Duo Make Case for Triple Jump U

Feb. 14, 2009

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Oklahoma triple jumpers Shardae Boutte and Will Claye made the case Saturday that Oklahoma owns the top men's triple program in the nation in the second day of action at the Tyson Invitational. The two finished one-two in the event as each recorded NCAA automatic qualifying marks to highlight OU action that saw five NCAA provisional qualifying marks to their ever-expanding list of NCAA qualifiers inside the Randal J. Tyson Track Center. OU ended the weekend with nine NCAA provisional qualifying marks as several Sooners continued to climb the Oklahoma top-10 performance lists.

The defending Big 12 champion in the triple jump, Boutte continued his quest to repeat in his senior year with a hop, skip and a jump to an NCAA automatic qualifying mark in the event. Boutte recorded his winning jump on his third attempt with a distance of 53 feet and 5.75 inches (16.30 meters). He was able to hold off the 17-year old Claye who recorded a personal best on his fifth attempt with a jump of 53-5.50 (16.29).

Claye, a freshman who skipped his final semester of high school to enroll early at OU in January, moved up to No. 3 on the OU program list behind Boutte and OU alum Tydree Lewis. The program record holder in the event, Lewis essentially gave OU a sweep, competing unattached with a top jump of 53-3.75 (16.25) to finish third. The trio held off defending NCAA national champion Nkosinza Balumbu in front of his home crowd.

The men's distance medley relay of Tony Clement, Jarell Warren, Scott Cooper and Jacob Boone narrowly missed breaking the Oklahoma program record set in 2008 with their win in the event. The quartet did however record a provisional qualifying time, 9:42.43, the second-fastest time in the Big 12 Conference season and seventh in the nation.

Clement opened the relay with a 1,200-meter leg that saw the junior take over the lead on the final lap with a strong kick and a 2:58.76 split. Warren never trailed in the 400-meter leg, running a very quick 47.07 split on the leg before handing off to Cooper who conserved his energy for a strong kick on the final lap to retake the lead for the Sooners with a 1:52.78 split. Boone took over on the 1,600-meter anchor leg and held the lead to the second-to-last lap as he held back for a strong kick on the final leg, passing Indiana's anchor leg in the final 50 meters to run a 4:03.83 split and cross the finish line in first.

True freshman Mookie Salaam is attempting to establish himself as the face of the men's sprints program and his performance in the 200-meter dash Saturday did nothing to hurt the attempt. The freshman from Edmond, Okla., reeled off an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 21.04 to finish fifth in the event.

The time is the second-fastest this season in the Big 12 Conference and put Salaam at No. 4 on the Oklahoma performance list ahead of former OU sprint stars DaBryan Blanton and Marcus Pugh. The time is second in the Big 12 behind Texas A&M's Gerald Phiri's 21.04. Salaam is also currently ranked fifth in the Big 12 in the 60-meter dash with a top time of 6.76.

Scottesha Miller and Leslie Cole each recorded top-five finishes in the 200-meter dash as a result of running NCAA provisional qualifying times. Running in the same heat, Cole and Miller each crossed the line under the NCAA provisional qualifying cutoff of 23.90 as they finished one-two in the heat. Cole's 23.73 performance was not the first time the senior has accomplished the feat, running a personal-best 23.59 in last weekend's New Balance Collegiate Invitational. While Cole's top time ranks No. 2 in OU history, Miller moved up to No. 4 on the performance list with a personal-best 23.79 on Saturday.

First-year Sooner K.P. Singh continued his season-long success in the men's weight throw recording yet another NCAA provisional qualifying mark with a top toss of 64-3.00 (19.58) to finish second. Singh holds the OU program record with a provisional qualifying throw of 67-0.50 (20.43) at the J.D. Martin Invitational on Jan. 31 and ranks second in the Big 12 Conference with the throw.

OU freshman Kevin Williams, who is redshirting this season and competing unattached, remained undefeated in the building in the 3,000-meter run with a win on Saturday. The first-year athlete from Denver completed the 15-lap race in a time of 8:13.06. Williams also won the event back on the same track back on Jan. 24 in the Razorback Invitational with a time of 8:16.89.

Another OU freshman in the midst of a freshman season and competing unattached, Karen Shump finished second in the women's shot put with a provisional qualifying distance of 53-3.50 (16.24). The performance comes one week after Shump unleashed a throw of 57-1.50 (17.41), the third longest throw in the world this season and second best by an American behind Sarah Stevens with a distance of 57-7.75 (17.57).

Dominique Jacobs leapt a season-best distance in the college triple jump en route to a third-place finish with a top jump of 39-10.00 (12.14) on her opening attempt. Frankie Green also accomplished the season-best feat in the men's college triple jump with a top distance of 49-2.25 (14.99).

OU returns home for its next action, the Sooner Open II, on Saturday Feb. 21 inside the Mosier Indoor Facility.