Five Sooners Advance at NCAAs

June 10, 2009

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Five of the eight Oklahoma entries advanced to finals of their respective events Wednesday at the NCAA Track and Field Championships as severe thunderstorms rolled in during the evening hours, causing a three-hour delay. The Sooners were led by two entries that recorded top-three marks in program history in their respective events, the women's 4x100-meter relay and Will Claye in the long jump.

The day began with Mikaela Johansson qualifying for the finals of the women's hammer throw followed by Claye in the men's long jump. The 4x100-meter relay of Sherine Wells, Scottesha Miller, Leslie Cole and Ti'Anca Mock was the next OU entry to advance with the fastest at-large qualifying time. Miller and Cole would later advance out of the first round in their respective events, the 100- and 400-meter dash.

Johansson was third after the first flight of competition in the hammer throw, recording a top throw of 191-0 (58.23) on her third and final qualifying attempt. Johansson improved on each attempt, starting with 179-0 (54.57) before improving to 185-8 (56.61) on her second attempt. Forced to sit and watch the second flight of competition, Johansson was only passed by seven athletes to finish qualifying in 10th and advance to Friday's finals as one of the top 12 athletes in the prelims. Akron's Stevi Large led the field with a top throw of 215-9 (65.77).

Claye was the next athlete up on the runway in the men's long jump. With both flights competing at the same time on parallel runways, action was fast and furious with the standings changing on a fly and athletes nervously eyeing the performance board after each jump with the top 12 advancing to Thursday's finals. Claye was seventh after his first jump of 25-0.50 (7.63) and improved to 25-1.75 (7.66) on his second, but fell in the standings.

Claye came through in the clutch, however, with a personal-best jump and the third-best jump in OU history, 25-8.25 (7.83), to finish qualifying in seventh. Cal State-Northridge's Reindell Cole led the field with a jump of 26-11.25 (8.21).

The women's 4x100-meter relay of Wells, Miller, Cole and Mock took to the track at 5 p.m. in the first running event of the day and in their first competition since breaking the program record with a time of 43.68 at the NCAA Midwest Regional in Norman. Running in the fourth and final heat, the quartet knew they either had to win their heat or run below 44.44 to qualify for the Friday night finals.

While the relay didn't win the their heat, they cruised into the finals as the fastest non-heat winning relay with a time of 43.92, just behind South Carolina's 43.85. The time is the third-fastest in program history and the four now have three of the five fastest times in Oklahoma history. Texas A&M enters the finals with the fastest qualifying time of 42.93.

A longer break than expected between the 4x100 and 400 did not deter Cole on her mission in qualifying for the Friday night semifinals of the 400-meter dash. The senior entered the meet ranked second in the nation in the event and did not disappoint, easily winning her heat with a time of 51.86 to automatically qualify for the event's semis. The time was the second fastest in the prelims behind the 51.61 of Texas A&M's Jessica Beard, who entered the meet ranked first nationally.

An hour after running the second leg for the 4x100, Miller returned to the track for the first round of the women's 100-meter dash where she qualified for the semifinals with a time of 11.40. The time was just off Miller's season-best time of 11.39, run at the NCAA Midwest Regional in Norman.

Returning for the semifinals of the 100 on a damp track, Miller was right with the field of the first heat down the track, but failed to advance to the finals with a time of 11.67, finishing 12th overall. Despite bowing out in the 100, Miller is not done at the meet as she runs the second leg of the women's 4x100 and begins competition in the 200-meter dash Thursday at 6:10 p.m.

Originally scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m., Mock warmed up in the women's long before storms halted competition and forced the sophomore and fellow competitors to take shelter in Arkansas' Bud Walton Arena. The group returned to the runway at 10 p.m. where Mock struggled out the gate, fouling on her first two attempts.

Mock got a legal jump on her third attempt, but was no where close to her mark that was third in the nation coming in, finishing with a jump of 17-4.75 (5.30). The Big 12 champion in the event, Mock entered the meet with a season-best jump of 21-9.50 (6.64).

Freshman Mookie Salaam took to the track Wednesday night in his first of two events in the NCAAs, the 100-meter dash. Running in the outside lane of the first heat, Salaam was unable to qualify for the semifinals of the event, finishing 23rd with a time of 10.45. The first-year Sooner now turns his attention to the 200-meter dash, beginning Thursday at 6:25 p.m. with the prelims of the event.

Junior Amy Backel qualified for the NCAAs as an at-large competitor in the women's shot put and was unable to advance to Thursday's final in the event, finishing in a tie for 24th with a throw of 48-11.75 (14.93).

Oklahoma action at the event Thursday begins at 1 p.m. with Luke Bryant in the prelims of the men's discus.