Momentum Building for OU

April 26, 2008

NORMAN, Okla. -- Riding momentum from last week's performance at the John McDonnell Invitational, the University of Oklahoma Track & Field team turned in another solid performance Saturday at the Sooner Invitational in Norman. OU athletes, competing in 24 events, picked up 13 titles, 27 top-three finishes and 20 NCAA Regional qualifying marks to go along with 10 meet records and one school record.

"The momentum from last weekend definitely carried into this meet," said OU head coach Martin Smith. "We showed a lot of significant improvement on both the men's and women's side. We continue to take the steps to improvement and it resulted in a solid weekend."

Leslie Cole and Tijhanni Newton teamed up to record personal bests in both the 200- and 400-meter dash to finish 1-2 in each event. Cole (52.70) and Newton (53.31) both recorded regional qualifying marks in the 400, times that rank second and third, respectively, in the Big 12 Conference. Cole's time also marks a Sooner Invitational record and is third all-time at OU. Newton's time moves the senior up to fifth all-time at Oklahoma.

The career day for both continued in the 200 where Cole came in first with a time of 23.01 followed by Newton at 23.62. It was another Sooner Invitational record for Cole who moved up to second place behind Laverne Jones (22.81) in the OU all-time performance list. Cole's time is the fourth fastest this season in the Big 12 Conference.

It was a Sooner sweep in the 400 as Zach Dawson captured the men's title with a regional qualifying time of 46.61. The time marked a personal best for the sophomore and the third event this season to record a regional qualifying time.

Amy Backel broke her own school record en route to a title in the women's javelin early in the day. The sophomore, who is in her first year as a full-time thrower, tossed the implement an NCAA Regional qualifying distance of 167 feet and seven inches (51.09 meters). Backel opened the 2008 outdoor season with a program-record throw at the Tulsa Duels before breaking her own record with a throw of 166-8 (50.80) one week later. Backel's throw also marked a Sooner Invitational record.

Toni Smith defended her Sooner Invitational titles in both the long and triple jump with season-best jumps of 20-5.75 (6.24) and 43-7.75 (13.30), respectively. The long jump propels Smith to third in the Big 12 rankings while the triple jump is Big 12's top mark of the season. Smith holds the Sooner Invitational record in both events from her peformance in 2007.

OU's Scottesha Miller finished third behind Smith with a NCAA Regional qualifying jump of 19-8.25 (6.00). Miller followed the field event up with a first-place finish in the women's 100-meter dash, her second straight week to win the event with a regional qualifying time of 11.66. Freshman Missy Barnes was third in the event with a time of 12.12.

In the men's triple jump, Tydree Lewis and Franke Green posted personal bests and regional qualifying marks to finish first and third, respectively. Lewis' jump of 52-9.25 (16.08) is the third best jump in Oklahoma history while Green (49-7.25/15.12) moves up to ninth all-time at OU.

Latoya Greaves and Latoya Heath finished 1-2 in the women's 100-meter hurdles as both recorded NCAA Regional qualifying marks. Greaves time of 13.53 led all comers while Heath ran a season-best time of 13.62. Heath's time moves the sophomore up to seventh all-time in Oklahoma history.

Paul Gill cleared a season-best height of 7-0.50 (2.15) in the men's high jump to win the event. Gill's regional-qualifying jump ties for ninth in OU program history and ties for third this season in the Big 12.

Both OU men's and women's 4x100-meter relay recorded NCAA Regional qualifying marks and set Sooner Invitational records. The women's quartet of Cole, Jalesa Walker, Barnes and Miller took first with a time of 44.91, tied for the 10th fastest in Oklahoma program history. Tydree Lewis, Marcus Pugh, Sheldon Leith and Jacobi Mitchell combined to complete the single lap with a season-best time of 40.41.

Shardae Boutte jumped to No. 3 in the Big 12 with a personal-best jump of 24-7.25 (7.50) in the men's long jump. Adrian Wiltshire was third in the event with a regional qualifying jump of 24-2.50 (7.38).

Brayon Brown eclipsed the regional qualifying mark in the 800-meter run with a season-best time of 1:49.97 en route to finishing third in the event.

Hammer thrower Buck Sullivan recorded an NCAA Regional qualifying mark to finish third in the men's event. Sullivan's toss of 193-8 (59.02) is just behind the junior's program record of 195-6 (59.60).

Jessica Brown cleared 11-7.75 (3.55) in the women's pole vault to take first in the event, edging Big 12 Conference foe Jessie Gibbs of Texas Tech by two inches.

Senior Chip Heuser and freshman D'Andre Fisher took second in their respective events. Heuser took silver in the pole vault with a height of 16-0.75 (4.90) while Fisher came in behind the leader of the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.56.

Katherine Johnson took second in the women's high jump with a height of 5-5.00 (1.65).

The Oklahoma men's 4x400-meter relay of Pugh, Brown, Leith and Dawson finished second with a season-best time of 3:11.47.

OU's Jon Grey, competing unattached, finished first in the 5,000-meter race with a time of 14:44.02.

OU alum Danny McFarlane set a Sooner Invitational record of 49.47 en route to finishing first in the men's 400-meter hurdles.

Regular-season action is quickly winding down for Oklahoma with just two meets left before the Big 12 Championships. OU's next meet comes Friday, May 2 with the Arkansas Twilight in Fayetteville, Ark.

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