Herrs Finishes Seventh in Javelin

EUGENE, Ore. - It was a mixed bag for a pair of Sooners competing at the United States Track and Field Senior Nationals on Friday night. One advanced to the final in her event and the other barely missed advancing to the final in his race.

Liz Herrs recorded a 184-7 on her first throw of the competition and that effort was enough to advance her to the eight-woman final. Her first effort had her ranked fifth at the end of the first round. She dropped to sixth after the second round of throws, then she dropped to seventh in the third round. She didn't improve her distance in the final three throws but she was one of ony two competitors who recorded at least two legal efforts in her final three throws.

Two weeks ago, Herrs finished third in the javelin at the NCAA Outdoor, also held at TrackTown USA, with a 185-1 on her final throw. That finish made her a two-time All-American in the javelin. It also was nearly 20 feet better than her best throw at the NCAA in 2014, a mark that placed her 10th in her first trip to the NCAA.

She currently ranks second on the OU career list with a 189-6.75, a mark she earned earlier this season. For more than a month during the collegiate season, it was the best throw in the country. She ended up with the second best throw in the country, heading into NCAA competition. She finished second in the 2015 Big 12 after winning the title in 2014.

Meanwhile, an amazing season has come to an end for Brandon Doughty in Eugene. Doughty, who will be a senior in cross country and outdoor track during the 2015-16 academic year, missed advancing to the steeplechase final by three seconds.

Doughty ran in the first of two preliminaries and finished ninth in the race with an 8:53.69. The final qualifier ran an 8:50.33. Of the 14 who advanced to Sunday's final, only two were collegiate student-athletes.

While his finish Friday was a disappointment, the 2015 outdoor season has been one to remember for the West Virginia native.

Doughty finished fourth in the steeplechase at the NCAA Championship with a school-record/career-best time of 8:38.35 on June 11. That finish earned him a spot on the first-team All-America list for the second consecutive year. Doughty also repeated as Big 12 champion in the steeplechase in May.

Doughty has had special performances the last two years in Eugene. He set a school record in the steeplechase at the 2014, then had a pair of record-setting performances on the track, one in the prelim and one in the final, earlier this month.

Julia Reedy, the final Sooner to compete in the USATF Senior meet, will compete on Saturday at 2:15 (CDT). She finished fifth in the hammer at the 2015 NCAA with her own career-best/school-record throw of 211-4. That record-setting throw came on her sixth and final attempt.

The trip to the NCAA meet was the first of her career and it produced her first All-America honor. Reedy, competing in her first outdoor season for OU, was third in the hammer at the Big 12. She is one of five collegians entered in the meet.

The hammer competition wiil have a preliminary round, then the top eight will advance to the final round.

Qualifiers for the 2015 IAAF World Championships August 22-30 in Beijing, China, the Pan Am Games in Toronto, Ontario, July 20-26 and the Jim Thorpe Cup in Bernhausen, Germany, August 8-9 will be selected from performances at Senior Nationals.

A former Sooner national champion, Tia Brooks (far right), jumped from sixth to second on her second throw in the shot put to earn a trip to the IAAF World Championships in Beijing. Her final throw measured 62-1.25, just under her OU school record of 62-2.50.

A second former Sooner, Rakieem (Mookie) Salaam, posted a 10.14 in the 100-meter dash prelims and did not advance to the semifinals. He was a seven-time All-American for OU in 2010 and 2011. He owns the indoor school record in the 60 and 200 and is the outdoor school record holder in the 100 and 200.

Live results will be available at flashresults.com. The 2015 USATF Outdoor Championships will be broadcast live Thursday through Sunday, June 25-28 via multiple outlets. USATF.tv will provide daily online coverage. NBC & NBC Sports Network will carry live television coverage Friday through Sunday. Check local listings for the television coverage.

Players Mentioned

Brandon Doughty

Julia Reedy

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics