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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Roberson Sits Atop the World in the 400
January 26, 2016 | Track and Field
NORMAN - What's it like to sit atop the world?
Most can only speculate and hypothesize, but Oklahoma track and field sprinter Daye Shon Roberson has been able to take a glance.
After setting a career best to win the 400-meter dash on Saturday at the Texas A&M Quadrangular, Roberson's 52.62 time is currently the top worldwide.
"It's early season and we want Daye Shon to be thinking forward. She certainly is and doesn't feel like she's done yet," said head coach Jim VanHootegem. "Taking a moment to reflect - she has done a lot to make herself a better person. She's more responsible and she has a lot more accountability for herself.
"She's very focused and you see that in other aspects of her life before you see it on the track," he continued. "Now you see it on the track. We don't want her to stop getting better but, at this point in time to be where she's leading the NCAA and leading the world, it is nice to see her hard work pay off. What we see in meets is a reflection of what we've been seeing in practice for weeks and weeks and weeks. Daye Shon trains to be at that level."
Daye Shon Roberson (left) ran a career best to win the 400-meter dash in the Texas A&M Quadrangular on Jan. 23 with a time of 52.62, which is the current best time in the world. She outpaced World Champion hurdle medalist Shamier Little (right) for the meet title.
Roberson's finish was highly touted after she cruised through the race at the Gilliam Indoor Track Stadium in College Station and passed Texas A&M's World Championship hurdle medalist Shamier Little for the win. The magnitude of the accomplishment, however, became apparent as the International Association of Athletics Federation updated the top world times. Roberson currently sits in front of the University of Southern California runner Amalie Iuel of Norway, who ran a 52.94 on Saturday at the The Conference Clash hosted by Auburn and Tennessee in Birmingham. Little's 52.96 is currently third in the world.
Roberson, also first on the NCAA Qualifying List for the 400, has had a lot of success in the Sooners' first two meets of the indoor season. After the season-opening J.D. Martin Invitational, OU's lone home meet of the indoor season, Roberson and five other Sooners had nationally ranked times. Roberson had a top-13 time in the 60-meter dash (7.36). She dropped to 18th as she did not race in the event at A&M. Of the other five Sooners who had been listed with qualifying marks-Trae Armstrong, 16th in the 60-meter (6.70); Chase Sammons, 17th in the shot put (60-5.00); Hayden McClain, sixthth in the triple jump (52-7.50); Jessica Woodard, seventh in the shot put (54-6.50); and Mackenzie Shell, sixth in the pole vault (14-0.50), three remain on the lists with qualifying marks after the second meet of the season for the Sooners. McClain is currently seventh, Shell dropped slightly to eighth, and Woodard is now 11th with those same marks.
Oklahoma men's distance medley relay team joined the NCAA qualifying list after their win at the Texas A&M Quadrangular meet on Jan. 23. Their time of 9:51.57 puts them at 12th in the rankings. Pictured above Sooner Jacob Burcham, who ran the opening leg of the DMR.
"We are certainly getting people to show their capabilities and hopefully they are serving as role models to the team," the third-year head coach said. "It takes a lot to be training for competitions that are down the road. Sometimes you're asking people to do some pretty heavy training during the week and then 'oh by the way we're going to a track meet.'
"They really have to perform in a big situation, but that's what the really good people can do," he continued. "We saw that with a few of our athletes. There are some people that are really working hard and we should see that as they get into the rhythm of the season."
OU added its men's distance medley relay to the national qualifying list after their winning performance in the quad meet for consecutive years. The quartet of Jacob Burcham, Thomas Cheval, Allen Eke and Zac Randall are 12th after their 9:58.28 performance on Saturday. The DMR has been a solid event for OU, earning a Big 12 titles in 2013 and 2014 along with a runner-up finish in 2015. In spite of those performances, the Sooners have fallen short of NCAA qualification in the DMR over the same time period.
"Our group that ran it at Texas A&M ran strategically to win the race," said VanHootegem, a former assistant at Texas A&M. "It's a unique event in that regard. We have good depth and certainly with our starting lineup, they have ability to continue to do well."
The Sooners compete for the third straight weekend with the upcoming Razorback Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark. The meet will begin Friday, Jan. 29 at 11 a.m. and continue through Saturday, again starting with multi-events at 11 a.m. The meet will be streamed live on Friday on the SEC Network+ and broadcast live on Saturday on the SEC Network.
To keep up with OU track and field, follow them on Twitter @OU_Track, on Facebook OUTrackandXC, and at SoonerSports.com.
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