Men's Track & Field Preview

NORMAN, Okla. -- The University of Oklahoma men's and women's track and field teams start the 2007 indoor season Friday, Jan. 12, at the Arkansas Invitational in Fayetteville.

Both squads have high expectations after several impressive performances last season. Head coach Martin Smith, in his second season at the helm, looks to take the program one step closer to national prominence.

Return to SoonerSports.com Friday to read the women's season preview.

The University of Oklahoma men's track and field team improved steadily over the 2006 season, from finishing 10th at the Big 12 Indoor Championships to fifth during the outdoor season. The core of Oklahoma's team returns in 2007 and will be boosted by the addition of two dozen newcomers.

The Sooner men return three former All-Americans in shot putter Kevin Bookout and pole vaulters Chip Heuser and Scott Martin. Martin and javelin thrower Cale Drumright were Big 12 Champions in 2006.

Smith, who is in his 27th year as a Division I coach, believes this year's team will move the Sooner program into the upper echelon of the Big 12 Conference.

“This team has a great deal of talent,” Smith says, “but we must improve in all phases from developing our returning student-athletes to building our new teammates into competitive athletes. More than half of this team is newcomers, so an emphasis must be made on acclimating this team to the challenge of Division I track and field.”

Live Meet Results | Women's Season Preview

Men's Sprints/Hurdles
Oklahoma returns almost its entire men's sprints corps with its only loss being Josh Scott to graduation.

Senior Ronnie Pines and junior Marcus Pugh lead the group. Pines was one of the nation's fastest short sprinters during the indoor season last year. The St. Louis, Mo., native held the fastest time in nation in the 60-meter dash for over two weeks at 6.60 seconds. After suffering through injuries during his freshman season, Pugh was one of the most consistent sprinters as a sophomore. Pugh finished sixth in the 200 at the Big 12 Indoor Meet and was fourth in the 100 and fifth in the 200 at the Big 12 Outdoor Meet.

Junior Brayon Brown and freshman Zach Dawson will compete in the longer sprints. Brown placed fifth in the 800 at the Big 12 Indoor last season. Dawson was the runner-up in the 800 and third place in the 400 at the 2006 Oklahoma Class 6A State Championships.

Senior Frankie Wright, who specializes in the long and triple jumps, will aid the team's sprint relays.

Two transfers will also help OU's short sprints. Sophomore Orlando Slider, who transferred to OU after Missouri State discontinued its track program, was All-Midwest Valley Conference in the 100 and 200. Bahamas native Jacobi Mitchell was an NJCAA All-American at South Plains College in Texas.

Dermillo Wise is the only returnee from what was an outstanding men's hurdles squad in 2006. The departures of Tony Francis and Jason Stanley may be difficult to overcome as all three were in the finals of the 110-meter high hurdles at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships. However, the addition of Sheldon Leith, a World Junior Championships participant from Jamaica, should help firm the event.

Wise, who was the sole intermediate hurdles competitor last season, has two new, but experienced teammates in 2007. Claude Senior from Jamaica and Leonarde Smith, a two-time NAIA national champion, will make the event one of the strongest for the Sooners this season. Smith could also provide help to the team's relays.

Men's Distance
The men's distance group is the most inexperienced of all OU's events this season. Seven freshmen make up the squad headed by Jason Coleman.

Coleman, however, is a talented leader who placed sixth in the mile at the Big 12 Indoor before he was redshirted during the outdoor season to preserve his eligibility.

The only other returning student-athlete is Jason Penland, who has been hampered by recurring injuries during his career. Senior transfer Logan Jones is the only other upperclassman in the group.

Freshmen Jacob Boone, Jon Grey, Matt Grey, J.B. Lagos, Dusty Langwell, Rob Sorrell and Chris Sweeney all enter with exceptional credentials. Sorrell was especially impressive during the cross country season when he won in his first collegiate start, a feat not matched by a Sooner in over a quarter century.

Men's Jumps
A gifted, but thin horizontal jumps group has depth this season. Junior Tydree Lewis and seniors Dermillo Wise and Frankie Wright are joined by junior college transfers Shardae Boutte and Frankie Green and freshman Cameron Williams.

Last season, Lewis was third in the triple jump at the conference meet during both the indoor and outdoor seasons. Wright was sixth at the indoor meet and 12th outdoors.

Boutte is a NJCAA All-American and his former school's record holder in the triple jump. Green was the 2004 California junior college triple jump champion and sat out last season under NCAA transfer eligibility requirements. Williams was fourth in the triple jump at the 2004 USATF Junior Olympics.

The team's lone high jumper is freshman Kevin Snyder. Snyder was the 2006 Oklahoma Class 6A State Championships runner-up in the event and has a personal best of 6-8.

Men's Pole Vault
Though not a deep event group, it is probably Oklahoma's best. Made up of two All-Americans, the men's pole vault squad consists of Chip Heuser and Scott Martin.

Heuser had a breakthrough season last year after sitting out his first year at OU with a serious wrist injury. The Louisville, Ky., native was an All-American in both the indoor and outdoor campaigns and also runner-up both seasons at the Big 12 Championships.

Martin battled with consistency during the indoor season, but conquered all outdoors en route to winning the Big 12 title.

Men's Throws
All-American Kevin Bookout returns for his final season of track and field, but will see his first ever collegiate indoor action as his basketball eligibility has expired. The senior from Stroud, Okla., added muscle to his frame during the offseason and was able to work on his discus and shot techniques rather than his jump shot during the fall for the first time in his career.

He is joined in the ring by his cousin Josh Bookout who redshirted last year's indoor season and set personal bests in both the shot put and discus throw during the outdoor season.

Cale Drumright came from out of nowhere to win the Big 12 Championship in the javelin throw in 2006. Drumright was the team's most improved athlete during the season as he progressed consistently week after week. He teams with the team's other javelin thrower and fellow Academic All-Big 12 First Team member Chase Bridgforth.

Men's Combined
In what was a non-existent event for the Sooner men last year, may quickly become one of its best. Four new faces joined the team to create a dazzling multi-events corps.

Junior college transfers Jamie Alexander, Mitch Henry and Matt O'Connor will lead the team's best all-around athletes. Henry was the 2006 NJCAA National Decathlon Champion and Alexander was runner-up in 2005 and fourth in 2006. O'Connor posted one of the five best totals by a junior in 2005.

Freshmen Jay Cornett and Andrew Gassen were two of the most athletic students at their respective high schools. Gassen won Missouri state high school championships in the triple jump and runner-up in the long jump last year.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Related News

Related Videos

Sponsors