Sooners Compete in Drake and North Texas Meets

NORMAN, Okla. -- The Sooner track and field teams are headed to a pair of meets this weekend, the sixth week of the 2005 outdoor season.

Over the next three days, several Sooners will be competing in the annual Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa. On Thursday, those not competing at Drake will head to Denton, Texas, for the Mean Green Twilight Invite. Competition in the Drake Relays begins Thursay and continues through Saturday while the Denton meet is scheduled to start and finish on Thursday.

Who's Going Where
OU will send a total of 16 student-athletes to Drake, including many of the distance runners, the short hurdlers, triple jumpers and high jumpers. A total of 46 student-athletes will head to Denton, including the short sprinters, throwers, 400- and 1600-meter relays, long jumpers, and pole vaulters. Additionally, several triple and high jumpers will compete in Denton.

National Rankings
The OU men's track and field team is tied for 19th in the fourth week of the Trackwire Top 25 list. The Sooners opened the season tied for 22nd with two other teams, were tied for 22nd with one team in the second week of the poll, then dropped to 23rd in the third week of the poll.

Arkansas, after winning the 2005 NCAA Indoor title and opening the outdoor season as the top ranked men's team, remained as the top ranked team for the fourth week. On the women's side, Texas remained in the top spot for a third consecutive week.

The poll 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 finished the 2005 indoor season ranked 12th after opening the season unranked. The poll proved to be an accurate prediction of NCAA finish as the Sooner men finished 12th in the 2005 NCAA Indoor, OU's best team finish since 1997.

The Sooners are one of four Big 12 men's teams ranked in the top 25. Other ranked teams include Texas (12th); Texas Tech (24th) and Baylor (25th).

OU junior DaBryan Blanton, who repeated as NCAA Indoor champion at 60 meters on March 12, moved up to second on the Dandy Dozen list in the 100 after ranking third for three consecutive weeks. Blanton won the 100-meter dash last Saturday at the TCU Invitational. His winning time, 10.12, ranks as the best time in the Big 12 and Midwest Regional and is the third best time in the country, heading into this weekend's action. He also has qualified for the NCAA Regional in the 200 and as a member of OU's 400-meter relay.

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.

Sophomore Scott Martin is ranked third in the pole vault in the Dandy Dozen list for the third consecutive week after opening the season in fourth place. Martin, who finished second at the Big 12 Championships and was fourth at the NCAA Indoor with a career best 18-0.5, finished second at the Texas Relays in section A of the men's pole vault with a 17-8.50, then finished second in the pole vault at the John Jacobs Invitational April 16. Both marks beat the NCAA Regional standard and his mark at Texas ranks as the sixth best in school history. He added a third regional effort last Saturday at Baylor but did not improve his season best with the mark.

Senior Aldwyn Sappleton is ranked 10th in the 800 after ranking eighth the first two weeks and ninth in the third poll. Sappleton qualified for the NCAA Regional meet in the 800 with his time of 1:49.63 at the John Jacobs Invitational on April 16. Sappleton finished eighth in the indoor 800 at the 2005 NCAA Championships, earning All-America honors in an indoor individual event for the first time in his Sooner career. He also won the 2005 Big 12 Indoor title in the 800 in a meet record time.

NCAA Midwest Regional Qualifiers
Heading into the sixth weekend of action in the outdoor season, the Sooners have 18 NCAA Regional qualifiers -- Kerri-Ann Mitchell in the 100, Yolanda Goff in the 100, Jessica Eldridge in the 1500 and 5000, Nicole Moore in the triple jump, Catherine Odell in the 800, the women's 400-meter relay, Jennifer Plank in the pole vault, Kelsey Moore in the high jump, DaBryan Blanton in the 100 and 200, Aldwyn Sappleton in the 800, the men's 400-meter relay, Scott Martin in the pole vault, Austin Landreth in the pole vault, Jon McMillian in the high jump, Kevin Bookout in the shot put and Tydree Lewis in the triple jump. OU athletes will have the opportunity to compete at home in the 2005 NCAA Midwest Regional meet, to be hosted by the Sooners May 27-28 at the John Jacobs Complex.

The Last Time Out -- TCU Invite
Two weeks after a regional qualifying time was wiped out by a wind reading, OU junior DaBryan Blanton got his qualifying mark in the 100, winning the event at the sixth annual TCU Invitational in the process. He met the qualifying mark in the 200 April 16 at the John Jacobs Invitational.

His time of 10.12 in the 100 was one of three NCAA Regional qualifying marks recorded by the Sooners at the meet. The time is just off his career best in the event, 10.07, recorded in 2003 when he set the American Junior National record in the event.

The time is the best one posted in the NCAA Midwest Regional to date and ranks as the third best time in the country.

OU also got regional qualifying marks in the men's and women's 400-meter relays. The men recorded a time of 40.60. The women's relay time of 45.55 met the standard as well, however, the Sooners have a better time already on the books this season.

Several Sooners just missed the regional qualifying mark in the meet. Josh Scott (100), Kerri-Ann Mitchell (200) and Yolanda Goff (200) all missed the mark by less than .10 of a second.

Other Sooners posted season bests in their events including Ashley Harris and Ashley Freeman in the 100; Mitchell, Goff, Harris and Freeman (200); Blanton, Scott, Daniel Bridges and Chason Lane (100); Bridges and Lane (200); Marcus Pugh (400) and Mitchell (triple jump).

The Last Time Out -- Michael Johnson Invitational

After barely missing a week ago, sophomore Catherine Odell made the most of her opportunity Saturday at the Michael Johnson Invitational, recording an NCAA Regional qualifying mark in the 800-meter run. She finished fifth in the invitational 800 with a 2:09.75. The time ranks as the 10th best in school history.

Sophomore Kevin Bookout finished second in the shot put, recording his 11th consecutive NCAA Regional qualifying mark with a 57-3. He has a better mark already this season. Scott Martin also finished second in the pole vault, again beating the NCAA Regional standard with a 16-6.75. He, too, has a better mark this year.

Stephen Taylor won the college/open division of the 1500 with a 4:05.78. Kris Glenn tied a season best in the high jump to finish fourth with a 6-6.75. Nicola Maye finished third in the invitational 1500 with a 4:39.47 and Jackie Dubois took nearly a minute off her career best to finish seventh in the 5000 with an 18:13.62.

Next Up
The Sooners will head south to Arlington, Texas, for the UTA Open on Saturday, May 7. That will mark the final meet before the ninth annual Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championship. Kansas State is serving as the host site for the 2005 conference meet.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Sooners Compete in Drake and North Texas Meets

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