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
OU Hosts Fourth Annual J.D. Martin Invitational
January 29, 2004 | Track and Field
The University of Oklahoma men's and women's track and field teams are back in Norman this weekend for the fourth annual J.D. Martin Invitational.
Field events are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. with the first event on the track set for 12:30 p.m. The meet will run on a rolling time schedule and will be held at the Mosier Indoor Facility. Parking is available at the Duck Pond lot north of the facility. Admission prices are $5 for adults and $2 for children.
About the Meet and Its Namesake
J.D. Martin retired from OU following the 1997 season. He had served as OU's head coach for 33 years after competing for the Sooners as a pole vaulter. He coached 22 national champions and countless conference winners. He led Sooner teams to top five NCAA finishes six times and two Big Eight titles. He served as a coach for the 1987 U.S. Olympic Festival and was meet director for three NCAA Indoor Championships and the 1989 U.S. Olympic Festival. He coached several Olympic medalists including gold-medal winner Jason Rouser in the 1996 games.
Joining the host Sooners in the meet are men's and women's teams from North Texas, Texas-Arlington, Tulsa and Bartonn County as well as the Arkansas women,
Trackwire Rankings
The Sooner men are tied for 21st in the country in the Trackwire 25. The Arkansas women are ranked 10th in the power ranking list.
The Trackwire 25 projects a hypothetical score for the NCAA meet, factoring in injury reports and other variables supported by information gathered from coaches and NCAA-qualifying competitions across the country. This projection is generated by scoring the Dandy Dozen, a power ranking of the top 12 athletes and relay squads in each NCAA event.
OU's DaBryan Blanton is still the top ranked 60-meter sprinter in the country on Trackwire's Dandy Dozen. The Dandy Dozen is selected using quantitative values that measure performances in past major competitions (such as conference championships, national championships and Olympic competition), durability and freedom from injuries, demonstrated ability to compete well in multiple rounds of competition, ability in other events, head-to-head competition with other top athletes, and personal or seasonal bests. Blanton also was ranked sixth on the Dandy Dozen's list in the 200.
Senior LaVerne Jones is ranked fifth in the women's 60-meter dash on this week's Dandy Dozen while Aldwyn Sappleton continues to be ranked 11th in the 800.
Big 12 Rankings
In the second weekly ranking of athletes in the Big 12, several Sooners were among the top 10. Sophomore DaBryan Blanton continues to lead the conference in the 60-meter dash and he ranks second in the 200. Senior LaVerne Jones is ranked third in the women's 60. Aldwyn Sappleton is third in the league in the 800 and seventh in the 600 and Jessica Eldridge is second in the 1000 and mile and is sixth in the 800.
Other top 10 Sooners on the men's side include Cory Crosby, fourth, long jump; Robert Smith, 10th, long jump; Austin Landreth, first, pole vault; Scott Martin, T-3rd, pole vault; Jonathan McMillian, T-10th, high jump; mile relay, first and seventh in the 1600-meter relay; distance medley relay, second; Joe McNair, sixth in the 3000; and Dwayne Duhaney, seventh, 400. On the women's side, OU is represented by Leslie Dunlap, T-sixth, pole vault; LaDonna Moore, eighth, triple jump; mile relay, first; 1600-meter relay, eighth; distance medley relay, second; Yolanda Goff, ninth, 200; and Nicola Maye, 10th, 800.
Last Week at the Clemson Invitational
OU freshman Jessica Eldridge ran a 4:47.48 to win the mile run and break the NCAA provisional qualifying standard at the Clemson Invitational January 24. Eldridge came back later in the meet to finish second in the 800 with a 2:12.42. Her time in the mile also set a facility record.
With Eldridge's 18 points, the Sooner women finished fourth in the team standings behind host Clemson, Georgia Tech and North Carolina in the 11-team women's meet. The Sooner men, with a event victories by Austin Landreth and Aldwyn Sappleton, finished third behind Georgia and Clemson.
Landreth won the pole vault with a season best 17-0.75 while Sappleton took the 800 with a 1:51.21 which set a facility record. Sappleton also ran the second leg on OU's 1600-meter relay.
Leslie Dunlap finished second for the Sooner women in the pole vault, clearing a season best 12-5.5. Nicola Maye finished third in the 800 and ran the second leg of OU's fourth place distance medley relay.
Salah Hussein opened his indoor season by finishing second in the mile and running the third leg of OU's distance medley relay that finished second. Joe McNair, who ran the anchor leg of that relay, finished second in the 3000 as OU finished second, third and sixth in that race. Silverus Kimeli finished third in the 3000 and ran the second leg of the distance medley relay.
At the 2003 J.D. Martin Invitational
On a day when the weather might have been suited for an outdoor track and field meet, the action was record-setting in the third annual J.D. Martin Indoor Track and Field Meet at the Mosier Indoor Facility.
A total of 18 meet records fell and two facility marks were set. Additionally, two NCAA automatic qualifying marks and 13 NCAA provisional marks were recorded.
OU junior LaVerne Jones set a school record in the 60-meter dash with an NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 7.36, then came back about 90 minutes later to win the 200-meter dash with a 24.16, also an NCAA provisional mark.
Sooner sophomore Jason Stanley stayed undefeated in the 60-meter hurdles, winning the event with an NCAA provisional mark of 7.83. For the second year in a row, the pole vaulters took center stage. April Steiner of Arkansas cleared 13-9.75 to set a meet and facility record. The mark was an NCAA automatic mark and is the best mark in the country to date. Her Lady Razorback teammate Stacie Manuel got an NCAA provisional mark with a 12-9.50.
Veronica Campbell of Barton County CC broke her own meet and facility record in the 60-meter dash, edging OU's Jones with a 7.09. The duo competed together in 2002 at Barton.
Next Up
The Sooners will take next weekend off from competition before traveling to Fayetteville, Ark., for the Tyson Invitational Feb. 13-14. OU will host its final home meet of the 2004 season, the Sooner Indoor, on Feb. 21, before traveling to the Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championships on Feb. 27-28.
Saturday, June 13
Friday, June 12
Thursday, June 11
Wednesday, June 10
