Completed Event: Track and Field at Battle on the Bayou on April 3, 2026 ,
Final
Track and Field
at Battle on the Bayou
University of Oklahoma Athletics
Track Hits First Leg of Texas Two-Step
April 01, 2006 | Track and Field
NORMAN, Okla. -- The University of Oklahoma men's and women's track and field teams begin their two-week trek south of the Red River Saturday, April 1, at the Bobby Lane Arlington Invitational hosted by the University of Texas-Arlington.
One traditional stop on the Sooners' schedule is followed by another next week as Oklahoma continues its tour of Lone Star State with the 79th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays hosted by the University of Texas.
OU then hosts the 37th annual John Jacobs Invitational Saturday, April 15, in Norman.
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Getting to Know the Sooner Coaching Staff
Martin Smith was announced as Oklahoma's sixth head track & field coach on June 30, 2005, and quickly assembled impressive staff of assistants to usher in the new era of Sooner track & field.
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Who Was Bobby Lane?
Robert A. Lane was a 30-year employee at UTA, from 1955 to 1985. After two years as a student trainer at Arlington State College, Lane was named the head athletic trainer in 1955, a position he held until 1981. He also served as the school's track coach from 1955-75 and continued physical education teaching until 1985 as an associate professor.
A charter member of the Southwest Athletic Trainers Association (SWATA), he was a guiding influence in the establishment of the student organization of SWATA. He also participated in the organization of the Southland Conference.
Lane worked with the Dallas Cowboys and served as an assistant trainer for the U.S. Pan American Games Team in Cali, Columbia, in 1971. He was inducted into the National Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Fame in 1982, the Southwest Athletic Trainers Hall of Fame in 1985, the UTA Athletic Hall of Honor in 1988 and the Southland Conference Hall of Honor in 2000 and being named a UTA Distinguished Alumni in 1995. He served two terms as President of the UTA Alumni Association Board of Directors in 1974 and 1977.
Lane died on April 29, 2005, after a short illness.
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Who to Watch...Dermillo Wise
After posting a regional qualifying time in his first 110-meter hurdles run of the season last week, Dermillo Wise has his eyes set on lowering that mark, as well as, posting another in the long jump.
Wise, OU's best all-around athlete, clocked in at 14.18, a personal best, in the 110 hurdles at the season-opening Tulsa Invitational (March 25), finishing runner-up by .06 seconds to Kansas' Julius Jiles, a 2005 national qualifier and All-Big 12 honoree in the event.
It was the St. Petersburg, Fla., native's first competition since the Tyson Invitational (Feb. 10) after having his nose broken in a freak accident during warm-ups at the Big 12 Indoor Championships.
The junior would need to leap 24 feet, one inch (7.34 meters) to meet the regional qualifying standard in the long jump.
Wise is also entered in the 400-meter dash this week for training purposes.
Next on the Calendar
OU travels to the University of Texas for the 79th Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays beginning Thursday, April 6 and ending Saturday, April 8. Some of OU's distance runners will participate at the Duke Invitational in Durham, N.C., Friday, April 7 and Saturday, April 8.
Smith's Sooners Break Outdoor Record
It didn't take long for the Sooners to start showing success under first-year head coach Martin Smith during the indoor season, and they needed just one meet to continue during the outdoor season.
Four individuals -- Chip Heuser (pole vault), Scott Martin (pole vault), Tijhanni Newton (women's 400-meter dash) and Dermillo Wise (110-meter hurdles) -- bested the regional qualifying standard in their respective events at the Tulsa Invitational, an OU best for an opening weekend since the inception of the regional qualifier in 2003.
Prior to the 2003 season, provisional national qualifiers were determined. OU had four athletes meet provisional marks in its opening weekend of 2002.
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Bookout Returns to Team
A two-time All-American in the shot put, Kevin Bookout, who is a junior in track and field, returns to the team after the completion of his final season of eligibility in basketball.
The Stroud, Okla., native recorded a personal best in the shot put (61-9.50) en route to a seventh-place result at the NCAA Outdoor Championships last season. He placed eighth in 2003.
His personal best ranks second on OU's all-time performance chart. OU”s school record in the shot put was set by Ed Wade in 1987 at 63-8.25 (19.41).
John Jacobs Field Shaping Up
When OU hosts the 37th annual John Jacobs Invitational, Saturday, April 15 in Norman, it should showcase no fewer than three former Olympians.
Jamaica's Michael Blackwood (400-meter dash) and Danny McFarlane (400-meter hurdles) and Virgin Islands native Laverne Jones (100 and 200) will use the meet to prepare for the world circuit, which traditionally begins the first week of May.
Blackwood is a veteran of two Olympics (Sydney, 2000, and Athens, 2004) as a member of Jamaica's 4x400-meter relay, which won bronze in 2000. Blackwood also placed eighth overall in the 400-meter dash in 2004.
McFarlane also competed in two Games, running the relay with Blackwood in 2000 as well as finishing eighth in the 400. In 2004, he won silver in the 400-meter hurdles. He was also a member of OU's 1997 national champion 4x400-meter relay.
Jones became the first Sooner woman to compete in the Olympics in 2004, running the 100- and 200-meter dashes. She holds OU records in the indoor 60 and 200 and outdoor 100 and 200.
Combined, the trio won 20 All-America certificates.
The field may also contain notable Sooner alumni DaBryan Blanton and Aldwyn Sappleton.
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Jessica Eldridge had one of the most outstanding performances in OU women's track and field history at the Big 12 Indoor Championships.
The junior from Broken Arrow, Okla., anchored the women's distance medley relay on Friday to a five-second victory over Baylor, which entered the meet ranked No. 1 in the conference.
Saturday, Eldridge ran smart and strong in her victory in the women's mile run.
“I wanted to be smart and have confidence in myself in the race,” Eldridge said. “The conference championship was a goal I set and accomplished. I never underestimate my competition, and I think it was a good field.”
The Sooner scored 12.5 points -- 10 for the mile win and a 2.5 share for the DMR victory. She tied for sixth among individual scorers at the meet.
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Run Ronnie Run
Ronnie Pines made a quick impact among the Sooners' sprint corps.
The junior college transfer owned the fastest collegiate time in the nation for 20 days after he ran 6.60 the 60-meter dash on Feb. 4 at the J.D. Martin Invitational in Norman.
His mark was beaten only by Baylor's Jacob Norman, who ran 6.58 during the preliminary rounds of the Big 12 Indoor.
Pines' run broke his own meet record and two-time national champion DaBryan Blanton's facility record.
Pines placed sixth at the Big 12 meet and 13th at the NCAAs.
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Chip on his Shoulder
After breaking his wrist and missing the entire 2005 season, sophomore pole vaulter Chip Heuser broke through at the NCAAs, placing fifth and becoming just the fourth Sooner to earn All-America honors in the indoor event.
On the heels of a runner-up finish at the Big 12 Indoor, Heuser, the 2004 USA Junior National champion, cleared a personal best of 17-10.50 (5.45 meters) at the NCAA meet.
He also jumped 17-8.50 (5.40 meters) en route to winning the event at the J.D. Martin Invitational and placed second at the Big 12 Indoor Championships with a jump of 17-7.00 (5.36).
The Louisville, Ky., native holds the Kentucky state high school and national Catholic high school indoor and outdoor records. The 2003 Kentucky High School Athlete of the Year also led his high school, St. Xavier, to three straight state track & field titles.
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Odell Coming of Age
If you need one sure thing, count of Catherine Odell, who has become the example of stablility and consistency.
Last season, the Enid, Okla., native had no signs of a sophomore slump as she became the Sooners' most improved distance runner and qualified for the national outdoor championships in the 1500-meter run.
After redshirting during the cross country season while getting used to new head coach Martin Smith's training program, Odell was on fire to begin 2006, putting the pressure on six-time national qualifier Jessica Eldridge during the first two meets of the season.
She surprised the field when she ran the fastest time during the prelims of the 1,000-meter run, just a short time before running the opening leg of the conference championship-winning distance medley relay.
Odell placed third in the finals of the 1,000 which was quite an improvement after finishing 12th in 2005.
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Cooking Up Success
Among the surprises to come out of the indoor season was junior Kristi Cook's performances in the 800-meter run.
After placing sixth at the Razorback Invitational, Cook put herself on the watch list of possible Big 12 scorers.
She did not disappoint as she placed seventh, running the four-lap race in 2:13.65. She also ran the third leg of the Big 12-winning distance medley relay.
Cook was also the 800-meter leg of OU's distance medley relay at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational on Feb. 3. With its 11:14.63 run, the relay broke the school record by over 15 seconds and ran under the NCAA provisional qualifying standard for the first time in program history.
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Newton's Laws of Motion
Tijahnni Newton battled injuries as a senior at Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., and homesickness as a freshman at OU.
In 2006, however, Newton seems to be regaining her stride as she has improved dramatically in a year's time and recovering the form that made her one of SoCal's hottest prospects.
The sophomore finished sixth in the 400 at the Big 12 Championships, running 55.50 in the finals this season after placing 18th in 1:01.47.
In fact, her season best in 2005 was a meager 58.08. Her slowest this season: 56.66, run on a flat oval.
Newton has also spurred the women's distance medley relay to new levels, running the 400-meter second leg. The DMR of Catherine Odell, Newton, Kristi Cook and Jessica Eldridge broke the previous school record set in 2004 by over 15 seconds.
The only member of the 2006 DMR not on the 2004 version? You guessed it...Tijhanni Newton.
Indoor Season Leftovers
The OU women's track and field team recorded its best ever score, 61 points, and finish, tied for fourth, at the Big 12 Indoor Championships. The OU women placed 11th in 2005 with 21.5 points.
The OU women won two events at the Big 12 Indoor for the first time in history with the help of Jessica Eldridge, who won the mile run on Saturday after anchoring the distance medley relay win on Friday. The Sooner women had previously won only three event titles total at the meet (Staneisha Bell, 60-meter dash, 2000; Janel Hayes, long jump, 2001; and Leslie Dunlap, pole vault, 2002).
The women's DMR win was OU's first conference relay title since the DMR won the Big Eight Indoor Championship in 1994. The OU DMR had also won indoor conference titles in 1981, 1991 and 1992.
Eldridge's 12.5 points was the third best effort by a Sooner woman in the 10-year history of the Big 12 Indoor. Laverne Jones scored 16 from runner-up finishes in the 60- and 200-meter dashes in 2004 and 14 from a runner-up in the 60 and third in the 200 in 2003.
In 2006, seven men's and seven women's entries have surpassed the provisional qualifying standard. Only five Sooners were eligible to compete for the 2005 NCAA Indoor Championships.
The OU men, who returned only 21 points from the 2005 Big 12 Indoor team, scored 40 en route to a 10th-place overall finish.
The 2005 men scored 67.33 points from 35 entries, including two relays (1.92 points per entry). The 2006 men scored its 40 points from just 14 entries (2.86 per entry).
Nine of OU's 10 men who participated scored points in 2006. Last year, 12 of 25 Sooner men scored points.
The 2005 women scored 21.5 points from 32 entries (0.67 per entry). The 2006 women scored 61 from 17 entries (3.59 per entry).
Eight of OU's 12 women scored points in 2006. Three of the four who did not were true freshmen. In 2005, 10 of 20 athletes, including two relays, scored points. Without the relays, only four OU women would have scored points.
Four women who did not score in an individual event in 2005 Odell, Rimmer, Newton and Goff combined for 21 points in individual events in 2006. Odell and Newton also ran legs on the winning DMR.
Tijahnni Newton improved the most individually between 2005 and 2006. Last year, Newton was 18th overall in the women's 400-meter dash after running a 1:01.47 in her preliminary heat. This year, she finished second in her heat with a personal best 55.08 run and placed sixth overall.
By event, the women's horizontal jumps improved the most over last year's group. In 2005, zero points were scored from a combined six athletes in the women's long and triple jumps. In 2006, OU's three athletes in the horizontal jumps combined for 21 points, including Toni Smith's second-place leap in the triple and Portia Nash's third in the long jump.
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