Blanton Named Big 12 Track And Field Freshman Of The Year

Freshman DaBryan Blanton's successful freshman season added another highlight Tuesday afternoon when he was named the Big 12 Male Freshman of the Year by conference coaches. Blanton won the Big 12 title in the 100 and finished third in the 200 at the Big 12 Championships May 17-19.

The Forney, Texas, sprinter also competes on the Sooners' 400-meter relay which has posted an NCAA regional qualifying time. Blanton and his Sooner teammates leave Wednesday for the inaugural NCAA Midwest Regional Track and Field Championship which will be held Friday and Saturday in Lincoln, Neb.

He is currently ranked first in the region in the 100 and is sixth in the country in that event. He is currently ranked fourth in the region in the 200.

Blanton had the fastest qualifying time in the 200 at the conference meet May 18 and had the third best time in the 100. During the final on May 19, Blanton took the lead in the 100 right out of the blocks and used a strong burst midway through the race to hold off Brendan Christian of Texas.

With his performance at the conference meet, Blanton finished fifth overall in points produced with 16.

Blanton becomes the first in Sooner history to earn Freshman of the Year honors in the Big 12 in track and field. His title in the 100 also marked the first time since the conference was formed for a Sooner sprinter to take the 100-meter dash title.

"We knew the potential for awards was there but frankly we really weren't working toward awards," said Shanon Atkinson, the Sooners' sprint coach said. "When you look at what he has done this season in a relatively short time, you can see how this award is possible. It's so exciting since we have been working on goals on the track ... to win the Big 12 title and to do well at the NCAA. This is just icing on the cake.

"DaBryan is the kind of athlete who will use this award as motivation," Atkinson added. "He has always known where his heart was and it is in track and field. This validates his decision to concentrate on track and field. As a coach, it's a blessing to have an athlete with the talent that DaBryan has. Some coaches may see it as pressure -- I see it as a blessing."

Blanton originally signed with the Sooners in football and had planned to compete in both sports. Midway through the spring, he decided to concentrate on track and field.

Blanton was a two-time Big 12 Male Track and Field Athlete of the Week honoree this spring and earned All-America honors in the 60-meter dash at the 2003 NCAA Indoor Championships.

A consistent performer for the Sooners, Blanton recorded NCAA regional qualifying marks every time he ran the 100 and 200 during the outdoor season. He opened the season with a win at the UTA Invitational before finishing fourth at the Texas Relays. He also finished second in the 100 at the Penn Relays.

He has been a key performer for OU this spring on the 400 meter relay as well. He ran the opening leg on the relay three times this season, including the season best effort at the Texas Relays. He ran the second leg on OU's 400 meter relay at the Big 12 meet but the quartet was disqualified for a handoff violation. Prior to the disqualification, the foursome had posted a season best time of 40.55.

Blanton's season best time of 10.19 in the 100 is the fourth best in school history. His season best in the 200 of 20.56 ranks as the sixth best time in school history.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Blanton Named Big 12 Track And Field Freshman Of The Year

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