OU Posts Seven Provisional Marks

Jan. 24, 2009

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — One day after recording an NCAA automatic qualifying mark and two provisional qualifying marks, Oklahoma athletes combined for seven provisional qualifying marks Saturday, the second and final day of action, at the Razorback Invitational. Jacob Boone (Mile), Shardae Boutte (triple jump), Will Claye (triple jump), Tony Clement (800-meter run), Leslie Cole (400-meter dash), Neelon Greenwood (triple jump) and Rob Sorrell (Mile) all eclipsed the NCAA provisional qualifying marks in their respective events as five Sooners and one relay recorded top-three finishes.

OU was led by Shardae Boutte and Ti'Anca Mock who swept triple jump honors, finishing first in their respective events.

The 2008 Big 12 champion in the triple jump, Boutte recorded his winning mark of 52 feet and 6.50 inches (16.01 meters) on his initial jump of the competition. Saturday's competition marked the first of the year for Boutte in his primary event as the senior recorded an NCAA provisional qualifying mark in his final semester. Boutte was joined by two teammates in recording provisional marks as Will Claye, 51-3.00 (15.62), and Neelon Greenwood, 50-8.25 (15.45) each eclipsed the NCAA qualifying mark.

One day after setting the OU program record and automatically qualifying for the NCAA Indoor Championships in the long jump, sophomore Ti'Anca Mock completed the horizontal jumps sweep at the Razorback. Mock took first in the triple jump on Saturday with a personal-best jump of 40-8.75 (12.41). Mock was joined in the top four by Dominique Jacobs who took fourth with a distance of 39-1.25 (11.92).

Clement finished second in the 800, but more importantly recorded the provisional mark of 1:50.31, just off his indoor personal best of 1:50.10. Clement hung towards the back of the pack for the majority of the four-lap race before kicking in on the final lap and crossing the finish line in second. Clement was joined by two Oklahoma runners in the event who both recorded personal bests as Scott Cooper (1:51.95) and Chris Sweeney (1:52.43) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

Cole earned her second NCAA provisional qualifying mark in as many days in the 400-meter dash. One day after accomplishing the feat in the 200-meter dash, the senior did so in the 400 with a time of 54.04, one of only two collegiate athletes to record an NCAA qualifying mark in the event.

Two Sooners earned NCAA provisional qualifying marks in the men's mile as Boone and Sorrell each crossed the line before the 4:04.00 threshold finishing with times of 4:03.80 and 4:03.87, respectively in a very fast mile that saw two automatic qualifying marks and five provisional marks. Boone's time marked a personal best and moved the sophomore up to No. 2 on the OU all-time performance list in the event behind the program record holder in Sorrell.

Senior Latoya Heath earned a second-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles at the Tyson Track Center for the second time this year, running a personal best each time. After running 8.47 at the Arkansas Invitational on Jan. 9, Heath improved on her personal best and crossed the line in a time of 8.46 Saturday to take second.

Scottesha Miller narrowly missed an NCAA provisional qualifying mark in the women's 60-meter dash by finishing third with a time of 7.46, just off the NCAA mark of 7.44. Miller was joined in the event's final by sophomore Missy Barnes who finished seventh with a time of 7.62.

The men's 4x400-meter relay composed of Eric Bailey, Zach Dawson, Mookie Salaam and Jarell Warren came in third in the event with a time of 3:11.48, just a little over a second from the NCAA provisional qualifying time of 3:10.40.

The women's championship mile saw all three OU athletes run personal bests led by Kelly Waters who came in sixth with a time of 4:52.32. Jessica Engel was just behind Waters in 4:53.99 while Lauren Watson bested her previous top time by finishing in 5:00.42.

For the second consecutive day, Dawson recorded a personal best in Fayetteville with a seventh-place finish in the 400-meter dash. Dawson's PR time of 48.02 came one day after the junior accomplished the feat in the 200-meter dash.

OU freshman Kevin Williams, competing unattached, claimed the title in the men's 3,000-meter championship run with a time of 8:16.89. The Denver, Colo., native now turns his concentration to the 2009 USA Cross Country Championships on Feb. 7 in Derwood, Md.

OU returns home for its next action on Saturday, hosting the ninth annual J.D. Martin Duals. Action is slated to begin at 11 a.m.