Sooner Men Move Into Tie for 19th in National Poll

NORMAN, Okla. 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 in the poll 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.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Sooner Men Move Into Tie for 19th in National Poll

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