Singh Breaks OU Record, OU Claims Five Titles

Feb. 20, 2010

NORMAN, Okla. — With the indoor season winding down K.P. Singh broke his own program record in the weight throw while Oklahoma Track and Field athletes combined to win five events and record 14 NCAA provisional qualifying marks Saturday at the Sooner Open inside the Mosier Indoor Facility. The meet comes one week before the Big 12 Indoor Championships. Latoya Greaves, Scottesha Miller, Sarah Pappas, Singh and Lauren Watson all claimed event titles in the last home indoor meet of the season for the Sooners.

Singh easily won the men's weight throw by over five feet, recording the top throw of 69-0.00 (21.03) on his third attempt. The performance topped Singh's previous school record of 67-2.75 (20.49) by over a foot as the Clovis, Calif., native moved into first in the Big 12 and eighth in the nation with the win. Saturday's win gave Singh his third event title of the season.

Miller won her second 60-meter dash title of the season as she cruised to the win Saturday in a time of 7.35. The result, an NCAA provisional qualifying time, marks the fourth time this season that Miller has run 7.35 or faster. Miller was followed across the line by teammate Sherine Wells who finished second with a personal best 7.41. Wells' time is the fifth fastest in OU history and a provisional qualifying time.

Miller clocked a provisional qualifying time of 7.43 in the prelims in the event to lead all qualifiers as Wells qualified for the finals with a time of 7.46.

Greaves picked up her first title of the season with a win in the women's 60-meter hurdles. Greaves ran her third-fastest time of the season, 8.32, an NCAA provisional qualifying mark to top the field. Greaves qualified for the finals with the prelims' fastest time, a provisional qualifying time of 8.37. Demeeka Jones finished fourth with a season best time of 8.68.

The men's 60-meter hurdles saw Malcolm Anderson and Ronnie Ash finish second and third, respectively, as both recorded NCAA provisional qualifying marks in both the prelims and finals. Anderson's time of 7.87 just edged Ash's 7.88 for second place. D'Andre Fisher was fifth in the event with a personal best of 7.97 while Jeffrey Artis was sixth in a time of 8.11.

Ash (7.79) and Anderson (7.91) both clocked provisional qualifying times in the prelims while Fisher and Artis recorded personal bests in the prelims of the event with times of 8.00 and 8.04, respectively.

The women's shot put ring was the site of the three OU NCAA provisional qualifying marks as Karen Shump, Tia Brooks and Amy Backel all eclipsed the NCAA standard to finish second through fourth, respectively. Shump's throw of 55-0.25 (16.77) was the best among collegiate athletes while Brooks followed with a toss of 52-2.75 (15.92) and Backel was fourth with a distance of 52-0.00 (15.85). Michelle Carter, competing unattached, set a Mosier Indoor Facility record with a winning throw of 59-4.75 (18.10).

Alex Madkins finished second in the long jump with an NCAA provisional qualifying jump and indoor personal best of 24-9.75 (7.56). The jump is the seventh best in OU history as Madkins was the highest collegiate finisher behind the unattached Jeff Henderson who set the Mosier Indoor Facility record with a jump of 25-11.00 (7.90).

The women's 1,000-meter run saw Watson claim an event title with a personal best time of 2:56.90. The time is the fastest for an OU woman this season.

Pappas claimed a pole vault title for the second week in a row as the junior cleared a height of 12-2.50 (3.72) on her first attempt. Freshman Jacy Bennett tied for second with a height of 11-8.50 (3.57).

Mookie Salaam was second in the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.79 after running 6.75 in the event's prelims. Evan Pierson finished third in the event with a personal best of 6.84, the 10th-fastest time in OU history.

Molly Ferguson recorded the fastest 800 for an OU woman this season as she clocked a time of 2:14.92 to finish second in the event. Natalie Crain was fourth in a time of 2:16.03.

Kevin Snyder was second in the men's high jump with a season-best jump of 6-10.25 (2.09) while freshman Aaron Thompson also recorded a season-best height, 6-6.75 (2.00), to finish fourth. Snyder's height ties as the fourth best this season in the Big 12 Conference.

Colin Quirke took second in the men's shot put with a top throw of 54-2.75 (16.53) while Conrad Aaron was fourth with a season-best throw of 53-8.25 (16.36).

The Sooners return to action next weekend at the Big 12 Indoor Championships in Ames, Iowa.