OU Adds Three All-Americans at NCAAs

March 13, 2009

COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS — Will Claye, Scottesha Miller and Ti'Anca Mock became the latest All-Americans from the University of Oklahoma Track and Field program Friday at the 2009 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships inside the Gilliam Indoor Stadium. In the first of two days of competition, the trio received All-America honors from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) while Jacob Boone qualified for the Saturday finals of the men's mile.

Just a freshman, Claye led the way with a third-place finish in the men's long jump. Claye, competing with a bruised right heel, produced a personal best jump of 25 feet and 10 inches (7.87 meters), the second-longest distance in program history to place himself atop the award's stand. After enrolling early at OU in January, Claye became the program's eighth All-American in the event and the first in the indoor since Russell Adams did so in 1989. Adams holds the program record with a jump of 25-10.75 (7.89) in 1990.

Claye entered the finals of the long jump as the fourth seed with a jump of 25-6.00 (7.77). After fouling on his first jump in the finals, Claye reeled off his PR with the fifth jump to climb to his final position of third.

Miller (200-meter dash) and Mock (long jump) each finished ninth in their respective events. The USTFCCCA awards the honor to the top-eight finishers and extends further to displace non-U.S. citizens. The trio upped the Oklahoma program total of All-Americans to 338.

Coming off a Big 12 long jump title in the event inside the same building, Mock earned OU's fifth All-American honor in the event. The program record holder in the event, Mock fouled on two of her first three jumps but was able to qualify for the event's finals with the eighth-best jump at the time, 20-9.25 (6.33). The jump held for the sophomore as she was unable to improve on her final three jumps to finish ninth.

Miller narrowly missed advancing to the finals of the 200 by finishing in ninth with the top eight moving on. Miller finished second in the heat with a personal-best time of 23.48, just behind the final's qualifying cutoff of 23.47 by Alexandria Anderson of Texas. Miller's time ranks third in OU program history, just behind Leslie Cole's 23.34 from earlier this season.

For Miller, the honor marked her second carer All-America honor after receiving her first as a member of the women's 4x100-meter relay in 2007. Miller's 60-meter honor was the fourth of its kind for the Oklahoma program.

Miller was also in action in the 60-meter dash, failing to advance to the finals with a time of 7.44, finishing 16th. The cut off to qualify for the finals of the event was set at 7.34. Texas' Anderson led all competitors with a time of 7.19.

The program record holder in the mile, Boone finished fifth in the event's second heat with a time of 4:01.80. Boone's time was sixth fastest in the event's prelims as the top four finishers in each heat along with the next four fastest competitors advanced to Saturday's finals.

Boone held his position at the back of the pack for the first quarter of the race before passing his first competitor on the fifth lap. Boone then moved up another spot at the end of the sixth lap as he began to prepare for his kick. As the bell for the final lap rang, Boone quickly passed Michigan State's Shane Knoll, who held the nation's fastest time entering the competition, and kicked in for a final lap split of 28.54. Boone's final lap was the second fastest in the second heat behind William and Mary's Ian Fitzgerald who recorded a time of 4:01.49. Providence's Hayden McLaren lead all mile qualifiers with a time of 4:01.36.

A senior, Cole just missed her fourth NCAA All-America honor after finishing ninth in the women's 400-meter dash by four thousandth of a second. Cole finished third in the event's fourth heat with a time of 53.715 behind Notre Dame's Joanna Schultz's 53.711. Cole closes out her indoor career as the program record holder in the 400, running a time of 52.33 at the 2009 New Balance Collegiate Invitational.

Running in the first of two heats, the men's distance medley relay of Scott Cooper, Jarell Warren, Chris Sweeney and Rob Sorrell finished 10th with a time of 9:38.70. The time is the second fastest in Oklahoma history behind the program record of 9:31.38 set by Cooper, Warren, Sweeney and Boone at last weekend's Alex Wilson Invitational.

With Friday night's performance, the eight fastest men's DMR times in Oklahoma history have come under current head coach Martin Smith.

Cooper made his move on the final lap of his opening 1,200-meter leg, passing five competitors in the final 100 meters before handing off to Warren. Warren passed Indiana's John Gunnell on the first lap of the 400-meter leg to move into third before handing off to Sweeney for the 800-meter leg. Anchor leg Rob Sorrell took over in fifth place and took just 400 meters take over fourth from Northern Iowa's Thibault Vandenabeele. After some back-and-forth between several teams, Sorrell used a strong kick in the final 50 meters to finish fourth in the heat.

Saturday's action at the 2009 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships will begin at 12 p.m. with the men's heptatholon. Action involving Oklahoma athletes will begin at 4:15 p.m. with the Paul Gill competing in the men's high jump.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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