Sooner Men Finish 15th at NCAAs

March 15, 2008

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- The Oklahoma men's indoor track team finished 15th as triple jumpers Tydree Lewis and Shardae Boutte became the school's latest All-Americans with finishes of second and seventh, respectively, Saturday at the 2008 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Fayetteville.

OU recorded its 15th-place finish with 13 points courtesy of Boutte (2), Lewis (8) and Sheldon Leith (3), who finished sixth in the 60-meter hurdles on Friday. Only six points separated a number of teams as No. 8 Florida finished with 19 points. Arizona State won the NCAA team title with 44 points.

Lewis, who entered the triple jump competition ranked eighth in the nation, bested Boutte's previous program record with a jump of 54 feet and 2.50 inches (16.52) meters. The jump eclipsed Lewis' personal indoor record of 52-7.25 (16.03).

Boutte entered the final meet as the nation's top-ranked athlete in the event with the previous school record mark of 54-1.00 (16.48) set earlier in the season, but came up short in Fayetteville with a top jump of 52-2.75 (15.92).

Prior to the 2008 NCAA Championships, Oklahoma had just one other athlete claim All-America honors in the event as Jerome Douglas did so in 1995 and 1997.

Nkosinza Balumbu of Arkansas won the event with a jump of 54-3.25 (16.54).

Boutte, Leith, Lewis and the rest of the Oklahoma Track and Field program now turns its attention to the outdoor season, beginning next weekend with the Tulsa Duels Saturday, March 22.

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