OU Faces Tough Field in Tyson

Feb. 12, 2009

NORMAN, Okla -- The Oklahoma indoor track team heads to Fayetteville, Ark., this weekend for the third time of the 2009 season for its biggest regular-season test of the year, the 2009 Tyson Invitational.

The meet features some of the nation's top collegiate athletes along with a selection of the world's top professional athletes, as the third event of the Visa Championship Series, at the site of the last nine NCAA Indoor National Championships.

Twenty-seven teams ranked in the nation's top-25 will be competing, including both the men's top-ranked team in host Arkansas. The women's field features four of the nation's top-five teams. OU will also face four Big 12 foes.

Action kicks off Friday at 10 a.m. with the men's collegiate pole vault. Saturday's first event is at 10 a.m. with the women's collegiate high jump.

While the second day of action at the Tyson will be in progress Saturday, three women's distance runners will be competing in the prestigious Husky Classic in Seattle, Wash. Jessica Engel, Amanda Mayfield and Kelly Waters will all take to the 300-meter track in attempt to record their first NCAA marks of the season.

Results
Live results for the 2009 Tyson Invitational will be available at www.ArkansasRazorbacks.com. A complete recap of Oklahoma action will be available on SoonerSports.com shortly after the conclusion of action each day.

Ranked Teams
#1/#12 Arkansas (M/W), #24 Auburn (W), #6/#17 Florida (M/W), #5/#16 Florida State (M/W), #11 Georgia (M), #8/#5 LSU (M/W), #13/#4 Michigan (M/W), #20/#20 Nebraska (M/W), #16 North Carolina (W), #15 Northern Iowa (M), #19 Oklahoma (M), #3/#3 Oregon (M/W), #9 Penn State (W), #14/#13 South Carolina (M/W), #24/#2 Tennessee (M/W), #7/#7 Texas (M/W), #14 Texas Tech (W).

Full Tyson Notes | Live Results | Final Schedule

Sooner to Watch
Following a weekend at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational that saw senior Leslie Cole break the Oklahoma program record in the 400-meter dash with an NCAA automatic qualifying mark and run the second-fastest 200-meter dash in OU history, the Idabel, Okla., native will attempt to improve her provisional qualifying time in the 200. Cole enters the weekend as the only female sprinter in the Big 12 with an NCAA automatic qualifying mark.

NCAA QUALIFIERS
With five weeks of action completed, Oklahoma athletes have posted 12 provisional qualifying marks and four automatic qualifying mark.

Long jumper Ti'Anca Mock recorded the Sooners first automatic qualifying mark with a distance of 20-11.75 (6.39) in the event at the Razorback Invitational on Jan. 24.

One week later Mock was joined on the list by triple jumper Shardae Boutte when he eclipsed the mark with a top jump of 53-0.25 (16.16) at the J.D. Martin Invitational on Jan. 31.

Feb. 7 saw two Oklahoma athletes add their names to the automatic list with OU records as Leslie Cole did so in the 400-meter dash (52.33) followed by Jacob Boone in the men's mile (3:59.07).

Both the OU men and women have recorded six provisional marks.

LAST WEEK (New Balance Invitational)
One day after breaking the school record in the 400-meter dash, Leslie Cole lowered her own record time in the event with a second-place finish in the finals at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational in New York City. Cole's time of 52.33 gave OU its fourth NCAA automatic qualifying time of the season and second of the day following Jacob Boone's performance in the mile at Notre Dame. The time also eclipsed Cole's Oklahoma record, 53.10, set in the event's prelims Friday night and is the fastest time this season in the Big 12 Conference.

On top of the 400-meter dash performance, Cole ran the second-fastest 200-meter dash in OU history, an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 23.60, in the prelims of the event to qualify for the finals as the fourth seed. It was in the finals that Cole continued to improve on her time by crossing the finish line in a time of 23.59.

Cole was not the only Sooner to qualify for the finals of the 200-meter dash as Scottesha Miller finished 10th in the event's prelims with a time of 24.05. The sophomore's time marked a personal best and the seventh-fastest in Oklahoma history. Despite qualifying, Miller was unable to compete in the finals with a hamstring injury.

Already an NCAA automatic qualifier in the long jump, sophomore Ti'Anca Mock hit a provisional qualifying mark in the triple jump for the second straight week. Mock's top jump 42-1.50 (12.84) marked a personal best and moved the promising sophomore up to No. 2 on the OU all-time performance list for the event.

LAST WEEK (Meyo Invitational)
Oklahoma sophomore Jacob Boone became the first-ever OU runner to run a sub-four minute mile Saturday with his 3:59.07 performance at the Meyo Invitational in South Bend. The NCAA automatic qualifying mark boosted the Lee's Summit, Mo., native atop the Oklahoma performance list in the event ahead of classmate Rob Sorrell's 4:03.66 run in 2008 and gave Boone an automatic entry to the 2009 NCAA Indoor National Championships.

Boone opened the race on the 300-meter track towards the back of the pack until the 11-man race split into two groups with Boone at the back of the lead pack. It was on the fifth and final lap that Boone unleashed a strong kick that the Oklahoma men's distance runners are starting to become known for, picking off competitors one-by-one for the fourth-place finish and an automatic entry to the NCAA Championships.

With the performance, Boone became the third OU athlete this season to record an NCAA automatic qualifying mark and the first this season on the track after Shardae Boutte and Ti'Anca Mock both accomplished the feat in the triple jump.

The men's 800-meter run saw Scott Cooper run the sixth-fastest time in Oklahoma history and a PR, 1:50.52, just off the NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 1:50.50 to finish fourth. Also running a PR in the event was Chris Sweeney who took 11th with a time of 1:51.52, the seventh-fastest time in OU history.

Sorrell narrowly missed an NCAA provisional qualifying time in the 3,000-meter run by crossing the line in 8:07.72, off the provisional time of 8:05.00. Sorrell finished within eight seconds of the event's winner and sits at No. 3 on the Oklahoma performance list.

LAST WEEK (Sooner Open I)
Freshman Colin Quirke became the latest Sooner in 2009 to break a record during the indoor season. While four Oklahoma program records have been snapped this year, Quirke took it a step further by breaking the Irish junior national record in the men's indoor shot put at the Sooner Open I. Quirke, who owns dual Irish-American citizenship, threw a distance of 60-7.75 (18.48) to break the previous Irish junior record of 54-8.00 (16.66) set by Eoin Leen in 2003.

Quirke who is currently redshirting the 2009 indoor season and competing unattached, already held the Irish junior record in the outdoor shot put, breaking his father Paul's mark in the 2007 Ireland Youth Championships and extending it at the 2007 World Youth Championships.

Quirke was not the only Oklahoma competitor making noise in the thrower's circle as Amy Backel unleashed a PR in the women's shot put and more importantly, an NCAA provisional qualifying mark with a top toss of 50-6.25 (15.40). The throw is the third-longest in Oklahoma program history as Backel finished second behind OU freshman Karen Shump who is currently redshirting. Shump's throw of 57-1.50 (17.41) is farther than the nation's top collegiate mark of 56-2.00 (17.12) and over the NCAA automatic qualifying mark.

Keeping the throwing theme alive, Mikaela Johansson extended her program record in the women's weight throw for the third consecutive week to take first in the event. Johansson's distance of 57-11.00 (17.65) broke the Swedish native's personal best of 57-7.00 (17.55) by four inches and topped all competitors by more than three feet.

COMING UP NEXT WEEK
Next week the Sooners return to Norman as they host the Sooner Open II, Saturday, Feb. 21, at the Mosier Indoor Facility.

The event is slated to kick off Saturday morning at 10 a.m. with the women's 3,000-meter run. Check with SoonerSports.com for any schedule updates.

LAST YEAR AT THE TYSON
Oklahoma triple jumper Shardae Boutte became the latest Sooner to put his name atop the OU record books in the second and final day of competition at the 2008 Tyson Invitational in the Randal Tyson Track Complex.

Boutte's jump of 54 feet and one inch (16.48 meters) bested the previous OU record of 53-1.50 (16.19) set by Jerome Douglas in 1997. Boutte's jump also marked the second time of the season to eclipse the NCAA automatic qualifying mark at the event that featured some of the nation's top collegiate athletes at the site of the NCAA Indoor National Championship.

The triple jump mark became the fifth OU program record to fall during the 2008 indoor season. Coming into the weekend Rob Sorrell, Sheldon Leith, Mikaela Johansson and the men's distance medley relay had all claimed program records.

In other OU action, Marcus Pugh recorded an NCAA provisional mark of 21.12 in the 200-meter dash prelims, good for fourth. Pugh did not compete in the event's final.

Sophomore Jacob Boone came in third in the men's 800-meter championship finals with a time of 1:52.63, good for eighth all-time at OU.

Kevin Snyder finished second in the open high jump with a top mark of 6-10.75 (2.10).

Tydree Lewis finished fifth in the triple jump, but more importantly recorded an NCAA provisional mark of 52-7.25 (16.03).

Latoya Greaves finished fifth in the consolation finals of the women's 60-meter hurdles with an NCAA provisional qualifying time and personal best of 8.27. The time ranks second at OU behind Alisha Peel's 8.19 in 2001.

Sheldon Leith took second in the men's 60-meter hurdles consolation finals with a time of 7.84.

The women's distance medley relay team just missed an NCAA provisional qualifying mark by one-hundreth of a second with a fifth-place time of 11:30.01.

Toni Smith, who has exhausted her indoor eligibility and was competing unattached, finished second in the women's open triple jump with a mark of 42-0.50 (12.81).

OU alums Michael Blackwood and Aldwyn Sappleton finished 1-2 in the open 800-meter run with times of 1:49.72 and 1:49.74, respectively.

RECORDS FALLING
The 2009 indoor season has been a successful one so far for the University of Oklahoma track and field team. One look at the OU record books proves the point.

Five new program records have been posted in the 2009 indoor season, two on the men's side and three on the women's.

Long jumper Ti'Anca Mock started the trend at the Razorback Invitational when she finished first in the event with an NCAA automatic qualifying distance of 20-11.75 (6.39). Mock's distance topped Portia Nash's previous record of 20-7.25 (6.28).

That same weekend back in Norman, both the men's and women's weight throw records went down at the Oklahoma Christian Invitational. Since that time, K.P. Singh and Mikaela Johansson have continued to extend their records in the event.

Singh has since tossed the implement a distance of 67-0.50 (20.43) at the J.D. Martin Invitational on Jan. 31 while Johansson improved to 57-11.00 (17.65) at the Sooner Open I on Feb. 7.

While Johansson was extending her mark in Norman, Jacob Boone was busy setting his new record in South Bend, Ind. The sophomore became the first-ever Sooner to run a sub-four-minute mile with a time of 3:59.07 at the Meyo Invitational to best teammmate Rob Sorrell's previous record in the mile.

Sooner Men Enter Top 20
The University of Oklahoma men's indoor track and field team made its 2009 debut in the top 20 of the latest team rankings released by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Wednesday. OU jumped three spots from 22nd last week to 19th this week following a weekend of strong performances.

Led by its two NCAA automatic qualifiers in Jacob Boone and Shardae Boutte, the Sooners leapt Big 12 foes Nebraska and Baylor in this week's poll. In all, the Big 12 Conference has eight men's teams in the top 25, the most of any conference in the nation.

Individually, Boutte is rated No. 2 nationally in the triple jump while Boone is No. 8 in the mile. Last weekend, Boone became the first-ever Oklahoma runner to run a sub-four-minute mile with a time of 3:59.07 at the Meyo Invitational. Boone is just one of two Big 12 runners in the mile to punch a ticket to the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships with an automatic qualifying mark. First-year Sooner K.P. Singh is ranked No. 13 in the men's weight throw, an event he owns the Oklahoma program record in.

On the women's side, NCAA automatic qualifier Leslie Cole leads all OU women with a No. 3 ranking in the 400-meter dash after breaking the OU program record in the event over the weekend at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational. Cole also ranks No. 10 in the 200-meter dash with her performance Saturday.

The other women's NCAA automatic qualifier, Ti'Anca Mock, ranks 11th in the long jump and 26th in the triple jump, an event she has provisionally qualified for NCAAs in. Sophomore Scottesha Miller is No. 15 in the women's 60-meter dash with a provisional qualifying time of 7.37 at the New Balance Collegiate Invitational.

SIXTY TOP-THREE MARKS
Through the 2009 indoor track & field season, 27 University of Oklahoma individual athletes and four relays have accounted for 60 top-three finishes including 25 first-place finishes.

Five athletes have four top-three finishes. Mikaela Johansson leads all OU athletes with three first-place finishes. Scottesha Miller has four top-three finishes including two wins. Leslie Cole, Latoya Heath and Jarell Warren round out the group of four top-three finishers.

Sophomore Ti'Anca Mock and senior Katherine Johnson each have two event titles a piece. Thirteen athletes and three relays have single event wins.

FAYETTEVILLE IS FAMILIAR
The Randal Tyson Track Center is becoming an awfully familiar location for the Oklahoma indoor track & field team. OU opened 2009 on Jan. 9 with the Arkansas Invitational and returned two weeks later for the Razorback Invitational.

This weekend's trip marks the third of the year and Oklahoma will return in three weeks for the NCAA Last Chance Qualifier on March 7.

On top of the indoor season, OU will travel to Fayetteville three times during the outdoor season for the John McDonnell Invitational (April 18) and the Arkansas Twilight (May 1). The Sooners will wrap up the season with the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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