Blanton, Bookout Advance to Finals

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- When DaBryan Blanton and Kevin Bookout began competition in the NCAA Championships Wednesday night, they brought radically different rankings with them into the meet. When the night ended, all that mattered was that both had advanced to the final in their specialty on Friday.

Blanton was ranked third initially heading into the meet, then moved up to second after a runner from Mississippi State was disqualified from competition. The Sooner junior recorded the second fastest time in the prelims with a 10.31 to advance to the semifinals in the 100-meter dash. He then ran the second fastest time in the semifinals, another 10.31, to move into the Friday final.

Florida senior Kyle Farmer had the fastest time in the prelims with a 10.30 and Florida State freshman Walter Dix had the fastest time in the semis with a 10.30. Dix and Blanton finished a tenth of a second ahead of their nearest competitors in the 100 in the semifinal round.

The 100-meter final is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. (PDT) Friday.

Bookout was one of 27 competitors in the shot put and he was ranked 25th when the competition opened. Throwing in the second flight, Bookout was ninth after the first round of throws with a 57-5.0. He improved to third in the flight with his second throw, a 60-1 effort that ranks as his second best of the season.

He fouled on his third throw and dropped back to fourth in the flight. However, only two throwers in the first flight had better marks in tonight's competition than the Sooner sophomore, leaving him sixth after the preliminary round of competition.

The weather, which included strong winds, periods of light rain broken up by heavier showers and cool temperatures, seemed to have an effect on the shot put competition. Five of the top 15 ranked throwers and four of the top 10 in the pre-meet rankings did not advance to the final on Friday night.

The top 12 from preliminary action will take to the ring on Friday beginning at 8:15 p.m. After three rounds of throws, the top nine will advance to a second round of three throws to determine the final finish.

For OU's other competitors on Wednesday, the results were not as good. Senior Austin Landreth was one of seven vaulters who did not clear the opening height of 16-4.75 in the pole vault, another event that was affected by the weather. It took a clearance of 16-4.75 and 16-10.75 to advance to the Friday night final.

The women's 400-meter relay, made up of Kerri-Ann Mitchell, Yolanda Goff, Ashley Harris and Larica Urbina, tied for 14th with a 45.07. It was the foursome's third best time of the year and helped OU finish ahead of where the Sooners were ranked, 17th, heading into the meet. The men's 400-meter relay, composed of Marcus Pugh, Blanton, Daniel Bridges and Josh Scott, tied for 15th with a 39.94. The mark was OU's second best of the season, short of the 39.61 which had the Sooners ranked 13th heading into the meet.

Goff and Mitchell also did not advance to the semifinal in the 100 but both improved on their pre-meet ranking. Goff finished 22nd with an 11.75 in the preliminary round and Mitchell was 23rd with an 11.77. Mitchell was tied for 24th entering the meet and Goff was tied for 27th.

On Thursday, OU's last two runners will take to the track as Jessica Eldridge and Catherine Odell are scheduled to run in heat two of the 1500-meter run at 8 p.m. There are 13 runners in the second heat, 14 in the the first. The top four times from each heat and the next four fastest times advance to the final which is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

Eldridge is ranked 13th heading into the final and Odell is 24th as the Sooner sophomores have made school history, becoming the first two women to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor in the 1500 in the same year.

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