Sprinting to Success: Anderson, Miller Grab Wins

Jan. 23, 2010

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Oklahoma sprint groups provided the wins Saturday at the Razorback Invitational while the entire OU squad earned eight NCAA provisional qualifying marks. Scottesha Miller, taking the torch from 2009 sprints leader Leslie Cole, clocked a PR en route to winning the women's 60-meter dash while junior college transfer Malcolm Anderson ran a PR and the program's third-fastest time to win the 60-meter hurdles. Ronnie Ash teamed with Anderson as the Sooners claimed the top two spots in the event.

Miller, a junior from Dayton Beach, Fla., burst out of the blocks in the finals of the 60-meter dash and crossed the line with a personal-best and NCAA provisional qualifying time of 7.35. The time, the third fastest in Oklahoma history, is the sixth fastest in the nation. Miller, who entered the season ranked No. 14 in the event, also recorded a provisional qualifying mark of 7.41 in the event's prelims. Miller was one of two Sooners to finish in the top three as Sherine Wells finished third with a time of 7.53.

The finals of the men's 60-meter hurdles was a flip-flop from the prelims where Ash and Anderson both clocked the two fastest collegiate times in the event's prelims, both provisional qualifying times, as Ash ran 7.82, third fastest in program history, followed by Anderson's 7.90. It was the finals where Anderson tied Ash in the Oklahoma record books with a 7.82 to win the event while Ash recorded a time of 7.87. The eight-man final had an OU theme as D'Andre Fisher and Jeffrey Artis also qualified for the finals with Fisher equaling a PR of 8.08 in both the finals and prelims to finish fourth. Artis was sixth in 8.19.

In her first year with the Oklahoma program, Jasmine Simmons took second in the women's triple jump with a provisional qualifying mark of 42-4.00 (12.90). The mark is the third best in Oklahoma history behind Saturday's champion in the event, OU alum and program record holder Toni Smith. Simmons, who was never lower than second place throughout the event, recorded her top distance of the day on her fifth attempt.

The 2008 Big 12 champion in the event, Latoya Greaves record an NCAA provisional mark in the prelims of the women's 60-meter hurdles, recording the fastest prelims' time among collegiate athletes, 8.42, before withdrawing from the event's finals.

First-year Sooner Eric Harasyn narrowly missed the NCAA provisional threshold of 4:03.50 in the mile as he finished fourth in the event with a time of 4:03.64. Harasyn's time Saturday is the third fastest in Oklahoma program history. Jacob Boone, the program record holder in the event, finished sixth in the event with a time of 4:05.89.

Kevin Williams was just five seconds off the NCAA provisional mark in the 3,000-meter run as the redshirt-freshman took sixth with a time of 8:10.20. The time is the fourth-fastest in program history. Junior Rob Sorrell was just behind Williams in seventh with a time of 8:13.15.

The men's open 3,000-meter run saw Oklahoma athletes sweep the top four spots as Jeremy Sudbury won the event with a time of 8:27.13. Freshman Bobby Nicolls, competing unattached, was second with a time of 8:27.67 followed by Kevin Schwab in a time of 8:29.15 and Bill Kogel, the 2009 Big 12 Cross Country Newcomer of the Year, in fourth with a time of 8:36.32.

Next weekend Oklahoma hosts its first indoor meet of the season with the J.D. Martin Invitational inside the Mosier Indoor Facility.