Sooner Men and Women Move Up in Power Rankings

NORMAN, Okla. The OU men's and women's track and field teams are both ranked in the top 25 in power rankings out this week.

The Sooner men improved to a tie for 19th in the fourth Trackwire top 25 power ranking for the indoor season. OU was tied for 21st last week and has been ranked in each of the four rankings issued this season. The Sooner men opened the season tied for 14th, then dropped to 15th the second week. 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.

The Sooner women are ranked 11th in the United States Track Coaches Association power ranking. 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.

Sooner sophomore DaBryan Blanton continues to rank as the top 60-meter runner in the country in the Trackwire Dandy Dozen and the Team Power Ranking top 20. 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. Senior LaVerne Jones is ranked fifth in the women's 60-meter dash on this week's Dandy Dozen while Austin Landreth is ranked 12th in the pole vault on the Dandy Dozen.

The Sooners will send the women's distance medley relay to Notre Dame this weekend in an attempt to break the 23-year-old school record in that event and qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships. That race is on Friday night, then each of the runners will compete in an individul event on Saaturday. The remainder of the team takes a break from competition. The next scheduled meet for the Sooners is Feb. 13-14 at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Sooner Men and Women Move Up in Power Rankings

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