OU Completes Day One at Big 12

May 16, 2008

BOULDER, Colo. -- The University of Oklahoma Track and Field program took to Potts Field on the campus of the University of Colorado Friday for the first day of competition at the 2008 Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Five Sooners opened the competition in which both the men's and women's teams are coming off record finishes in 2007, including the OU men winning the program's first ever Big 12 title.

In her first Big 12 Championships as a full-time thrower, sophomore Amy Backel took sixth in the women's javelin with an NCAA Regional qualifying mark of 152 feet and 11 inches (46.60 meters). Nebraska's Kayla Wilkinson took first with a meet record toss of 182-10 (55.73).

Buck Sullivan, in his first Big 12 Championships, finished eighth in the men's hammer throw with an NCAA Regional qualifying toss of 190-2 (57.97). The junior college transfer will enter the NCAA Midwest Regional (May 30-31) with a season-best throw of 195-6 (59.60). Kansas' Egor Agafonov won the event title with a Potts Field record of 221-11 (67.65).

Schedule/Results | TV Schedule | Championship Central | Full Notes

Two Oklahoma athletes completed the first day of competition in the men's decathlon. Mitch Henry sits in ninth with a score of 3,836 points after posting three personal bests while Jamie Alexander is 10th with 3,564 points. Missouri's Nick Adcock is in first with 4,164 points.

Freshman Kelly Waters in her first collegiate 10,000-meter run finished 17th with a time of 38:29.32. The time ranks ninth all-time in Oklahoma program history. Iowa State's Lisa Koll finished first with a time of 35:59.28.

In the decathlon Henry posted a personal best of 11.18 in the day's opening event, the 100-meter dash, to finish ninth in the event. Alexander took eighth with a season-best time of 11.10.

Henry then finished fifth in the long jump with a personal-best distance of 23-8.25 (7.22) while Alexander took 10th with a mark of 22-0.25 (6.71). The two then moved with the field of 14 to the shot put ring where Henry took sixth with a personal-best toss of 42-8.75 (13.02). Alexander took 11th with a season-best throw of 39-9.75 (12.13).

Henry then tied a season best in the fourth event of the day, the high jump, with a height of 6-4.75 (1.95) to take fifth in the event. Alexander cleared a season-best height of 5-10.75 (1.80) to finish 12th. The decathlon group rounded out the day with the fifth event, the 400-meter dash, where Alexander was 10th with a season-best time of 51.68 while Henry finished in 12th with a time of 52.03.

Saturday's action begins at 10 a.m. MT with the long jump of the women's heptathlon and the 110-meter hurdles in the men's decathlon. Field events begin at 12 p.m. with the women's shot put and running events start at 4 p.m. as the women's 1,500-meter run takes to the track.

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