Sooners Head East for Mid-Season Test

April 16, 2009

NORMAN, Okla. — The Oklahoma Track and Field program returns to the road this weekend as it heads east to Fayetteville, Ark., for Saturday's John McDonnell Invitational. The meet, held at the site of this year's NCAA Championships, will feature tough competition for the Sooners as five top-25 teams will be in competition including the Oklahoma women who enter the weekend ranked 21st nationally.

A month into the outdoor season, OU athletes have recorded 28 NCAA Regional qualifying marks needed to compete in the NCAA Midwest Regional, May 29-30, in Norman. Ten OU competitors hold top-20 national marks, five each from the women's and men's sides. The Sooners are led by Leslie Cole who has the third fastest time nationally in both the 200- and 400-meter dash. Two freshmen, Will Claye (long jump) and Mookie Salaam (200-meter dash), rank No. 7 in their respective events while the women's 4x100-meter relay is eighth nationally. Jacob Boone rounds out OU's top-10 athletes with a No. 10 ranking in the 1,500-meter run.

Live Results | Meet Schedule

Four Sooners and the women's 4x100-meter relay will attempt to defend titles from the 2008 John McDonnell Invitational. Scottesha Miller and Cole, who each ran legs on the 4x100 relay, each won titles in the 200-meter dash in 2008, Miller in the college division and Cole in the invitational division. Katherine Johnson (high jump) and Zach Dawson (400-meter hurdles) also each claimed 2008 wins in their respective events. Along with the 200 win, Miller also picked up a win the 100 meter dash in 2008 but is not slated to compete in the event this weekend.

OU is coming off a weekend that saw the program combine for 17 NCAA Regional qualifying marks at both the John Jacobs Invitational in Norman and the Sun Angel Track Classic in Tempe, Ariz.

Saturday's action begins at 10 a.m. with the women's discus.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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