OU Hosts Sooner Indoor Meet

The University of Oklahoma men's and women's track and field teams close the 2004 home indoor season Saturday by hosting the Sooner Indoor. Field events begin at 10 a.m. at the Mosier Indoor Facility. Running events are scheduled to begin at noon and the meet will run on a rolling time schedule once action begins.

The Sooner Indoor Field
As one of the final meets prior to conference championships which begin Feb. 26, the field for the Sooner Indoor is the largest home field of the season. Joining the host Sooners are the athletes representing the men's and women's teams of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Abilene Christian, Butler County, Cowley College, Garden City CC, Grambling State, Hutson-Tillotson, Kansas, Langston, McMurry, Missouri Southern, North Texas, Oklahoma Baptist, Oklahoma State, Oral Roberts, Paul Quinn College, Southern Nazarene, Southwestern Christian, Texas A&M-Kingsville, Texas A&M-Commerce, the men's team from Independence CC and the women's team from Arkansas.

Additionally, a number of open entries will be in the field.

Trackwire Rankings
The Sooner men continue to be ranked in the Trackwire 25 for the sixth consecutive week, coming in tied for 24th. The Sooner women, after joining the ranking for the first time last week in a tie for 21st, dropped out of this week's ranking. The women, however, rank 12th in the United States Track Coaches Association Team Power Ranking this week.

The Sooner men are tied with Tennessee, Mississippi, Houston, Kansas, Colorado and Washington. OU has been in the Trackwire 25 in each of the six weeks, opening the season tied for 14th, Since then the Sooners have been listed 15th, tied for 21st, tied for 19th and tied for 22nd over the last four weeks.

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. Sooner sophomore DaBryan Blanton is ranked second in the 60-meter dash in the Trackwire Dandy Dozen and continues to rank as the top 60-meter runner in the country in the USTCA Power Ranking.

The Sooner women currently rank 12th in the USTCA Team Power Rankings, up from 19th a week ago. The Team Power Ranking is a unique system of ranking teams on the basis of quality of athletic performance, team depth, and dual meet scoring potential. The system rates teams in the same fashion as decathlete or heptathlete. Points are assigned for two athletes in each event contested in a dual meet and points are assigned on the basis of quality of performance. The top person in each event has his/her points doubled to adjust for the value of the number one performer on each team in a dual meet. The points for all events are then totaled for the ranking score.

Senior LaVerne Jones is ranked fifth in the 60 and eighth in the 200 in Trackwire's Dandy Dozen. Jones posted an NCAA automatic qualifying mark in the 200 last Friday in the Tyson Invitational. She ran a 23.47 to finish fourth. Jones also has an NCAA provisional mark in the 60. Sooner freshman Jessica Eldridge, who has NCAA provisional marks in the mile and the 800, is ranked 11th in the mile. Eldridge lowered her NCAA provisional mark in the mile to 4:45.10 in a fourth place finish at the Tyson on Friday.

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. The ranking in the Team Power Ranking is based on time alone.

Big 12 Rankings
In the fifth 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 fifth in the 200. Senior LaVerne Jones is tied for first in the conference in the 200, is ranked third in the 60 and is tied for sixth in the 400. Freshman Jessica Eldridge is second in the 800 and the mile and is fourth in the 1000. Junior Austin Landreth is tied for third in the pole vault. The men's distance medley relay leads the conference and the women's DMR is second.

Other Sooners listed in the top 10 include Aldwyn Sappleton, eighth, 800; Salah Hussein, sixth, 1000; Silverus Kimeli, eighth, 3000; Jonathan McMillian, T-9th, high jump; Austin Landreth, T-3rd, pole vault; Scott Martin, T-6th, pole vault; Cory Crosby, T-5th, long jump; Robert Smith, seventh, triple jump; Yolanda Goff, eighth, 60; Nicola Maye, sixth, 800, and seventh, 1000; Catherine Odell, eighth, 1000, and 10th in the mile; Kelsey Moore, T-10th, high jump; Leslie Dunlap, T-6th, pole vault; Devon Fox, T-8th, pole vault; LaDonna Moore, ninth, triple jump; and Veronica Clayborne, eighth, pentathlon.

Last Week at the Tyson Invitational
The last time she ran on the track in Fayetteville, Ark., OU senior LaVerne Jones became a two-time All-American, the first Sooner woman to earn individual All-America honors in two events since 1981. When she wnet back to the track last Friday for the Razorback-Tyson Invitational, Jones earned a return trip to the 2004 NCAA Indoor Championships in March.

Jones finished fourth in the 200 in one of the day's feature races, posting an NCAA automatic qualifying time of 23.47. The winner of the race, Veronica Campbell of Arkansas, ran a 22.51, the fastest time in the world to date.

In action on Saturday, the OU men's distance medley relay finished fifth in the invitational DMR with a time of 9:53.60. The mark is a season best for the Sooners and ranks as the fourth best time in school history.

Jones also finished second in the 60-meter dash Friday night with a 7.34. Both her time in the final and her time in the prelim were provisional qualifying marks. She already has a better time in the 60 this season with a 7.31.

OU freshman Jessica Eldridge finished fourth in the seeded mile with a 4:45.10. The time is an NCAA provisional mark and cuts two seconds off her previous season best. OU sophomore DaBryan Blanton kept his unbeaten streak alive through the prelims, winning his heat. He then finished third in the final with a 6.66. Both times were NCAA provisional marks. His best time in the 60 this season is a 6.62.

At the 2003 Sooner Indoor
OU senior Tiffany Davis ran a season best of 8.41 to finish second in the 60-meter hurdles at the 2003 Sooner Indoor. The time is an NCAA provisional qualifying mark for Davis and solidifies her ranking in the Big 12. She entered the day tied for fifth and now has fifth place by herself.

Davis' mark was one of six provisionals posted in the final home indoor meet of the season for OU. It also was the final meet before most conference championship meets across the country.

SMU'S Zivile Pukstiene posted the lone NCAA automatic mark with a 43-2.25 in the triple jump. The mark also set a meet record.

Other NCAA provisional marks were posted by Shaneatra Neely of Arkansas, who won the 60 hurdles with a time of 8.36; LaVada Hill of Southern Methodist and Angel Heath of Arkansas in the long jump, and Nevena Lendel of Southern Methodist and Jessica Johnson of Arkansas in the high jump.

For the Sooner men, Dwayne Duhaney won the 600-yard run with a 1:11.88. Other top performances for the Sooners included a season best of 12-8.25 in the pole vault for a second place finish by Leslie Dunlap and a fourth place finish in the mile by Jimmy Buchanan with a season best 4:20.80.

Next Up
The Sooners will travel to the Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championships in Lincoln, Neb., on Feb. 27-28.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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