Sooners Flow into Finals

May 17, 2008

BOULDER, Colo. -- The University of Oklahoma Track and Field program took to Potts Field on the campus of the University of Colorado Saturday for the second day of competition at the 2008 Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Thirteen Oklahoma athletes advanced to Sunday finals after preliminary competition while senior Toni Smith took second in the finals of the women's long jump.

Of the 13 Sooners advancing to Sunday's finals, eight were women, second most behind Texas A&M's 15. The OU women currently sit in eighth with 15 points while the men are 10th with six points.

Smith tied her personal best and the third-longest mark in OU history with the second-place finish in the women's long jump. The senior leapt a distance of 20 feet and 10 inches (6.35 meters) to grab the event's silver medal. On Smith's sixth and final jump the two-time All-American cleared the distance to tie Kansas State's Candice Mills longest jump. Mills was awarded the event's title, however, on the basis of a better second jump. Mills second-best jump of 20-10 (6.35) edged Smith's 20-8 (6.30).

Freshman Ti'Anca Mock finished sixth in the event with a jump of 19-10.25 (6.05) and 2007 Big 12 long jump champion Scottesha Miller took eighth with a jump of 19-7.50 (5.98).

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In the 1,500-meter run Jessica Eldridge and Jacob Boone both qualified for the event's finals in their respective divisions. Boone finished second in his preliminary heat and sixth overall with a time of 3:51.35, narrowly missing an upset of two-time NCAA Champion Leonel Manzano of Texas (3:51.19) in the second heat. Eldridge's time of 4:37.06 was the sixth-fastest in the prelims and third in the senior's heat. Rob Sorrell missed advancing by just 2.01 seconds, but did record a regional qualifying time of 3:53.00.

Two OU athletes advanced to Sunday's finals in the women's 100-meter hurdles as Latoya Greaves (13.24) and Latoya Heath (13.56) finished second and fifth, respectively, in the event's prelims. Greaves entered the meet as the conference's top-ranked hurdler. Texas A&M's Jennifer Williams finished first in the prelims with a wind-aided 13.08.

Sheldon Leith advanced to the finals of the men's 110-meter hurdles with a time of 14.14, good for second in the senior's heat. Freshman D'Andre Fisher narrowly missed advancing to the finals with a time of 14.28. Texas' Elliott O'Hare ran the cut-off mark of 14.23.

The 100-meter dash saw two OU athletes advance to the finals, one each in the men's and women's races. Scottesha Miller got things started on the women's side with a personal-best 11.39. On the men's side, defending 100-meter champion Marcus Pugh raced out to an early lead behind a strong start out of the blocks and coasted to a win in his heat with a time of 10.38, the third fastest prelim time overall.

Miller and Pugh both advanced to the finals of the 200-meter dash as well along with Leslie Cole. Miller's time of 23.20 was the second-fastest time in her heat as well was Cole's 23.28 in the fourth and final heat. Pugh's 20.71 was the sixth-fastest time in the prelims along with a season-best for the senior.

Cole doubled up her qualifier total in the 400-meter dash by winning her heat with an NCAA Regional qualifying time of 53.01. Tijahnni Newton will join Cole in the finals, running a regional qualifying 54.28 in the third heat to advance to Sunday's finals.

Zach Dawson ran a personal-best and NCAA Regional qualifying time of 50.93 to advance to Sunday's finals in the event. Dawson placed third in his heat and seventh overall in the prelims with the time.

Shardae Boutte finished seventh in the men's long jump with an NCAA Regional qualifying jump of 24-3.50 (7.40). Boutte returns Sunday for the triple jump where he is the conference's No. 3 athlete and the defending champion in the event.

Brayon Brown narrowly missed advancing to the finals of the men's 800-meter dash with a regional qualifying time of 1:51.05, the ninth-fastest of the prelims. Brown came in just behind eight place Edwin Sang of Kansas State (1:51.01). Chris Sweeney came in 10th with a time of 1:53.32.

Decathletes Mitch Henry and Jamie Alexander both picked up team points for OU in their event. Henry finished seventh with 7,144 points while Alexander took eighth with a career-best 6,638 points.

Amy Backel threw an NCAA Regional qualifying mark (47-7.25/14.51) in the women's shot put en route to a 13th-place finish. The event saw 14 regional qualifying marks and five throws that bested the previous stadium record including champion Patience Knight of Texas Tech's 56-2.50 (17.13).

Sunday, the third and final day of action, begins at 10 a.m. MT with the men's javelin featuring OU's Mitch Henry. Running events begin at 3 p.m. with the women's 4x100-meter relay.

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