Field Event Results Lead the Sooners

Friday, April 3

Waco, Texas

4:00 PM

University of Oklahoma

Baylor Invitational

April 03, 2015 | Track and Field

By: Athletics Communications

WACO, Texas – On the day, Baylor celebrated the opening of the Clyde Hart track facility, it was the University of Oklahoma field event student-athletes who enjoyed a very successful day.

Chase Sammons led the way for the Sooners, winning the shot put with a 62-3.75 and the discus with a 181-9.00. Both were season bests for the Edmond junior and moved him up the all-time career list. His shot put mark entered the all-time list in the third spot while his discus mark moved him up a spot to seventh.

"Our throwers really did great today," said Jim VanHootegem, OU's head coach. "The marks are deceiving because once the front hit, the conditions weren't that good for the throwers. The wind was really having an effect.

"Chase continues to show his consistency," VanHootegem continued. "Since the Razorback at the end of January, he has thrown 62-11.5, 62-10.5, 62-4.5 and 62-3.75. The throwers really set the tone today for the team. When you are a field event person, you are out there competing before a lot of your teammates. It's great to have people getting off the bus, asking about the field events and hearing how good everyone is doing."

We had a great team attitude today. We wanted people to get back on the bus after the meet and be happy with their effort. I think we accomplished that. The team spirit was good as was the attitude we saw. I feel good with what we saw today..
Jim VanHootegem, OU head coach

Liz Herrs won the javelin with a 161-7.00 and Charles Nguyen won the men's hammer with a 195-3.00. Garrett Snow won the men's javelin with a season-best 226-6. Tyler Renton finished second with a 213-8.00, also a season best, and T.J. Noonan earned a fifth-place finish with a 186-6.00. For Snow and Renton, the marks today were nearly 15 feet better than their previous bests.

Julia Reedy led the OU women in the hammer throw, finishing fourth with a 199-11. Sarah Tolson finished fifth with a 193-8.00 and Jess Woodard was seventh with a 183-3.00. The marks by Tolson and Woodard were career bests. Alexandra Morgan finished eighth in the discus with a 162-4.00 and Kate Foster recorded a season best with a 162-1.00.

"We had a great team attitude today," VanHootegem praised. "We wanted people to get back on the bus after the meet and be happy with their effort and I think we accomplished that. The team spirit was good as was the attitude we saw. I feel good with what we saw today.

"It's also nice to take a bus trip where you can get more people in the meet. We were able to bring people who have been doing well in practice but just haven't made the traveling squad. This meet gave them a chance to post some marks."

Once the focus shifted to the running events, the success for the Sooners shifted as well. Daye Shon Roberson won the 400-meter dash with a 53.86, a season best that earned her the seventh spot on the Sooner career list. Trae Armstrong finished second in the 100-meter with a 10.48, a season best. He lost out on first place by .008.

Bryce Perry finished third in the 3,000-meter steeplechase with an 11:00.55. Her first race in the event produced a career best and moved her up to fourth on the OU career list. Olivia Haggerty finished seventh and Geo Tamez was eighth in the women's 100-meter hurdles, the first time for the pair to run the event this season.

The women's 4x400-meter, Payton Stumbaugh, Roberson, Daunicia Demerson and Payton Baker, finished fifth to close

out the day for OU. The quartet finished with a 3:47.36, the second best time in the event this season.

"It's great to see Daye Shon getting good times in the open events," VanHootegem added. "Last year, she was running great relay legs. She's still doing that and now she is running strong times in the open events, getting marks that put her on the top 10 list. Trae had a great bounce back performance. He wasn't happy with how he ran at the Texas Relay. Today, he ends up second with a PR.

"Bryce had a career best in the steeplechase and the conditions were tough with the wind. Payton has been doing a fantastic job for us. She had a PR in the 400, then ran a solid relay leg. She has earned her teammates' respect because she gives full effort every time she competes," VanHootegem said.

Next up for the Sooners is the Rafer Johnson-Jackie Joyner-Kersee Invitational in Los Angeles.