Completed Event: Track and Field at Battle on the Bayou on April 3, 2026 ,
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Track and Field
at Battle on the Bayou
University of Oklahoma Athletics
OU Women Rank 13th on USTFCCCA Top-25 List
May 18, 2016 | Track and Field
NORMAN - The Oklahoma women's track and field team met on Thursday night before its weekend of Big 12 competition in Fort Worth, Texas, began the following morning to discuss maximizing its oopportunity to make history.
Together, the women's team did just that, finishing as the Big 12 runner-up and recording the program's best conference finish since the league began in the 1996-97 academic year. The OU men finished fourth (103 points) over the weekend.
The 137.5 points scored by the women were the most ever in a Big 12 Championship by any Sooner team, men's or women's. By comparison, the 2007 men's championship team totaled 110 points. Those accomplishments helped push OU women to No. 13 in the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Team Rankings, up two spots from their No. 15-ranking a week ago. The women were ranked 12th in the USTFCCCA Preseason Computer Rankings, their highest preseason ranking since the list began in the 2008 season. The women have remained in the Top 25 all season and have not ranked lower than 16th.
Avione Allgood earned her second Big 12 title in the javelin over the weekend with a conference record-setting performance, recording a 192-11.00.
"It's nice to be in that position [ranked 13th]; obviously that's reflective of performances throughout the season," said head coach Jim VanHootegem. "[Big 12s] was a very good track meet for us and we saw strong performances from the men as well. We are really proud of how far the women's team has come in two years since we placed last at the Big 12s. The results throughout the years have shown a continuation of our efforts."
The Sooner women walked away with Big 12 titles in the javelin and the 4x400-meter relay to round out an impressive showing by the 28 student-athletes who competed. Avione Allgood's career-best 192-11.00 set a Big 12 javelin record and ranks third in the NCAA West region. That mark is also the second best in OU history, behind Olympian and two-time NCAA champion Brittany Borman's 194-11.00.
OU's 4x400 relay - Ama Pipi, Mia Mukes, Daunicia Demerson and Payton Baker - made history as the first Sooner relay to win a Big 12 title in the event. Their time of 3:35.35 ranks 22nd in the region and ninth all-time on the program list.
Pipi picked up significant points after competing in four event finals, including the most events inbcluding the 100 (6th - 3 points), 200 (7th - 2 points), 4x100 (2nd - 2 points) and 4x400 (1st - 2.5 points). She joined Bianca Brazil, Daye Shon Roberson and Leya Buchanan in the 4x100 relay, giving her a total of 9.5 points. Pipi's 100-meter performance was marked by a new PR 11.55 time in the prelim.
Roberson, who competed in three events - 200 (2nd - 8 points), 400 (3rd - 6 points) and 4x100 (2nd - 2 points), finished as OU's high-point scorer tallying 16 points over the weekend.
"I think our women's team showed what we can do when we line it up and we did that over the weekend," the third-year head coach said. "Our focus, continuing on, is getting more people to the NCAAs where we want to have a strong showing again across the board."
Olivia Haggerty celebrates as she finishes third to become a Big 12 scorer in the 100-meter hurdles for the first time in her career. She moved to second all-time at OU in the 100mH prelim after running a 13.25.
For the Sooners, the conference championship was also highlighted by personal bests and multiple scoring performances that improved both teams' standings on the regional qualifying lists. Currently, OU men and women combine for 31 top-48 qualifying marks across 28 events, a slight increase from the 27 listed prior to the conference meet.
Notably, Olivia Haggerty hurdled her way to second all-time at OU, posting a 13.25 career best in the 100-meter hurdles prelim. She ultimately finishied third in her first Big 12 outdoor appearance since 2014 where she placed 10th as a freshman.
The most memorable performance, however, may have come from Dylan Blankenbaker, who lunged head first through the finish line in a closely-contested steeplechase. However, he finished in second, just .03 seconds behind a Texas Tech competitor. It took the junior a moment to get up after face-planting on the track, but when he did he'd earned a career-best time 8:41.24.
Dylan Blankenbaker gave a memorable effort in the 3K steeplechase at the Big 12 Championship where he propelled head-first through the finish line. He finished .03 seconds behind Texas Tech's runner in second, but his effort was symbolic for the Sooners over the weekend.
The Sooners also had a monumental showing in the men's javelin sweep on Friday, where Tyler Renton, Garrett Snow and T.J. Noonan finished first, second and third, respectively. Renton, a senior, picked up his first conference title in his final conference meet to give the Sooners consecutive wins in the event. Snow won a season ago with a then-program-record 241-6.00. Renton currently holds the record 252-2.00 earned in March at the Baldy Castillo Invite in Tempe, Ariz. Both will move onto regional competition.
"We're relatively healthy so that's always a good feeling," VanHootegem said. "It's the mentality that we want to keep and it's up to them to decide if we want to keep this going. I believe they do."
For more information on OU track and field follow them on Twitter @OU_Track, like them on Facebook at OUTrackandXC and check out SoonerSports.com.
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