Five Head to Fayetteville for NCAA Indoor

NORMAN, Okla. - Five members of the Sooner men's and women's track and field teams will leave Thursday for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Led by defending 60-meter champion, junior DaBryan Blanton, the Sooner qualifiers include senior Aldwyn Sappleton, 800-meter run; sophomore Jessica Eldridge, mile run; sophomore Jon McMillian, high jump, and sophomore Scott Martin, pole vault.

The meet will be hosted by the University of Arkansas and will be held at Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville on the Arkansas campus.

OU's Meet Schedule
Aldwyn Sappleton will be the first Sooner to compete. He is scheduled to run in the preliminary round of the 800 beginning at 4:45 p.m. Friday. The final for the 800 is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. Saturday. Scott Martin will begin competition at 5:35 p.m. Friday. The pole vault competition will conclude on Friday. DaBryan Blanton begins defense of his national championship at 6:30 p.m. Friday. The final for the 60 is set for 7:25 p.m. Saturday. Jessica Eldridge will run the preliminary in the mile at 6:45 p.m. Friday. The final in the mile is set for 6:15 p.m. Saturday. McMillian will be the final Sooner to compete. Like the pole vault, the high jump competition is a final only.

How They Rank Entering the Meet
DaBryan Blanton is currently ranked third on the qualifiers' list with a 6.61, a time he posted in the semifinals of the Big 12 60-meter dash on Feb. 25. Aldwyn Sapppleton is currently ranked fourth on the qualifiers' list in the 800 with a 1:47.43 that he ran on Feb. 12. Scott Martin is currently tied for fifth on the list in the pole vault with a 17-9.25 from his competition in the Big 12 on Feb. 25. Jessica Eldridge is ranked 12th on the list in the mile with a 4:42.73, a time she recorded in the qualifier meet at Notre Dame on March 5. Jon McMillian is tied for 10th on the list with a 7-2.25, a mark he recorded in the Big 12 Championships on Feb. 26.

Past History
This marks the third trip to the NCAA Indoor for DaBryan Blanton. He was an All-American in 2003 as a freshman and won the 60 title as a sophomore. This also marks the third trip to the NCAA Indoor for Aldwyn Sappleton who earned All-America honors as a member of the 1600-meter relay as a redshirt freshman in 2002.

This will be Jessica Eldridge's second trip to the NCAA Indoor but it is her fifth time in five events to qualify for NCAA competition. She has run in two NCAA Cross Country Championships, one NCAA Indoor and one NCAA Outdoor meet.

This will mark the first time to compete in the NCAA Indoor for McMillian and Martin but both competed in the NCAA Outdoor last June as freshmen.

Nationally Ranked
The OU men's track and field team are tied with Tennessee in the final Trackwire Top 25 poll. The Sooners have 21 points in the poll, just missing the top 10 by two points.

Arkansas continues to hold the top spot in the poll which projects a hypothetical score for the NCAA meet, factoring in injury reports and NCAA qualifying competitions from across the country. The projection is generated by the Dandy Dozen, a power ranking of the top 12 athletes and relay squads in each NCAA event.

OU was unranked the first two weeks of the indoor season and was ranked 17th in the third poll. The Sooners dropped to 19th in the fourth poll after not competing the weekend of Jan. 29-30, then moved into a tie for 18th in the fifth poll. After a solid weekend of performances on Feb. 11-12, OU jumped seven spots in the poll, moving into a tie for 11th in the sixth poll before taking over sole possession of 11th in the seventh poll of the season. The Sooners were 12th in the eighth week of the poll.

The Sooners are one of seven Big 12 men's teams ranked in the top 25. Other ranked teams include Texas (ninth), Nebraska (T-11th), Texas Tech and Kansas State (T-17th), Texas A&M and Baylor (T-24th).

The factors used to build the Dandy Dozen include 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.

Junior DaBryan Blanton, the defending 60-meter NCAA champion, remained as the top ranked sprinter in the 60 in the Dandy Dozen. He moved into the top spot after his second place finish at the ninth annual Big 12 Championships Feb. 25-26. Blanton, who posted an NCAA automatic qualifying time in the 60 with a 6.61 in the conference semifinals, moved up to first after the previous number one runner, Tyson Gay, skipped the Southeastern Conference meet and is day-to-day because of an injury. Blanton had been ranked second in each of the previous seven Dandy Dozen lists released this season.

Senior Aldwyn Sappleton is ranked third in the 800 in the Dandy Dozen after posting a 1:47.43 at the Cyclone Classic on Feb. 12. He jumped into the rankings for the first time on Feb. 15 after the ISU meet. The time lowered the school record by nearly a second. It is an automatic qualifying time for the NCAA meet and is the best time in the country in the 800 by nearly .30 seconds. Sappleton was named Big 12 Male Track and Field Athlete of the Week on Feb. 15 after his victory at the Cyclone Classic.

Sophomore Scott Martin remains fourth in the Dandy Dozen list. He opened the season in 12th place and held that spot for two weeks. He moved up to fourth in the third poll and was third for two weeks after winning the J.D. Martin Invitational with a career best 17-6.5 He improved that provisional qualifying mark to 17-8.5 and finished fourth at the Tyson Invitational on Feb. 12. He dropped to fourth in the sixth poll after that performance. He remained fourth after the Sooner Indoor and the Big 12 Championships.

Jon McMillian is ranked 10th in the high jump for the first time this season. Jessica Eldridge, who was ranked earlier in the season in the 800, is ranked 11th in the mile.

Last Year at the NCAA Indoor
DaBryan Blanton, Laverne Jones and Jessica Eldridge were OU's representatives in the 2004 Indoor Track and Field Championships.

For nearly 12 months, there had been a weight on Blanton's shoulder, a weight that got heavier last June. In 6.59 seconds, Blanton tossed that weight aside and brought home OU's first national individual title in seven years by winning the 60-meter dash at the 2004 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Randal Tyson Track Complex.

OU's other finalist on the second day of the meet, senior Laverne Jones, finished fourth in the women's 60 to earn her second All-America certificate in this meet.

It might have been the strength that made Blanton a possible two-sport star that actually helped him win the race. He was behind after 30 meters but had taken the lead by the 40-meter mark. According to sprints coach Shanon Atkinson, it was Blanton's strength that got him the lead.

Jones entered the final with the second fastest qualifying time and that put her in the middle of the track between Muna Lee, the defending champion and eventual winner, and Veronica Campbell, a former Barton County teammate who was world ranked in the 60. The first start of the race was called back because the starter didn't call “set” loud enough for everyone to hear. Jones got an amazing start on the second call to take an early lead. Eventually, Lee slipped past her to win the event with a 7.21. Two runners crossed at 7.28 and Jones was fourth with a 7.29. Blanton's title was the first national championship in seven years for the Sooner men and the first individual national title since Roxbert Martin won the indoor 400 in 1997. The last individual winner before that had come in 1988 when current OU throws coach Ed Wade won the indoor shot put title. Blanton also becomes OU's first ever 60-meter national champion.

For Jones, the meet was also one for the record book. She tied her school record in the 60 during the first night of competition and with her second All-America honor in as many nights, she became the first woman in school history to earn individual All-America honors in two events in back to back years. In 2003, she became the first woman to earn individual All-America honors in two events since 1982.

With Jones' points in the 60 and 200, OU was tied for 29th in the women's team standings. Blanton's win in the 100 gave the Sooner men a tie for 24th in the men's standings.

Jones finished eighth in the 200 meter dash Friday night at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, repeating as an indoor All-American. Jones finished with a 23.53 in one of the evening's featured races. Campbell of Arkansas won the event, finishing with a 22.43, the fastest time in the world by a woman this year. Several other world ranking times were recorded in the event in either the prelims or the final. The time by Campbell was an Tyson, NCAA and Arkansas records. This field was so talented, it took a collegiate record to win and the previous NCAA record holder was fifth in a race that many called the best women's collegiate 200 ever.

Jones had the second fastest time in the prelims, winning her heat with a 7.24. Campbell, who ran in the same heat as Jones, had a 7.27. Muna Lee of Louisiana State, who finished fifth in the 200, had the fastest overall qualifying time with a 7.20. Jones' time tied her season best and ties the school record she set in the finals of the 60 at the Big 12 meet at the end of February.

Blanton recorded the fastest qualifying time in the men's 60 with a 6.60 on Friday. Blanton was tied for the second fastest time in the country, a 6.57 that he ran in the semifinals of the 60 at the Big 12 Championship. Johnie Drake of Central Michigan, who entered the meet with the fastest qualifying time, finished sixth in the prelims with a 6.71 while Tyson Gay of Arkansas, who was tied with Blanton, finished fourth in the prelims with a 6.69.

OU's final qualifier, freshman Jessica Eldridge, finished 14th in the prelims of the mile run with a 4:51.20. It was her slowest time of the season. She started the race among the leaders and was in fifth place in her heat, within striking distance of the leaders, until the fifth lap. She dropped to sixth by the sixth lap and finished her heat in sixth place.

The Last Time Out
Jessica Eldridge posted a 4:42.73 to finish second in the mile at the Alex Wilson Invitational in South Bend, Ind., on Saturday afternoon. More important, the time boosted the Sooner sophomore onto the NCAA qualifier's list in the mile.

Eldridge was one of 11 Sooners to compete in qualifying meets on the final weekend that marks to qualify for the 2005 NCAA were held. Of the 11, Eldridge was the only one who improved her chances to participate in the NCAA meet, scheduled for Feb. 11-12 in Fayetteville, Ark.

Catherine Odell finished 17th in the mile at South Bend with a 4:56.33 and Brayon Brown was eighth in the 800 with a 1:50.68. Neither of those times improved previously recorded times this season.

Junior Lucretia Rimmer finished eighth in the triple jump at the Virginia Tech Qualifier with a 39-5 but that didn't improve her previous season best, 41-8.50, which was an NCAA provisional mark.

Freshman Marcus Pugh finished sixth in the 60-meter dash at the ISU Qualifier with a 6.84. Pugh has a season best of 6.70, a time he recorded in last week's Big 12 meet.

Four other Sooners, Kelsey Moore (high jump), Austin Landreth (pole vault) and Jason Stanley and Tony Francis (60-meter hurdles) also did not improve previously recorded season bests at the ISU meet. All have NCAA provisional marks but none are ranked in the top 20 on the NCAA event list. Moore finished fifth with a 5-7.25 and Landreth was fourth with a 16-8.75. Stanley won his heat in the prelims of the 60 hurdles with an 8.79 but did not run anymore. Francis was 10th in the hurdles with an 8.02 in semifinals after recording an 8.05 in the preliminaries.

A pair of Sooner women vaulters, Jennifer Plank and Lindsey Bourne, did not record provisional marks in their trip to Ames. Plank finished fifth with a 12-0 and Bourne was eighth with an 11-6.25.

Next Up
A limited number of Sooners will compete in one of two outdoor meets on March 25. OU has the Dr Pepper Invitational and the UTA Invitational on the schedule that day and entry decisions will be made closer to the meet. The combined event athletes, originally scheduled to travel to the Hurricane Invitational March 17-18, will not be making that trip. The Norman campus will be on spring break from March 12-20.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Five Head to Fayetteville for NCAA Indoor

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