Sooners Part of Record-Setting Meet

NORMAN, Okla. -- Take a quality field, add in great temperatures and wind that didn't gust over the allowable and you have the ingredients for a record-setting track and field meet.

And that's exactly what happened Saturday at the 36th annual John Jacobs Invitational hosted by the University of Oklahoma at the John Jacobs Track Complex.

A total of 70 NCAA Regional qualifying marks were posted, seven meet records were broken and one facility record was improved. And the Sooners were involved in their fair share of the regional qualifying performances.

A total of 13 Sooner individuals or relays met the NCAA qualifying mark for the Midwest Regional which OU will host at this same facility May 27-28. Both the men's and women's 400-meter relays met the standard and individual runners on those relays also met the mark in other events. The women's 400-meter relay included Ashley Harris, Kerri-Ann Mitchell, Larica Urbina and Yolanda Goff. Goff finally got the weather to cooperate during her heat of the 100-meter dash and recorded a qualifying time in that event after losing marks the last two meets to excessive wind. Goff finished sixth in the 100 with an 11.72.

The men's 400-meter relay featured Daniel Bridges, DaBryan Blanton, Chason Lane and Josh Scott. Blanton also met the mark in the 200-meter dash after seeing a great time in the 100 wiped out last week by excessive wind. Blanton won the 200 with a 20.88.

Kevin Bookout was a double winner for the Sooners, winning the shot put with an NCAA Regional mark and winning the discus in his first meet of the season in that event with a 156-3. His shot put mark of 58-2.5 was his 10th consecutive regional qualifying mark in that event. That string includes three from the 2005 season and seven from the 2003 season. He missed all of 2004 after shoulder surgery.

Jessica Eldridge, already qualified in the 5000, won the 1500 with a regional qualifying time of 4:25.73. In only her second collegiate meet in the outdoor triple jump, freshman Nicole Moore finished second with a regional qualifying jump of 40-2.75. Kelsey Moore won the high jump with a 5-8.75, also a regional qualifying mark, but has a better mark already on the books for the season.

Sooner freshman Tydree Lewis, who got his first NCAA Regional mark last Saturday, improved that mark to 50-4.50 to win the triple jump Saturday. Sooner All-American Aldwyn Sappleton finished sixth in the 800-meter run with a 1:49.63 to join the regional qualifying list. Jon McMillian finished second in the high jump and improved his regional qualifying mark to 7-0.5. Scott Martin finished second in the pole vault with a 17-6.5 but has a better mark to his credit and senior Austin Landreth, the 2003 NCAA Regional champion in the pole vault, finished fifth with an regional qualifying mark of 16-6.75.

The Sooners also made a dent in the outdoor career honor roll. Lewis' mark of 50-4.5 in the triple jump ranks as the second best mark in school history. Nicole Moore's mark in the long jump of 19-0 ranks 10th on the all-time list and her triple jump ranks third. The women's 400-meter relay time of 45.15 ranks as the ninth best time in school history. Katie Blue's mark of 141-11 in the discus is a personal best and ranks ninth on the all-time list.

OU will travel to Waco, Texas, for the annual Michael Johnson Invitational on Saturdday.