The Time is Now for the Sooners

EUGENE, Ore.-- The final destination has been reached.

After day-long travel that crossed two time zones, the University of Oklahoma track and field team arrived in Eugene, Ore., earlier this week for the NCAA Championships that run from June 10-13.

The Sooners were red-eyed and ready for bed, but perked up as they were greeted by head coach Jim VanHootegem, who arrived a few days earlier than the rest of the group.

It was a comforting, if not an inspiring, scene as VanHootegem had a spread of water, Gatorade, and nutritious snacks laid out to welcome the team. He hugged a few of the Sooner national qualifiers as he handed them a bottle of water and they grabbed snacks to take to their rooms.

His signature “hey guys” greeting to the student-athletes, coaches and staff was welcoming. It is not often that the boss gets the task of serving, but VanHootegem was more than willing.

“I had been recruiting in California and I wanted to make sure I saw the team,” VanHootegem said. “That brings a special dynamic to the team. There's a tendency to approach the conference meet as very team-oriented but afterwards that starts to dwindle. We want to emphasize this is a team meet.”

OU COMPETITION SCHEDULE (Prelims/Final) - All times are pacific.

Event	Name/Competition Date	Mark	Rank
3000 SC	Brandon Dougthy (Wed. 4:38 p.m./Friday 4:57 p.m.	8:47.30	17th
Shot Put	Chase Sammons (Wed. 5:30 p.m. - final only)	61-3.50	23rd
Hammer	Julia Reedy (Thurs. 1:30 p.m. - final only)	203-6.00	11th
Javelin	Liz Herrs (Thurs. 5:30 p.m. - final only)	169-3.00	7th
400 Relay	Pipi, Roberson, Jones, Buchanan (Thurs. 4 p.m./Sat. 2:05 p.m.)	44.02	10th
400	Daye Shon Roberson (Thurs. 5:30 p.m. /Sat. 3:05 p.m.)	51.37	4th
1600 Relay	Pipi, Demerson, Roberson, Baker (Thurs. 7:18 p.m./Sat. 4:20 p.m.	3:33.33	19th
Discus	Jess Woodard (Sat. 1:35 p.m. - final only)	176-8.00	16th

That team focus runs through the Sooners despite numerous noteworthy individual accomplishments already recorded. A sense of relief crosses everyone's face as the team is together once again, and once again, they are ready to compete. This time the stage is the NCAA Championship in Tracktown, USA, as Eugene is nicknamed.

A total of 11 Sooners earned their way to collegiate track and field's premier stage, hosted at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field, and they plan to do more than just participate.

“Everybody we have here can have a better performance than they did at the regional meet and that can put them in better positions,” the second-year head coach said. “We try to put them in a variety of situations throughout the year so when they get here it's just 'the next track meet.' It's a big one, but it's still the next one.”

Each event in the meet has 24 entries and among those entries are Sooners.

Brandon Doughty opens for the Sooners in the 3000-meter steeplechase semifinal Wednesday at 4:38 p.m. pacific time. Doughty, who placed fifth last season in the NCAA, heads into the championships ranked 17th with his prelims time of 8:47.30. Doughty, the OU record holder in the event with an 8:41.65, has been gaining momentum as the season has progressed. He repeated as the Big 12 steeplechase champion before finishing fifth at the NCAA Championship West prelims. The final in his event is scheduled for 4:57 p.m. on Friday.

“Brandon's day is about moving on and making it to the finals,” VanHootegem said. “Brandon is a very smart racer and he's a veteran. He's got to do what it takes to make it to the next round and he can.”

Chase Sammons also will compete on day one in the shot put. He has a lot to prove to himself after he had a disappointing performance in the shot during regionals. He heads into the competition that begins at 5:30 p.m. ranked 23rd with a 61-3.50 mark, more than two feet shorter than his career best. He is tied for second on the all-time OU list with a 63-8.25. His event, like all field events, is a final.

“In Chase's, case it's a 'go forward' situation because it's the final,” VanHootegem said. “A lot of it is going to come down to his confidence and focus. We have believed all along that, if he does his best at the competition, he can be a national level thrower.”

The coaches are confident that Doughty and Sammons will set a good tone for the remainder of the Sooners.

“It's good to have a little bit more of a group. We have more diversity in the events and it's something to build upon,” said VanHootegem.

Everybody we have here can have a better performance than they did at the regional meet and that can put them in better positions. We try to put them in a variety of situations throughout the year so when they get here it's just 'the next track meet.' It's a big one, but it's still the next one.
Jim VanHootegem, head coach

The women's competitions begin Thursday as the meet is set up as two meets with the men taking the stage on Wednesday and Friday. The women get the focus on Thursday and Saturday. One location -- two meets has been the phrase attached to this year's meet.

The 400-meter relay, Ama Pipi, Erin Jones, Daye Shon Roberson, and Leya Buchanan, will start the day on the track in the semifinal round at 4 p.m. The final for that event is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. Saturday. The 4x100 group heads into the semis ranked 10th with a time of 44.02.

Following the 400-meter relay race, Roberson, ranked fourth with a PR of 51.37, will get into individual mode to compete in the 400-meter semifinal at 5:30 p.m. Her time ranks as the second best in school history. The 400-meter final is set for 3:05 p.m. on Saturday.

“In Daye Shon's case, I use the word 'focus,'” VanHootegem said. “Daye Shon really needs to stay focused throughout this track meet because she can do some special things.”

Another Sooner quartet — Pipi, Roberson, Daunicia Demerson, and Payton Baker –- will round out day two on the track for OU with the 1600-meter relay semifinal at 7:18 p.m. The 4x400 ranks 19th with a 3:33.33 time. The final for this relay is scheduled for Saturday at 4:20 p.m.

“That's really the greatest pleasure of this trip, that we have relays,” said VanHootegem of the relays that did not qualify for the prelims a season ago. “They have the opportunity to have a 'we don't have anything to lose' attitude. Our message is take it seriously but just go out there and do your best. We hope that they feel they belong as we believe they do.”

Throwers Julia Reedy and Liz Herrs will also compete Thursday. Reedy opens the day in the hammer throw at 1:30 p.m. Herrs will begin javelin competition at 5:30 p.m. Reedy, the school record holder in the hammer with a 209-9.25, is ranked 11th with her 203-6.00 from the prelims round. Herrs ranks seventh with a 169-3.00, a mark she earned in the West prelims. Her personal best is a 189-6.75 and ranks second on the all-time OU list.

The final Sooner to compete is Jess Woodard, the youngest of the throwing trio, who will compete at 1:35 p.m. on Saturday in the discus. She heads into competition ranked 16th with a 176-8.00, a mark that ranks fourth on the OU all-time list.

“Julia's typically a pretty cool customer when it comes to competition, the same with Liz,” VanHootegem said. “Jess lives for this moment. They're going to have to get something done in three throws as they take the field events from 24 to 8 in the finals.”

The Sooners will once again contend for points and places, but what the coaches are most excited about is the direction of the team. OU has nearly doubled the number of entries in this year's championship from last season. The program continues to work for national recognition, and wiith the way things are going, VanHootegem will need a lot more water bottles going forward.

Live results will be available at Flash Results. Additional information about the NCAA Championships is available at the University of Oregon website. To watch the first day of the championships, visit the ESPN site or see links below.

2015 Men's and Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships Schedule

Date	Time (ET)	Network	Details	WatchESPN Links
Wed, June 10	7– 10:30 p.m.	ESPNU	Men's Semifinals	http://es.pn/1IgAzzO
Wed, June 10	2– 10:45 p.m.	ESPN3	Men's Semifinals	http://es.pn/1MqDJSR
Thu, June 11	7– 8:30 p.m.	ESPNU	Women's Semifinals	http://es.pn/1dhTwHr
	8:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.	ESPN		http://es.pn/1ARTPUm
	1 – 10:45 p.m.	ESPN3		http://es.pn/1Qap6Zz
Fri, June 12	7:30 – 10 p.m.	ESPN	Men's Championships	http://es.pn/1MqDRlg
Fri, June 12	7– 10:15 p.m.	ESPN3	Men's Championships	http://es.pn/1cAigdb
Sat, June 13	5 – 7:30 p.m.	ESPN2	Women's Championships	http://es.pn/1AN1nYw
Sat, June 13	4:30 – 7:45 p.m.	ESPN3	Women's Championships	http://es.pn/1H5w0JN

Players Mentioned

Payton Baker

Leya Buchanan

Daunicia Demerson

Brandon Doughty

Erin Jones

Ama Pipi

Julia Reedy

Daye Shon Roberson

Chase Sammons

Jess Woodard

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics