Sooners Ranked in Top 16 of NCAA Marks

NORMAN - The first weekend of competition for the University of Oklahoma track and field teams proved to be noteworthy for more than a handful of Sooners. After hosting the J.D. Martin Invitational, Oklahoma track and field's season-opening indoor meet Saturday, six Sooners hold positions on the NCAA Indoor Qualifiers List, which means if competition ended today the six would head to the NCAA Indoor Championships.

"Most of the time, the high-end performances at the NCAA Championships come from the people who qualify in January, not all qualifiers," said Oklahoma head coach, Jim VanHootegem, who is in his third year at the helm. "So they're starting on a high level and from that point they move on.

"We've always emphasized that on the team and we've had some people take that to heart," he continued. "Really for them, they're moving on and starting to improve, but they're doing it from a level that they can stay on board. There's a train of high-level performances, and that train keeps going. If you get too far behind the train early it becomes hard to catch up."

While there is a lot of competition left between now and the March 2 qualification deadline, the Sooners are happy to begin the season with strong performances. The other plus is that OU is represented by multiple events groups on the national lists. Triple jumper Hayden McClain and pole vaulter Mackenzie Shell both rank sixth in their respective events, the highest rank for any Sooner on the lists. Shell, in her collegiate debut, broke the school and meet record after clearing 14-0.50. McClain's 52-7.50, a PR for the junior team captain, moved him to fifth on the all-time OU career list.

In his third season with Oklahoma track and field, head coach Jim VanHootegem says the Sooners have had their best season opening under his regime this year with six athletes posting national marks.

Sprinters and team captains, Daye Shon Roberson (7.36) and Trae Armstrong (6.70), rank 13th and 16th, respectively, in the 60-meter dash. Roberson was an All-American during the 2015 outdoor season in the 400-meter dash and looks to have similar success during the indoor. Her time placed her sixth on the all-time career list while Armstrong's mark also was good for sixth on the career list. Jessica Woodard and Chase Sammons rank seventh and 14th respectively in the shot put. Woodard earned a new best with a 54-6.00 mark, third best in school history, and Sammons finished with a 60-5.00 throw.

This has been the best open for OU since 2013.

"It's not even close, in my three years here; this start is significantly better," said VanHootegem. "We may have had one performing at that level in the past and now to have that many people performing at that level says a lot about where we're at in our program and a lot about where we're trying to get to."

After a good start at home, OU will be taking competition on the road for the remainder of the indoor season. The Sooners head to College Station, Texas, on Saturday to compete in the Texas A&M Quadrangular. For more information on Oklahoma track and field go to SoonerSports.com.