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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Burcham Rejoins the NCAA Top-16, Sooners with Seven Qualifying Marks
February 17, 2016 | Track and Field
NORMAN - A true champion does not stay down for long. Just ask Jacob Burcham.
The junior once again has found his place on the NCAA top-16 list after posting a sub-4:00 mile on Saturday at the Husky Classic in Seattle - his first to break the magical mark. Burcham's 3:57.46 time ranks sixth on the national chart following all the action from last weekend. He joined the list in 15th after recording a 4:00.43 at the Razorback Invitational on Jan. 30, then dropped to 23rd the next week when the Oklahoma track and field teams took a break from competition.
"It's especially significant for Jacob because it was important for him to get a fast time this weekend. Now, he can simply focus on the competitive aspect of it at Big 12s," said head coach Jim VanHootegem.
The Barboursville, W. Va., native's mark is second all-time in OU history. He joins elite company as only the sixth Sooner to run a mile in under four minutes.
While two Sooners fell from the top 16, the Sooners still hold qualifying marks in seven events, including Burcham's mile mark. Daye Shon Roberson remains in the top 10 for both the 200- and 400-meter dash. Her 23.14 200-meter time is seventh, while her 400-meter time of 52.62 is 10th.
The men's distance medley foursome - Allen Eke, Trae Armstrong, Jacob Goldberg and Burcham - also hold the 10th spot on the NCAA chart. The quartet will be the only event to compete this weekend for OU, as they head to the Alex Wilson Invitational in South Bend, Ind.
"We think it's important for our men's cross country team to go the NCAA championship and I think another step of that is having a great DMR," VanHootegem said. "It shows the depth of your squad and I don't think we've had an opportunity to put it together like we have this year. They're getting one more opportunity to get there, where it's not tactical, it's just about getting out there and running.
"It is important to have a strong anchor in this event," the head coach continued. "We really believe Burcham can be that."
Mackenzie Shell is the youngest Sooner on the NCAA top-16 list. She is 16th in the nation for the pole vault with an OU record, 14-0.50.
Thomas Cheval, Hayden McClain, and Mackenzie Shell hold their top-16 spots in the heptathlon, triple jump and pole vault, respectively. Cheval dropped slightly to 11th with 5,671 points after joining the list in 10th place. McClain saw his biggest drop this week to 12th after posting a PR (52-8.75) at the Don Kirby Elite Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M. on Saturday. His previous mark 52-7.50 was sixth in mid-January and fell to eighth heading into last weekend. Shell's program-record mark of 14-0.50 also dropped to 16th. Her mark was once third in the nation.
Two Sooners, Chase Sammon and Jessica Woodard, fell from their top-16 spots in the shot put. Woodard's mark of 54-6.00 is straddling the qualifying line at 17th. Sammon's 61-7.00 is 21st.
"If there's one event on the schedule we circle as the best opportunity to qualify for nationals, it's the Big 12 Championships," the third year head coach said. "There may be little parts of your game that you're working on throughout the season, but at the Big 12s, everyone is going to be expected to have a good day. It's nice to have qualifying marks, but this is a meet where you won't get another one. This is it."
The Sooners hold three top spots in the conference - the women's 200 (Roberson); the men's mile (Burcham); and the heptathlon (Cheval). The distance medley sits in second behind Oklahoma State and Roberson's 400-meter time is second to Courtney Okolo from Texas who ran a 51.16. Dan Schubert is also second in the men's 5,000-meter run with a career time of 14:14.23.
The remainder of the team returns to competition on Feb. 26 when the Sooners open competition in the Big 12 Championship. The two-day meet is hosted by Iowa State. For more information on the OU track and field teams, follow them on Twitter @OU_Track, like them on Facebook at OUTrackandXC, and check out SoonerSports.com.
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