Sooners T&F Heads South to Arlington

NORMAN, Okla. -- The Sooner track and field teams are heading south this weekend, sending nearly 60 student-athletes to the 25th annual UTA Invite on Saturday. This meet marks the second week of the Sooner outdoor schedule.The meet is scheduled for Maverick Stadium on the campus of Texas-Arlington.

The Travel Squad
After opening the season last weekend at the Stanford Invitaitonal and the Dr Pepper Invitational with a scaled down entry list, the Sooners will take a more complete roster to the meet in Arlington but some athletes will be competing in events other than their usual specialities. Two-time NCAA 60-meter sprint champion, DaBryan Blanton, will run in the 400 at UTA. This meet also marks the return of Sooner All-American Kevin Bookout to the shot put ring. Several OU distance runners, including Jessice Eldridge who qualified for the NCAA Regional at the Stanford meet last Friday, will skip this meet as will the men's vaulters.

A Quick Look at the Meet
The UTA meet actually opens Friday afternoon with the men's and women's hammer competition. The events on Saturday start with field events at 9 a.m. The women's pole vault is the first field event on the schedule. The running events begin at 1 p.m. with the men's steeplechase and run through the men's 1600-meter relay which is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

The meet is drawing entries from 21 colleges including UTA, OU, North Texas, TCU, SMU, Baylor, North Dakota State, Oral Roberts, Oklahoma State, Emporia State, Texas A&M-Commerce, Paul Quinn, Texas College, Northwood, Barton County, and Rice.

Additionally, there will be open competitors in the meeting including Jeremy Wariner, the gold medalist from the 2004 Olympic Games. Usually a 400 meter sprinter, Wariner, who competed two years at Baylor, will run the men's 200 at the UTA meet.

The Last Time Out
It was a pair of distance runners who took center stage in the season opening meets for the Sooner track and field teams last weekend.

Senior Jackie Dubois cut 16 seconds off her career best in the 3000 and finished fifth in the 3000 at the Baylor/Dr Pepper Invitational March 26. On the west coast, sophomore Jessica Eldridge became the first Sooner to qualify for the NCAA Regional to be hosted by OU on May 27-28, recording a qualifying time in the 5000.

Dubois finished with a 10:39.20 in the Waco meet that was interrupted and delayed by thunderstorms.

Sophomore Jessica Pekah led the efforts for the Sooners in the field events at the Dr Pepper Invitational. Pekah established a career best in the discus with a 137-2 to finish fourth and was ninth in the shot put with a 39-0.25. Her mark in the discus ties for ninth place on the all-time OU list. Sophomore Cale Drumright, who must like throwing the javelin in Waco, improved his career best in that event by nearly five feet. He finished third with a 186-2 after setting his career best last year at the Michael Johnson Invitational, hosted by Baylor at the Hart/Patterson Track Complex.

At Stanford, Eldridge finished sixth in section 2 of the 5000 on Friday, running a 16:32.45. The mark is a career best for Eldridge by more than 14 seconds and beat the NCAA Regional qualifying mark by 20 seconds. It also ranks as the fifth best time in school history.

Senior Aldwyn Sappleton just missed a career best in the 400 to finish fifth with a 47.82. His performance was one of three for the Sooners in action on the second day of the meet.

Freshman Brayon Brown finished 19th in the 800 with a 1:51.95 and sophomore Salah Hussein recorded a 3:50.07 in the 1500 and finished 30th. All three of the OU runners were competing in the top sections of their events on Saturday.

Other Friday results saw Catherine Odell make the most of her outdoor season opening race, winning section 3 of the 5000 with a 17:06.18. The time is a career best for Odell and ranks as the eighth best time in school history. Sophomore Jason Coleman finished 22nd in the 5000, running a career best 14:32.41 in the 5000. The time is the ninth best in school history. Junior Blake Culp finished ninth in the 3000 meter steeplechase, recording a 9:09.54. The mark was just over his career best and missed the NCAA Regional qualifying time by just over a second. Redshirt freshman Tyler Schmiedeberg finished 15th in his first outdoor college 5000, posting a 15:05.06. Freshman T.J. Newton returned home and finished ninth in her division of the 400 with a 59.37.

Next Up
Those who have qualified and are invited will travel to the 2005 Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays next week. The final entry list is scheduled to be released later today.

Senior Dan Strong will be the first Sooner to compete in Austin as the decathlon begins on Wednesday and is completed on Thursday. On Thursday, prelims in 400 hurdlests and finals in the 3200-meter relay and 5000 meter run as well as finals in the men's section B pole vault and the men's and women's hammer are scheduled. The bulk of the action begins on Friday with prelims and finals scheduled for running and field events all day. The meet concludes on Saturday with prelims and finals again on the schedule.

For those who do not qualify for the Texas Relays, the Sooners will travel to Emporia, Kan., for the Emporia State Relays on April 9.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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