the school she set last year and lowered by nearly a minute just two weeks ago, finishing fourth with an 11:20.33.

In another interesting distance note, sophomore Joey McNair lowered his season best in the 1500 by nearly four seconds, finishing second with a 3:52.94. He then came back less than three hours later to post a season best in the 3000 with a 8:53.11, good for seventh.

Junior Aisha Stringer continued to lower her career best mark in the women's 800, finishing third with a 2:09.10. That time is nearly .90 seconds off the career best mark she set just last weekend. The Sooners were third, sixth (Kelli O'Rourke) and seventh (Kim Thomas) in that event.

Former Sooner Michael Blackwood won the 400-meter dash title with a 45.59. OU senior Raoul Harvey was sixth with a season best 46.85.

The Sooner pole vaulters are scheduled to travel to the Abilene Christian Invitational on Thursday while the rest of the team will break for finals and began preparations for the Big 12 Championships to be held May 17-19 in Columbia, Mo.

Texas Invitational
OU Results
Women
100-Meter Dash -- 1 White, LaKeesha, Texas, 11.48 -0.4; 17 Carter, Fallon, Oklahoma, 12.55 0.6; 21 Williams, Krystal, Oklahoma, 12.91 0.6
200-Meter Dash -- 1 Robinson, Amber, Florida, 23.20 1.0; 23 Williams, Krystle, Oklahoma, 26.27 1.4
400-Meter Dash -- 1 Downer, Naleya, Texas, 52.61; 7 Robinson, LaKisha, Oklahoma, 55.58; 15 Thomas, Lameisa, Oklahoma, 57.55; 16 Cates, Taylor, Oklahoma, 59.06; 17 Thomas, Michelle, Oklahoma, 59.54; 19 Wedel, Amanda, Oklahoma, 1:02.02
800-Meter Run -- 1 Pantoja, Maria, Texas A&M, 2:08.38; 3 Stringer, Aisha, Oklahoma, 2:09.10; 6 O'Rouke, Kelli, Oklahoma, 2:13.47; 7 Thomas, Kim, Oklahoma, 2:13.95; 20 Justice, Sara, Oklahoma, 2:27.81
100-Meter Hurdles -- 1 Denby, Nichole, Texas, 13.21 0.4; 8 Davis, Tiffany, Oklahoma, 13.62 1.5; 15 Carter, Fallon, Oklahoma, 14.12 1.0; 18 Swaby, Sand, Oklahoma, 14.38; 34 Cates, Taylor, Oklahoma, 16.58 1.4
400-Meter Int. Hurdles -- 1 McIntosh, Raasin, Texas, 56.24; 15 Davis, Tiffany, Oklahoma, 1:04.02
3000-Meter Steeplechase -- 1 Marbach, Leah, Baylor, 11:03.83; 4 Ledford, Jennifer, Oklahoma, 11:20.33
4x100 Meter Relay -- 1 Florida State 'A' , 44.73; 2 Oklahoma 'A' (Davis, Tiffany, Emanuel, Alicia, Thomas, Lameisa, Robinson, LaKisha), 47.27
4 x 400 Meter Relay -- 1 Baylor 'A' , 3:40.09; 3 Oklahoma 'A' (Robinson, LaKisha, Stringer, Aisha, Thomas, Kim, Thomas, Lameisa), 3:42.35; 8 Oklahoma 'B' , 4:05.42
High Jump -- 1 Acuff, Amy, Unattached, 1.91m 6-03.25; 8 Swaby, Sand, Oklahoma, 1.69m 5-06.50; 13 Moore, Kelsey, Oklahoma, 1.64m 5-04.50
Pole Vault -- 1. Kubishta, Lesa, Unattached, 4.25m 13-11.25; 3 Dunlap, Leslie, Oklahoma, 3.80m 12-05.50 [NCAA provisional qualifying mark]; 13 Bourne, Lindsey, Oklahoma , 3.50m 11-05.75
Long Jump -- 1 Payne, LaToya, Southwest Texas, 6.20m% 0.1 20-04.25; Claybourne, Veronica, Oklahoma, foul
Triple Jump -- 1 Lee, Suzette, Unattached, 13.87m -0.8 45-06.25; 12 Claybourne, Veronica, Oklahoma, 10.99m 2.5 36-00.75
Discus Throw -- 1. Finsrud, Carol, Unattached, 50.55m 165-10.00; 9 Crystal, Megan, Oklahoma, 42.58m 139-08.00; 17 Warehime, Amanda, Oklahoma, 38.21m, 125-04.00
Hammer -- 1 Trotter, Meshell, Unattached, 56.77m% 186-03.00; 12 Phillips, Barbara, Oklahoma, 35.94m, 117-11.00
Shot Put -- 1 Metzler, Hannah, Colorado St., 14.89m 48-10.25; 3 Warehime, Amanda, Oklahoma, 13.90m 45-07.25; 5 Crystal, Megan, Oklahoma, 13.59m 44-07.00

Men's Results
100-Meter Dash --1 Heard, Floyd, Unattached, 10.41 0.6; 26 Jones, Edwin, Oklahoma, 10.93 -0.6; 27 Crabbe, Andrew, Oklahoma, 10.95 1.1
200-Meter Dash -- 1. Jacobs, Taylor, Florida , 20.78 0.9; 12 George, L'eron, Oklahoma, 21.28 1.4
400-Meter Dash -- 1. Blackwood, Michael, Unattached, 45.59; 6 Harvey, Raoul, Oklahoma, 46.85
800-Meter Run -- 1 Campbell, Sean, Florida State, 1:49.06; 4 Washington, Moses, Oklahoma, 1:50.17
1500-Meter Run -- 1 Joseph, Moise, Florida, 3:51.54; 2 McNair, Joey, Oklahoma, 3:52.84
3000-Meter Run -- 1 Maruping, Henry, UT-San Antonio, 8:43.31;,7 McNair, Joey, Oklahoma, 8:53.11
110-Meter High Hurdles -- 1 Pinnock, Chris, Texas A&M, 13.57 +0.0; 26 Winter, Ben, Oklahoma, 16.55 1.0; 27 Strong, Dan, Oklahoma, 16.70 1.0
3000-Meter Steeplechase -- 1 Rose, Cecil, Oklahoma, 9:34.25
4 x 100 Meter Relay -- 1 Florida 'A' , 39.86; 7 Oklahoma 'A' (George, L'eron, Harvey, Raoul, Jones, Edwin, Morris, Cory ), 43.93
4 x 400 Meter Relay -- 1 Baylor 'A' , 3:04.59; Oklahoma A, DQ; Oklahoma 'B', DNF
High Jump -- 1 Austin, Charles, Unattached, 2.27m 7-05.25; 12 Strong, Dan, Oklahoma, 1.88m 6-02.00; Glenn, Kris, Oklahoma, NH
Pole Vault -- 1 Hunter, Brian, Texas, 5.45m 17-10.50; 2 Hanna, Kurt, Zero Gravity, 5.35m 17-06.50; 3 McNamara, Michael, Oklahoma, 5.35m 17-06.50 [NCAA provisional qualifying mark]; 5 Westlund, Michael, Oklahoma, 5.25m 17-02.75 [NCAA provisional qualifying mark]; 14 Landreth, Austin, Oklahoma, 5.10m 16-08.75; 15 Corlett, Brett, Oklahoma, 4.95m 16-02.75
Long Jump -- 1 Cobb, Len, Unattached, 7.71m 1.7 25-03.50; 9 Brabham, Devon, Oklahoma, 6.79m +0.0 22-03.50
Triple Jump -- 1 Lowe, Mario, Florida State, 15.90m +0.0 52-02.00; Brabham, Devon, Oklahoma, foul

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Vaulters Lead A Strong Sooner Showing In Austin

Related News

Related Videos

Sponsors