OU Closes Regular Season

May 10, 2008

NORMAN, Okla. -- The University of Oklahoma Track and Field program closed out the 2008 regular season at home Saturday with the 2008 Sooner Twilight. OU athletes recorded 12 NCAA Regional qualifying marks just five days before heading to Boulder, Colo., for the 2008 Big 12 Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Amy Backel recorded a personal best and NCAA Regional qualifying mark in the women's shot put en route to a title in the event. Backel's throw of 47 feet and 10 inches (14.58 meters) was the only throw to eclipse the qualifying mark. OU's Mikaela Johansson, competing unattached, finished second in the event with a throw of 46-2.00 (14.07). Johansson also finished first in the women's hammer throw with a mark of 188-7 (57.48).

The familiar Latoya-Latoya combination was once again atop the leader board in the women's 100-meter hurdles. Latoya Greaves, who holds the OU program record in the event, took first with a time of 13.42 while Latoya Heath ran a personal-best time of 13.52. Heath's time marks the sixth-fastest in the Big 12 this year and the third fastest in Oklahoma history.

Heath also took first in the women's triple jump with a season-best jump of 42-4.00 (12.90). With the jump, Heath moves up to No. 3 all-time in Oklahoma program history. The top three jumps in OU history now have all come in the last two years with Toni Smith (2007) and Portia Nash (2007) in first and second, respectively.

OU women swept the top four spots in the long jump as Ti'Anca Mock, Scottesha Miller, Carli Wester and Dominique Jacobs finished in that order. Mock, who competed in her first collegiate outdoor long jump competition last week, finished first with a regional qualifying jump of 19-11.75 (6.09).

The No. 1 jumper in the conference, Miller finished second with a top mark of 19-7.00 (5.97). Wester leapt a personal-best 19-50.25 (5.92) to take third while Jacobs came in fourth with a jump of 19-4.75 (5.91).

Miller also finished second in the women's 200-meter dash behind teammate Leslie Cole. The two crossed the finish line at almost the exact same time. Cole's time of 23.052 narrowly edged Miller's 23.057.

Marcus Pugh recorded the fastest time, 10.38, in the men's 100-meter dash to win the event. Pugh, the reigning Big 12 champion in the event, enters next week's action as the conference's No. 2 competitor in the event.

Zach Dawson posted an NCAA Regional qualifying time in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 51.28 en route to finishing first in the event. Dawson's season-best time of 51.12 has the sophomore ranked seventh in the Big 12.

Kristi Cook picked up her second event title of the season by winning the women's 800-meter run with a time of 2:12.52. The senior's classmate, Catherine Odell, took third with a time of 2:13.75.

Tijahnni Newton was the highest collegiate finisher in the women's 400-meter dash. The senior took second with a regional qualifying time of 53.69 behind Licretia Sibley, running for PTC Elite. Newton enters the Big 12 Championships ranked No. 3 in the event behind Cole at No. 2.

Freshman D'Andre Fisher took third in the men's 110-meter hurdles, but more importantly ran a personal best and regional qualifying time of 14.30.

Chip Heuser also posted an NCAA Regional qualifying mark with a third-place finish in the men's pole vault. Heuser cleared 16-6.75 (5.05) to take third behind two unattached competitors in Joel Dougherty and Kevin Opalka.

Preparing for the decathlon in next week's Big 12 Championship, Mitch Henry finished third in the men's long jump with a season-best distance of 23-4.75 (7.13). Dominique Johnson, competing unattached for Oklahoma, took second with a jump of 23-7.25 (7.19).

Oklahoma alum Michael Blackwood finished first in the men's 800-meter run with a time of 1:50.10. Jacob Boone took fourth in 1:52.19.

Regular-season action comes to a close with the Sooner Twilight. The 2008 Big 12 Outdoor Track & Field Championships are next, May 16-18, in Boulder, Colo. The OU men are defending Big 12 outdoor champions. Shardae Boutte (triple jump), Miller (long jump) and Pugh (100-meter dash) all return this season to defend their 2007 conference titles.

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