Completed Event: Track and Field at Battle on the Bayou on April 3, 2026 ,
Final
Track and Field
at Battle on the Bayou
University of Oklahoma Athletics
Sooners Host Indoor Track and Field Home Opener
January 16, 2004 | Track and Field
After several months of training, the 2004 indoor track and field season is set to open this weekend for the majority of the Sooner team. While three vaulters competed in the National Pole Vault Summit last weekend in Reno, Nev., this weekend's Oklahoma Track Classic marks the official opener of the 2004 season for the rest of the team. The meet will be held in the renovated Mosier Indoor Facility.
Field events begin at 10 a.m. at the Classic and the first running event is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. The meet will follow a rolling time schedule the rest of the day with finals only in every event except the men's and women's 60-meter hurdles and dashes.
Admission for the meet is $5 for adults and $2 for children.
The Track Classic Field
In a change from past Classics, this year's meet will be a scored meet featuring five teams. Joining the host Sooners are Baylor, Southern Methodist, TCU and Texas A&M.
A New Look at Mosier
As part of the renovations, the finish and start lines have been moved to the east side of the building with the start line on the south end of the track and the finish line set up on the north end. Because of changes in the infield, the shot put competition has been moved to the south end of the facility. Additional restrooms and concessions have been added for the fans as well.
Getting to the Meet
Parking for the meet is available in the Duck Pond lot which is accessible from Brooks Street. To access Brooks Street, fans should use Jenkins or Classen. Once parked, fans should follow the walkway that has been created to the new entrance to the building, located in the northwest corner of the structure.
Last Year at the Track Classic
Jason Stanley and LaVerne Jones took different routes to the 2003 Oklahoma Track Classic but the end result was the same. Stanley, who ran twice in 2002 and hit NCAA provisional qualifying marks both times, and Jones, who was making her first appearance as a Sooner, won their events with NCAA provisional qualifying times.
Stanley hit the provisional standard on the mark in the prelims of the 60-meter hurdles with a 7.95. He lowered his best to 7.88 to win the final of the hurdles in only the third meet of his Sooner career. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., sophomore qualified in the OU All Comers in December 2001, then hit the qualifying mark again at the Iowa State Classic after missing three meets with injury. He did not compete again until he made the trip to the NCAA Indoor where he false started in the prelims. That marked his final attempt to race in the season and he missed the entire outdoor season while battling the injury.
Jones transferred to OU from Barton County prior to the start of the year and her debut as a Sooner was memorable. She won the 60-meter dash with 7.41, just .01 off the OU school record. The time also beat the NCAA provisional qualifying mark. She came back 30 minutes later to win the 200 with a 24.41.
A total of 11 marks in the '03 meet met NCAA provisional qualifying standards and three meet records were set or tied. Robyn Burkhardt of Texas A&M tied her own high jump mark with a 5-7.75. Jackson Langat of TCU broke the meet record with a 1:52.22 in the 800-meter run and Clayton Latham of Barton County set a meet record in the long jump with a 25-6.75.
OU also got victories from Tiffany Davis in the 60 hurdles, Dwayne Duhaney in the men's 600, L'eron George in the men's 200, and the men's and women's distance medley relays.
This Year's Sooner Track and Field Team
While it's much too early to know exactly what the 2004 indoor season will hold for the Sooners, there are some people to keep an eye on over the next two months. Senior LaVerne Jones and sophomore DaBryan Blanton will lead the Sooner sprinters and both are returning All-Americans. Jones became the first Sooner woman since 1982 to earn All-America honors in two individual events when she doubled in the 60 and 200 last year. Aldywn Sappleton is a former Big 12 champion in the 600 and Leslie Dunlap won a Big 12 title in the pole vault. Austin Landreth won the 2003 NCAA Midwest Regional pole vault title last May. The Sooner cross country teams are coming off one of the most successful seasons in the last decade and freshman Jessica Eldridge had the experience of competing in the NCAA Championship. Add to that, a group of newcomers who have indoor T&F experience as well as other returnees who were one spot away from qualifying or scoring at last year's Big 12 meet and it's understandable why Sooner coaches are looking forward to the start of the season.
Next Up
The Sooners will travel to the Clemson Invitational, hosted by Clemson University in South Carolina, next Saturday before returning home to host the J.D. Martin Invitational on Jan. 31.
Saturday, June 13
Friday, June 12
Thursday, June 11
Wednesday, June 10
