Sooners Host J.D. Martin Invitational

NORMAN – Forget the temperature outside as the action will be hot inside the Mosier Indoor Facility Saturday as the University of Oklahoma track and field teams opens the 2015 indoor track and field season. The Sooners will host a multi-team meet, the 14^th annual J.D. Martin Invitational. Field events are scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m. with events on the track scheduled to begin at noon.

The meet features women's teams from Southern Methodist, North Texas, Grambling, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Oral Roberts and Central Oklahoma joining the host Sooners. Men's teams from North Texas, Grambling, Oral Roberts and Arkansas-Pine Bluff will line up with OU.

This marks the second indoor season opener under Head Coach Jim VanHootegem and his staff. The Sooner coaching staff is expecting breakout seasons for several Sooners and this meet is the first competitive step toward those performances.

For the Sooner men in the field events, two to watch include junior Austin Perry in shot put and sophomore Garrison LeRock in the high jump.

The high jump lineup will see the return of redshirt senior Landon Sharp, who is coming back to compete after two years of recovering from a torn Achilles tendon in his take off leg. Sharp was injured at the 2013 Big 12 Track and Field Championships.

“Anytime you see somebody take that long road of recovery, it is fun to see them have that moment to get back out there,” VanHootegem said. “This will be his first time competing in two years.”

The Sooner roster is filled with several new faces including freshmen and transfers who are expected to make an impression this season. Redshirt junior Chase Sammons (shot put) will compete for his first time as a Sooner on Saturday after transferring from Tulsa while Arizona State transfer Trae Armstrong will compete in the 60-meter dash beside freshman Mike Wells.

The distance races will include runners who competed in cross country and also will mark the first time to compete for several others including freshman Liam Meirow after he redshirted for cross country in the fall. The Colorado freshman is entered in the 1,000-meter run.

On the women's team, the throwers led the squad in 2014 after sending three to compete in the NCAA Outdoor Championships in javelin. Two of the three are returning this season including two-time first team outdoor All-American Avione Allgood and second team All-American Elizabeth Herrs. VanHootegem expects the same results if not better in throws this year.

He also anticipates a stronger performance in women's sprints. In the 60-meter dash, redshirt senior Erin Jones will be joined by sophomore Daye Shon Roberson, who VanHootegem expects to turn heads in the coming season.

“Daye Shon didn't establish herself as a household name last year, but I think she's ready to have a breakout season,” VanHootegem said. “Certainly, the women's 60 will be an exciting event.”

Adding to that excitement are a pair of newcomers, Lea Buchanan and Amarachi Pipi, who will be competing in the 60-meter dash. Both Buchanan and Pipi bring international experience with Buchanan coming from Canada and Pipi from England. This Saturday will mark their first collegiate meet.

In distance events, sophomores Bryce Perry and Marissa Codispodi are expected to continue to progress on the track. Perry ran for the Sooner cross country team at the Big 12 meet and was part of the fifth place team finish in the Big 12 Championships, the best finish in program history. Other distance runners will continue the transition from cross country to indoor track and will open competition in the coming weeks.

One of the biggest changes in the Sooner program will be very visible as OU will have multiple entries in most events after competing with a fairly thin roster in 2014.

Further information on the meet is available at cfpitiming.com and results will be posted to soonersports.com.

Players Mentioned

Avione Allgood

Trae Armstrong

Marissa Codispodi

Elizabeth Herrs

Erin Jones

Garrison LeRock

Liam Meirow

Austin Perry

Bryce Perry

Daye Shon Roberson

Chase Sammons

Landon Sharp

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University of Oklahoma Athletics