Sooner Men Tied for 22nd in Latest National T&F Poll

NORMAN, Okla. The OU men's track and field team is tied for 22nd in the fifth 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. OU jumped into a tie for 19th in the fourth poll before falling into a tie for 22nd with UCLA, Mississippi and Baylor this week.

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 fifth week. On the women's side, Texas remained in the top spot for a fourth 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 five Big 12 men's teams ranked in the top 25. Other ranked teams include Texas (12th); Nebraska (tied for 15th), Texas Tech (tied for 20th) and Baylor (tied for 22nd).

OU junior DaBryan Blanton, who repeated as NCAA Indoor champion at 60 meters on March 12, remained in second place on the Dandy Dozen list in the 100 for the second week after ranking third for three consecutive weeks. Blanton won the 100-meter dash at the TCU Invitational April 23. 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 fourth in the pole vault in the Dandy Dozen list after ranking third for three consecutive weeks. He opened 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 at Baylor on April 23 but did not improve his season best with the mark. He competed at the Mean Green Twilight on April 28, passing until the bar reached 17-0.75 before missing on three attempts at the height.

Senior Aldwyn Sappleton is ranked 11th 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. He finished ninth in the special 800 at the Drake Relays on April 30. 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 Tied for 22nd in Latest National T&F Poll

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