Sooners Dominate Arkansas Invite

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. Good weather had the Sooners in good spirits as the OU men's and women's track and field teams trounced personal bests, school records and regional qualifying marks at the University of Arkansas' John McDonnell Invitational Saturday.

Kevin Bookout broke the OU school record in the men's shot put. The senior threw 64 feet, 2.50 inches (19.57 meters) on his third attempt to smash the former record held by Ed Wade at 63-8.25 (19.41) in 1988. Bookout defeated second place Corey Jones of Northwestern (La.) State by 9 feet, 8.5 inches.

Bookout also dominated the men's discus throw, winning with a best throw of 180 feet, 6 inches (55.02 meters) to defeat second-place Kirby Atkins of Arkansas-Little Rock by 11 feet, 5 inches.

Complete Results

Sunny skies and near-80 degree temperatures shined on John McDonnell Field Saturday afternoon as the Sooners competed in their first fair weather outdoor meet of the season.

All-Americans Chip Heuser and Scott Martin finished 1-2 in the men's pole vault to finish the day's action. Both clear season bests, and Big 12 leading marks, of 17-6.75 (5.35).

Sheldon Leith and Dermillo Wise finished 1-2 in the men's 110-meter hurdles. Leith clocked a personal best 13.73 -- the third fastest time ever by a Sooner -- and Wise finished in 13.96 as both improved on regional qualifying marks set earlier in the day.

Wise was 30 minutes removed from finishing second in the men's long jump, where he was second overall with a personal best of 25 feet, 1.75 inches (7.66 meters). OU's Frankie Wright was sixth with a regional qualifying mark of 24-7.00 (7.49).

The Sooner women swept the long jump as Toni Smith, Portia Nash and Scottesha Miller. All three passed the regional qualifying mark as Smith won at 20-1.75 (6.14).
Smith, OU's record holder in the event, won the women's triple jump with a wind-aided jump of 43-10.00 (13.36).

All three OU entries in the women's 100-meter dash made it to the finals with Yolanda Goff placing second overall in 11.24. Larica Urbina was third at 11.46 and Leslie Cole was fourth at 11.50. Goff's mark would have been a school record; however, the times did not count in the books as the wind was just over a legal mark at 4.2 meters per second.

Jacobi Mitchell won the men's 100-meter dash with a personal best run of 10.44 seconds. Ronnie Pines was second at 10.56.

Marcus Pugh was fourth behind Wallace Spearmon, J-Mee Samuels and OU alum Shomari Wilson in the men's 100 invitational. Spearmon clocked a world-leading time of 10.06 and Pugh ran a personal best 10.28.

Pugh and Mitchell took third and sixth, respectively, behind Spearmon and Samuels in the 200-meter dash invitational as both Sooners ran personal bests. Pugh clocked a 20.71 -- faster than any other Big 12 athlete had run entering the weekend -- and Mitchell ran 20.88.

In the women's 200 invitational, Olympian Veronica Campbell won in 22.39. Goff and Cole ran personal bests of 23.36 and 23.51, respectively. Goff's mark was the third best ever by a Sooner.

Frankie Wright won the men's 400-meter dash invitational section in a time of 47.04 in his season debut in the event.

Women's high jump winner Katherine Johnson was the lone competitor to clear 5-7.00 (1.70).

The OU's women's 4x100-meter relay of Cole, Goff, Miller and Urbina finished second to Arkansas as both teams ran season bests. The LadyBacks clocked 44.63 and the Sooners ran 44.70, fifth best on OU's all-time performance list.

Kevin Snyder ran away with the men's high jump title. He was the lone athlete to clear 6-11.75 (2.13). That mark was a personal best and his first regional qualifying mark of the season.

The men's 4x400-meter relay ran its first regional qualifying mark of the season, placing second to Iowa State (3:08.83) with a combined time of 3:09.78.

Shardae Boutte took second in the men's triple jump with a best of 53-8.00 (16.37). Frankie Green was fifth at 49-11.25 (15.22).

Cale Drumright was second in the men's javelin throw. Drumright threw for his first regional qualifying mark of the season with a 202-7 (61.76).

Jessica Eldridge took second in the women's 1,500-meter run invitational at 4:22.56.

Tijahnni Newton was sixth overall in the women's 200-meter dash, running a personal best of 24.10. Jhavonne Pope was eighth with a personal best 24.23.

Newton also scored a personal best in the 400 invitational section, finishing fourth at 54.46 -- a regional qualifying mark. Pope was sixth at 55.70.

OU heptathlete Anna Monsen set a personal best of 15.87 in the open 100-meter hurdles.