OU Hosts Big 12 Track and Field Championships

NORMAN, Okla. -- The facility is finished and the teams are arriving in Norman for the eighth annual Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Competition begins Thursday at John Jacobs Track. The first event is the decathlon's 100 meter dash at 1 p.m. At the same time, the women's hammer throw final will begin.

The first day is filled primarily with events from the decathlon and heptathlon. The first five events of the decathlon and the first four events of the heptathlon are scheduled for Thursday.

Also set for Thursday are the finals of the men's hammer throw, the women's javelin and the men's and women's 10,000-meter run.

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John Jacobs Field | No. 79 on Map (PDF)
The renovation of the John Jacobs Field gave the facility a new look and made it one of the finest facilities in the country for competitors and spectators. Additions to the facility include a permanent scoreboard, permanent lighting and a sound system that connects Jacobs Field and the Mosier Indoor Facility...

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2004 Big 12 Track & Field Outdoor Championships Central

The Rest of the Schedule
Action resumes at 10 a.m. Friday with the sixth event of the decathlon, the 110-meter hurdles. Both the decathlon and heptathlon will finish on Friday. Six field event finals, beginning with the women's discus at 2 p.m. are scheduled for Friday as well. Preliminaries in the running events begin at 4:30 p.m. A total of 14 preliminary events are scheduled for Friday afternoon and evening.

It's all finals on Saturday. There are seven field event finals set for Saturday, starting with the women's triple jump and men's javelin at 1 p.m. The men's and women's 400-meter relay final is the first running final and those are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. A total of 22 finals will be run on Saturday on the track. The awards ceremony closes out the meet and it is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. Saturday.

The Last Time Out
A pair of Sooners came home from the UNT Twilight Invitational with victories while an OU runner recorded a season best in the Golden Hurricane Invite, the final regular season competitions of the 2004 outdoor track and field season last weekend.

Leslie Dunlap recorded a season best of 12-11.50 to win the women's pole vault while freshman Jon McMillian cleared 7-2.50 to win the men's high jump at the North Texas meet. McMillian's effort ranks as the third best in school history and is a career/season best for the Choctaw freshman by two inches. Both had already qualified for the NCAA Midwest Regional meet but the marks in the UNT meet are improvements of previous regional qualifying marks.

Scott Martin finished second in the pole vault with a 17-0.75 and Cale Drumwright was second in the javelin with a 172-0.

On Saturday, Jason Coleman finished third in the 800 at the Golden Hurricane Invitational with a 1:52.04. The time lowers his collegiate career best by more than four seconds.

Philip Cain finished 18th in the 800 with a 1:57.02, a season best for the Sooner junior.

On the women's side, Michelle Thomas ran a 58.54 in the 400 to post the fourth best time for the Sooners this season in that event. It also was a career best mark for the senior by a second.

Trackwire Rankings
Two Sooners individuals continue to rank in 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.

Sophomore DaBryan Blanton is ranked first in the country in the 100 in the Dandy Dozen. Senior Laverne Jones is ranked sixth in the 100 and eighth in the 200 on the women's Dandy Dozen list.

After being ranked the first two weeks, the Sooners fell out of the top 25 in the third week of the outdoor Trackwire power ranking that was released April 20. The OU men were ranked 21st in the first ranking of the season and were tied for 22nd in the second ranking. OU did not return to the top 25 in the fourth poll of the season which was released on April 27.

Academic All-Big 12 Team
The Big 12 Conference takes great pleasure in honoring 257 student-athletes who have been named to the 2004 Men and Women's Track & Field Academic All-Big 12 teams, the conference office announced Tuesday.

Nominated by each institution's director of student-athlete support services and the media relations offices, the track and field academic all-league squads consisted of 204 first-team members combined with 53 on the second-team. First-team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA, while the second-team are those who have a 3.00 to 3.19 average.

To qualify student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 or higher GPA either cumulative or the two previous semesters and must have participated in 60 percent of her/his team's scheduled contests. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are eligible.

Seven OU men and seven Sooner women were named to the first team while seven men and women were named to the second team.

OU first-team honorees included Jimmy Buchanan, Sr., health and sports science, Toronto, Ontario; Philip Cain, Jr., finance/marketing, Bartlesville, Okla.; Kris Glenn, Jr., journalism, Healdton, Okla.; Darren Hutchins, Jr., math, Choctaw, Okla.; Robert Smith, Sr., human relations, Atlanta, Ga.; Aldwyn Sappleton, Jr., international business/economics, James Hill, Clarendon, Jamaica; Dan Strong, Jr., English, Enid, Okla.; Jackie Dubois, Jr., meteorology, Lawrence, Kan.; Emily Leonard, Jr., finance, Plano, Texas; Kelsey Moore, Jr., health and sports science, Yukon, Okla.; Jennifer Plank, So., psychology, Bethany, Okla.; Michelle Thomas, Sr., microbiology, McAlester, Okla.; Amanda Wedel-Bryce, Sr., communication, Lexington, Okla.; and Cicely Williams, Jr., chemical engineering, Oklahoma City, Okla.

Second-team honors went to Austin Landreth, Jr., construction science, Elk City, Okla.; Blake Culp, So., management, Bartlesville, Okla.; Joe McNair, Jr., history, Bartlesville, Okla.; Renea' Burns, Jr., finance, Ardmore, Okla.; Leslie Dunlap, Sr., finance, Choctaw, Okla.; Barbara Phillips, Jr., sociology/criminology, Cherokee, Okla.; and Nicola Maye, So., health and sports science, Summerfield, Clarendon, Jamaica.

This marks the third time to be selected for the track and field all-academic team for Glenn, Hutchins, Dunlap and Thomas. It marks the second selection for the track and field all-academic list for Buchanan, Sappleton, Strong, Dubois, Moore, Williams, Landreth, McNair and Phillips.

Regional Qualifiers
Heading into the Big 12 Championships, OU men have qualified for seven events at the NCAA Midwest Regional. and OU women have qualified for 10 events and one relay.

Listed below are the OU qualifiers, their best mark and their ranking in the regional qualifying lists.

MEN
Name Event Date Mark Rank
Austin Landreth Pole Vault 3-27 17-4.50 T-6th
DaBryan Blanton 100 4-3 10.22 2nd
DaBryan Blanton 200 4-17 20.75 3rd
Cory Crosby Long Jump 4-17 25-2 3rd
Robert Smith Long Jump 4-17 24-9.75 6th
Scott Martin Pole Vault 4-17 17-4.5 T-6th
Jon McMillian High Jump 4-22 7-2.50 T-2nd
WOMEN
Name Event Date Mark Rank
Renea' Burns Javelin 3-20 143-0 15th
Laverne Jones 400 dash 3-27 53.39 6th
Jennifer Plank Pole Vault 4-3 12-3.50 T-16th
Jessica Eldridge 800 4-10 2:08.64 5th
Laverne Jones 100 4-17 11.28 1st
Laverne Jones 200 4-17 23.16 3rd
Lindsey Bourne Pole Vault 4-17 12-3.5 T-16th
Lucretia Rimmer Triple Jump 4-17 40-7.50 8th
400-Meter Relay 4-17 45.73 11th
(Laverne Jones, Kelsey Strecker, Ashely Freeman, Ashley Johnson)
Jessica Eldridge 1500 4-17 4:27.89 12th
Leslie Dunlap Pole Vault 4-22 12-11.50 8th

Notables
Laverne Jones will become OU's first female track and field Olympian this summer when she competes for the U.S. Virgin Islands in Athens, Greece. Jones will compete in the 100 -and 200-meter dashes.
OU sprints coach Shanon Atkinson will serve as Jones' coach and will travel to Athens this summer as well.
OU sophomore DaBryan Blanton will be attempting to make the U.S. Olympic Team when he travels to the Olympic Trials in July in Sacramento. Blanton could qualify as an entry in the 100-meter dash or as a member of a relay based on his performances during the Trials.
Two other Sooners, Kevin Bookout and Aldwyn Sappleton, have met Olympic standards. Bookout is redshirting this outdoor track and field season after undergoing shoulder surgery following an injury during basketball. He will not compete in the U.S. Trials. Sappleton will compete in the Jamaican Trials this summer. He will redshirt this outdoor season after getting injured after the 2004 indoor season. With the decision, he will have one full year (cross country, indoor and outdoor track) of eligibility remaining.
OU freshman Jon McMillian is tied for the fourth best high jump mark in the country this season. He cleared 7-2.5 last Thursday at the UNT Twilight Invite. That mark is the third best in school history and is collegiate career best for McMillian. He also became the first true freshman to clear 7-foot-plus in OU school history. Of the top 11 high jumpers in the country to date, three are freshman and six are sophomores. Three of the top 11 are from Big 12 Conference schools and will be participating in this weekend's conference meet at John Jacobs Field. The men's high jump is scheduled for 5 p.m. Saturday.
Four of the top 10 women pole vaulters in school history are scheduled to compete in the Big 12 meet this weekend. Senior Leslie Dunlap, who won the Big 12 outdoor title in 2001 as a true freshman, has a career best mark of 13-3.5, the best in school history. Lindsey Bourne is ranked second with a 12-6. Jennifer Plank jumped to third on the list with a 12-3.5 earlier this season and Devon Fox is ranked seventh with a career best mark of 11-6.25. The women's pole vault competition is scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday.
Two of the top 10 men pole vaulters in OU school history are scheduled to compete this weekend. Austin Landreth, the first NCAA Midwest Regional pole vault champion after his victory last May, is ranked seventh on the all-time list. Freshman Scott Martin is tied for ninth. He cleared 17-4.5 two weeks ago to move onto the list. The men's pole vault competition is scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday.
Freshman Jessica Eldridge continues to succeed as the outdoor season enters its final weeks. The Broken Arrow freshman became the first true freshman at OU to qualify for the NCAA Cross Country Championships since 1994 when she advanced to that meet last November. She competed in the NCAA Indoor in the 800-meter run in March and has met the NCAA Regional qualifying standard in the outdoor 800 and 1500. She is entered in the 800 and 5000 at the Big 12. The prelims for the 800 are scheduled at 6:40 p.m. Friday The 5000 is a final only and it is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Eldridge currently has the top 800 time in the country among juniors (athletes who are 20 and under) with her indoor 2:06.33 time (from competition in February). She has the sixth fastest time among juniors in the 1500 with her time of 4:27.89 at the Mt. Sac Relays in April.
Catherine Odell of Enid also has qualified for the Junior Nationals. Another one of OU's freshman phenoms, Odell has qualified in the 1500 and the steeplechase. She will run the 1500 at the Big 12 meet.
For three Sooner student-athletes, the spring has not been too kind. Two long jumpers, Cory Crosby and Robert Smith, and one triple jumper, Lucretia Rimmer, had more than one regional qualifying mark this spring wiped out because of weather conditions, either too much wind or having to move the competition indoor because of rain. Finally, all three posted legal marks at the Michael Johnson Invitational on April 17. All three got legal qualifying marks at that meet and will be making their first trips to the NCAA Regional in late May.
Sooner student-athletes rank in the top 10 of the latest Big 12 ranking list in the following events: DaBryan Blanton, second in the 100, first in the 200 and 10th in the 400; Salah Hussein, 10th in the 1500; Darren Hutchins, eighth in the 10,000; Jon McMillian, second in the high jump; Austin Landreth and Scott Martin, tied for fifth in the pole vault; Cory Crosby, third in the long jump and ninth in the triple jump; Robert Smith, fifth in the long jump and seventh in the triple jump; Dan Strong, fifth in the decathlon; Laverne Jones, second in the 100, second in the 200 and third in the 400; Jessica Eldridge, fourth in the 800, ninth in the 1500 and third in the 3000; Catherine Odell, seventh in the 3000; women's 400-meter relay, fifth; women's 1600-meter relay, ninth; Leslie Dunlap, sixth in the pole vault; Jennifer Plank and Lindsey Bourne, tied for ninth in the pole vault; Lucretia Rimmer, sixth in the triple jump; Renea' Burns, eighth in the javelin; Veronica Clayborne, ninth in the heptathlon; and Chaundra Allard, 10th in the heptathlon.
Current Sooner co-head coach Jill Lancaster won the Big Eight title in the outdoor 400-meter intermediate hurdles in 1981. Sooner assistant coach Ed Wade won three Big Eight discus titles (1985, 1986 and 1988) and one Big Eight outdoor shot put title (1988). Wade currently works with the Sooner throwers. Sprints coach Shanon Atkinson ran on OU's 1600-meter relay team that won the outdoor title in 1995. And meet director J.D. Martin won the Big Eight pole vault title while competing for the Sooners in 1960.

OU at the Big 12 Outdoor Meet
Since the Big 12 was created in July of 1996, the Sooners have won six individual men's titles, one men's relay title and three individual women's titles. Roxbert Martin was the first Big 12 men's outdoor champion for OU, winning the 400-meter dash in 1997. Bambi Carson was the first women's Big 12 winner for the Sooners, winning the discus in 2000. She became the first woman to repeat as Big 12 champion, adding the 2001 discus title. OU's all-time best Big 12 outdoor finish for the men is fourth (1998). A sixth place finish is the all-time best for the women and the Sooners have done that twice (in 2000 and 2001).

The John Jacobs Field
The outdoor track facility was originally built in the 1950s and was designed by longtime Sooner track and field coach John Jacobs. Jacobs served as OU's track and field coach from 1922 to 1958, then continued to serve as associate head coach until his retirement in 1968. He was named to the Helms Foundation Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1957. A proposal to name the facility after him was originally made in 1957, and in May 1962, the OU Board of Regents officially named the facility John Jacobs Field.
The renovation of the John Jacobs Field has given the facility a new look and turned it into one of the finest facilities in the country for competitors and spectators. Additions to the facility include a permanent scoreboard, permanent lighting and a sound system that connects Jacobs Field and the Mosier Indoor Facility. All of the field event areas have been redesigned, and in some cases moved, to allow meet officials to set up competition to account for weather conditions. Included in the redesign of the field event areas was the addition of walkways that allow spectators to get closer to the action of all field events. A throwing area also was created on the east end of the facility. On the track itself, the oval was rebuilt to include nine lanes with European curves and the track was covered with an embedded urethane surface. Other additions to the complex include a sports medicine and hydrotherapy area, men's and women's locker rooms, men's and women's coaches locker rooms, a team meeting room, concession areas, and restroom facilities for fans.
The project cost for the current renovation of Jacobs Field is $4 million and it is one of the many facility projects that were included as part of Great Expectations: The Campaign for Sooner Sports. When the campaign closed in November 2003, more than $120 million in donations and pledges had been received. Work continues on several OU Athletic facilities.
This marks the third renovation of John Jacobs Field since it was originally built in the 1950s. In the late 1970s, the oval was redone to change to metric measurements. Following the 1988 outdoor season, the OU Athletic Department, in partnership with Oklahoma Centennial Sports, the local organizing committee for the 1989 U.S. Olympic Festival, began a $700, 000 renovation to the facility. The facility served as the host of the Olympic Festival before hosting the 1990 and 1992 Big Eight Outdoor Track and Field Championships. That was the last conference outdoor track and field meet hosted by OU.
The University will officially rededicate John Jacobs Field on Saturday at 11:15 a.m. The ceremony will take place prior to the start of meet events and will feature university administrators, athletic department staff and track and field alumni who are back in town for a reunion.

Next Up
The Sooners will take off next week for final exams on the Norman campus before returning to competition May 13. OU athletes will travel to either the Texas A&M Invitational or the Abilene Christian Invitational.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

OU Hosts Big 12 Track and Field Championships

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