Relay the Word: 10 NCAA Marks

April 3, 2009

AUSTIN, Texas — A trip to the heart of Texas was beneficial as Oklahoma Track and Field athletes combined for NCAA Regional qualifying marks in 10 of 14 events Friday at the 82nd Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays in Austin. Along with the regional marks needed for competition at the NCAA Midwest Regional, May 29-30 in Norman, one relay and two athletes advanced to Saturday finals including Scottesha Miller who picked up three regional marks Friday and Latoya Heath who earned two.

The women's 4x100-meter relay of Sherine Wells, Miller, Leslie Cole and Ti'Anca Mock advanced to the event's finals with a regional qualifying mark and the fourth-fastest qualifying time in the event, crossing the finish line in a time of 44.66. The 10th-fastest time in program history was good for second in the fourth of seven heats behind Florida State's 44.39.

After running the second leg of the 4x100, Miller turned around to qualify for Saturday's finals in the 100-meter dash, an event she holds the program record in. Miller easily ran away with her heat with a season-best time and NCAA Regional qualifying time of 11.62, good for prelims seventh-fastest time.

The day was not done though for Miller as the junior picked up a third regional qualifying mark in the A section of the women's long jump. Miller covered a distance of 20-3.00 (6.17) on her sixth and final jump to move up from eighth and finish sixth in the event.

The prelims of the women's 100-meter hurdles saw Heath, a junior, advance to Saturday's finals in the event with a regional qualifying mark and season-best time of 13.62. The Jamaican native enters the finals with the seventh fastest time.

Heath joined Miller Friday as a multiple regional qualifier with her third-place finish in the B section of the women's triple jump. Heath's jump of 41-8.00 (12.70) came on her sixth and final jump and enabled the Jamaican to jump Texas State's Asiya Iskakova for the top-three finish.

The only competitor in the top five of the men's discus that was not a senior, Luke Bryant claimed second with a regional qualifying throw of 186-3 (56.78). The redshirt-freshman was third entering the sixth and final round of throws before unleashing the second-place throw to jump Washington State's Matt Lamb.

In his first outdoors action of his collegiate career, freshman Will Claye finished fourth in the A section of the men's long jump. An All-American in the indoor event, Claye's best effort, a regional qualifying 25-0.75 (7.64), came on his fourth jump and enabled the Phoenix, Ariz., native to move up from fifth to fourth.

Junior Amy Backel took fifth in the B section of the women's shot put with a personal best and NCAA Regional qualifying throw of 50-6.75 (15.41). No. 3 on the OU program performance list, Backel improved her PR by five inches on the third throw of the competition. Five of Backel's six throws eclipsed the regional qualifying standard.

Jalesa Walker, Wells, Tiara Sims and Cole teamed up together on the 4x400-meter relay to record a regional qualifying time of 3:39.89 to finish 11th, just over a second away from qualifying for the event's finals.

In the men's javelin Gary Jeffrey Jr. moved up to No. 3 on the OU performance list, becoming just the fourth thrower in Sooner history to eclipse the 200-foot mark in the new rule javelin. Jeffrey finished eighth in the event with a throw 203-1 (61.89).

Oklahoma action at the event picks back up Saturday at 11 a.m. as Kevin Snyder competes in the B section of the men's high jump.