Cheval, Jazdyk Sit in Top Three

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – University of Oklahoma freshman Carl Williams was one of the final Sooners to compete Friday night in the Razorback Invitational. He made the wait worth it, clearing a career-best 7-1 to finish second in the high jump as OU closed the first day of competition.

Williams was tied at the end of the competition with Iowa State senior Cameron Ostrowski and they remained tied through four jumps in the jump off. Ultimately, Ostrowski, the defending Big 12 indoor champion in the high jump, cleared 6-11.75 while Williams missed to end the competition. The 7-1 posted by Williams puts him in fifth place on the all-time OU career list for high jump.

Garrison LeRock cleared 6-9 to finish fifth and give the Sooners two scorers in the high jump. Carl Williams

“It's a good feeling when you set a PR but it feels even better when you are beating some of the upperclassmen in the field,” Williams said after the competition.

The high jump marked the end of a solid day of competition for the Sooners. The day started with OU's five multi-event competitors taking to the track. The OU women sent three freshmen out for the 60-hurdles and it was the start of a special day.

Payton Stumbaugh, who finished eighth overall with 3,391 points, got a solid start, finishing second in the hurdles. Makayla Stephens, who started the competition with an eighth-place finish in the hurdles, picked up the pace as the competition continued, eventually finishing sixth with 3,682 points. That total places her third on the all-time OU career list. Schuyler Wood was ninth with 2,984 points.

While the women completed their five-event competition, the men completed four of seven events in the heptathlon and a pair of Sooners are among the leaders.

OU freshmen Thomas Cheval and Steve Jazdyk will open the second day of competition in first and third, respectively. Cheval took first in two of the four events on the day – long jump and high jump -- while Jazdyk took first in the 60-meter dash. Cheval sits in first place with 3,075 points and Jazdyk in third with 2,881. Sitting between the Sooner duo is Iowa State redshirt junior Taylor Sanderson.

Cheval's marks in the shot put, long jump and 60-meter dash were all PRs while Jazdyk registered a career best in the shot put. All five multi-event competitors earned praise from Sooner coach Jim VanHootegem.

“This has been a definite learning experience for the women and our guys were solid,” VanHootegem said. “There have been a few mistakes but all are things that can be improved upon. I liked how they were consistent. It's like in golf – you want to get a par on every hole.”

The heptathlon's final three events – the 60-meter hurdles, pole vault and 1,000-meter run – will start at 11 a.m. Saturday.

Through seven overall events, both Sooner teams are eighth out of 12 teams. The women have 14 points and the men have 16.

The rest of the first-day competitors found themselves in prelims and finals. The Sooner women got points in the 200 where Erin Jones finished eighth and the weight throw when Julia Reedy finished second. Jones recorded a career best with a 23.96 to solidify her position on OU's top 10 list.

She also advanced to the 60-meter dash semifinal where she will be joined by a pair of Sooner freshmen, Hannah Cunliffe, who made her season debut, and Leya Buchanan. The semifinals in the 200 will be at 1:50 p.m. Saturday with the final set for just over an hour later. Sophomore Olivia Haggerty advanced to the women's 60 hurdles semifinals at 1:40 p.m. Saturday. The final will be just over an hour later.

The Sooner men got points from sophomore Hayden McClain, who finished sixth in the long jump with a career-best 23-10. Charles Nguyen finished eighth in the weight throw to add to the point total.

A pair of OU sprinters, Trae Armstrong and Mike Wells, advanced to the semifinals of the men's 60. Armstrong won his heat to advance while Wells ranked eighth overall in terms of time. The semifinals are scheduled for 2 p.m. with the final at 3 p.m.

Action resumes on Saturday at 11 a.m. with the final events of the heptathlon. Running events begin at noon and field event finals begin at 1 p.m. To follow the meet online, go to ESPN.com. The broadcast will start at noon on Saturday. To follow the live results, go to FlashResults.com. A complete OU recap will be available on SoonerSports.com.

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Players Mentioned

Trae Armstrong

Leya Buchanan

Thomas Cheval

Olivia Haggerty

Erin Jones

Garrison LeRock

Hayden McClain

Charles Nguyen

Julia Reedy

Makayla Stephens

Carl Williams

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