Sooners Set to Compete at Two Meets

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Sooner fans should plan to keep later hours this weekend as the Oklahoma track and field teams head to competition in the Mountain- and Pacific time zones.

The teams start competition on Friday and will participate in separate meets for the lone time of the indoor season. The majority of the team will head to Albuquerque, N.M., to compete in the Don Kirby Elite Invitational, while a group of distance runners travel to Seattle for the Husky Classic.

The Don Kirby Elite opens at 4:30 p.m. (CT) with the men's 60-meter hurdles, while field events begin at 5 p.m. with the men's pole vault.

The Husky Classic is slated for a 5 p.m. (CT) start with OU scheduled to take the track at 8:05 p.m. in the women's 5,000-meter run.

Competition continues through Saturday with the women's shot put beginning at 11 a.m. at the Don Kirby Elite, while running events are slated for an 11:45 a.m. start with the men's 60-meter hurdles semifinal.

The Husky Classic resumes at 11 a.m. with OU beginning at 1:50 p.m. in the men's 800-meter race.

The focus for this weekend is improved performances that can translate into, and for several Sooners potentially solidify, NCAA bids (the top 16 marks nationally) as the Feb. 28 qualification deadline approaches.

Jess Woodard is currently 15th in the nation with a 54-6.00 mark in the shot put.

Both meets are known for attracting stout competition and high-ranking performances, and the Sooners look to take advantage of their final opportunity before conference. Only the distance medley relays will compete again before the Big 12 Championships on Feb. 26-27.

"This is not necessarily what I'd call a team-meet weekend," said head coach Jim VanHootegem. "This is an opportunity for individuals to take chances and find out things about themselves competitively. Other than the fact that we're not competing in the heptathlon, pentathlon, or distance medley this weekend, every other opportunity we have is tremendous for NCAA qualifications. It's a huge chance for people to perform at their best.

"It's not necessarily the best thing about our sport to have to compete separately, but it is an opportunity against strong competition," the head coach continued. "Sometimes, the facilities bring and dictate the opportunities."

The Don Kirby Elite will feature a 32-team field with several top-25 schools, including Oregon's third-ranked men and sixth-ranked women, Stanford's No. 11 men and No. 13 women, and Big 12-Bedlam rival Oklahoma State's No. 24 men and No. 22 women. The No. 13 Colorado team will also compete in the men's division.

Mackenzie Shell works to keep her NCAA bid alive this weekend. She is currently 11th in the pole vault.

Heading into the weekend, Daye Shon Roberson, Jessica Woodard, and Mackenzie Shell hold top-16 marks in the 200- and 400-meter dash, shot put, and pole vault, respectively. Roberson is fifth in both sprints with a time of 23.14 in the 200 and a 52.62 in the 400. Shell's 14-0.50-program record is 11th nationally and Woodard's 54-6.00 mark is 15th.

Roberson will not compete in the 200 this weekend, but is listed to race in the 400.

On the men's side, Hayden McClain remains eighth in the triple jump (52-7.50) and Chase Sammons is 14th in the shot put with a mark of 61-7.00. Thomas Cheval, who is 11th in the heptathlon with an OU-best 5,671 points, will compete in several open events this weekend.

Entries in the meet hosted by the University of New Mexico will be competing at more than 5,000 feet above sea level, which will affect the overall times. Recorded times will be converted to accommodate the change in elevation.

Hayden McClain's 52-7.50 in the triple jump has remained in the top-eight on the NCAA qualifying list for several weeks. He hopes to improve this weekend at the Don Kirby Elite.

"There's a little bit of a penalty for competing at altitude," VanHootegem said. "There's a little bit of time added on to the finish, but nevertheless it's a great stage. This is the third consecutive meet we've competed at this season that has hosted an NCAA championship. Not only is there going to be some quality in the field, but also it'll be a very large field."

The distance runners will also face a competitive field at the University of Washington where its No. 12-ranked men and top-35 women's team hope to defend their home turf.

The Sooners will have 15 entries competing in 12 events ranging from the 800- to 5,000-meter run.

Jacob Burcham is the lone distance member to have posted an individual mark in the top 16 in the mile (originally ranked 15th). His 4:00.34 time recently dropped to No. 23 and this weekend presents a chance to jump back into qualifying range.

Overall, the Sooners head into the weekend with qualifying marks in eight events, but hope to improve those marks and add new ones to the list by Saturday's end.

"We're asking many of our athletes to take themselves to a place they've never been before competitively," the third year head coach said. "In taking some risks and some chances, we're hoping that we do see some improved performances and results.

"We're looking for improved performances first," he continued. "Hopefully, the by-product of that will be improved results that will move us up in the national rankings."

Live results for the Don Kirby Elite Invitational will be available at LiveRunningResults. Live streaming of the Husky Classic can be viewed on Flotrack Live Video and live results are available here. There will be a full recap of both events at the end of competition on SoonerSports.com.

Players Mentioned

Jacob Burcham

Thomas Cheval

Hayden McClain

Hayden McClain

Daye Shon Roberson

Chase Sammons

Kenzie Shell

Jess Woodard

Jess Woodard

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics