OU to Face Tough Competition in New York

NORMAN- If ever there was a litmus test for the Sooners to evaluate where they stand at this point in the season and where they still need to improve, the Armory Collegiate Invitational will provide the perfect solution. Starting with this weekend's two-day meet in New York City, the competitions from here on out for the University of Oklahoma track and field teams are only going to get tougher.

For head coach Jim VanHootegem, he is excited to embrace and experience that level of competition and to see his teams compete in such a unique setting.

“There are three levels. I'm always excited for the next track meet to see how people are progressing, who is growing and who is taking the next step forward. It is time for this team to compete in a larger invitational, so I am looking forward to that atmosphere. I just think whether it is basketball, theatre or music, there is something special about playing in New York. I am excited to be in Manhattan and playing on this track. I think there is something a little mythical or rare about being in New York and The Armory is part of that. Just like Madison Square Garden has a lore for basketball, or Carnegie Hall has a lore, The Armory has been around for years and years (over 100 to be exact) and hosted tons of great events. It's a wonderful room.”

Held at the prestigious and historic Armory Track, Oklahoma will be competing with 48 other teams. Among them are conference school Texas, ranked No. 16 in the latest USTFCCCA poll (Jan. 30) on the men's side and sixth on the women's; Arkansas, the fourth-ranked team on the men's side and second on the women's; men's No. 24 South Carolina, Cornell, Arizona, Duke, Maryland, Ohio State, Tulane and Wisconsin.

Given the number of teams competing and the quality of those teams, VanHootegem realizes that it will be a challenge to replicate the Sooners' success thus far. Every Sooner athlete in every event will be challenged and will require their ultimate best every throw, sprint, lap, jump and vault to make an impact in NYC.

“The challenge starting off would be the guarantee of making the finals isn't the same,” explains VanHootegem. “It's not going to be as easy because if you don't get a good jump or a good throw in the first three, you might not get three more. The opening heights and the vertical jumps are going to be higher, and it's going to be harder to make the finals in the sprints. Our athletes who are pretty good have probably gone in with a pretty good sense that they were going to make the final in past meets. That would be the biggest difference -- is there is going to be a much higher level of competition? If somebody had a PR in the fourth, fifth, or sixth round or if they have a PR in the finals during our first meets, they are going to have to have a better performance to get to the finals at this meet.”

Another new learning experience for the Sooners will be the basic preparation leading up to the events, and how they can adjust and work through their routines.

The focus and consistency that VanHootegem spoke about in the last two meets will be called upon and are essential for OU this weekend among the crowds and volume of athletes in each event.

“It's not going to be a neat and tidy sort of experience. It's going to be a larger meet, a little more hectic. The warm-ups are hectic, getting to the track is more hectic. We are looking forward to the challenge of that. Like we always say, they always give out the same places no matter what the conditions are for the meet. It's up to each person on our team to figure out how to get the job done. That's kind of our challenge and I'm looking forward to seeing how they handle that. I think we have the type of people on our team who can handle that.”

The event will begin on Friday at 11 a.m. (CT) with the women's 3,000-meter run and shot put. The final field event on Friday will be men's shot put at 2:05 p.m. (CT). The last event of the day on the track for OU will be the men's 1,000-meter run, which is scheduled to start at 4:20 p.m. (CT).

On Saturday, the competition will resume at 8:15 a.m. (CT) with women's high jump. The women's mile will be the first event of the day on the track with an 8:35 a.m. (CT) start time. Events will go on throughout the day until the last field event, the women's pole vault starts at noon (CT) and the 60 hurdle finals begin on the track at 12:20 p.m. (CT).

For scoring purposes, places one through eight will receive the following points:

10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1. All results will count for scoring, meaning a team can have all their top-8 finishers count.

Like in week's past, each meet VanHootegem has a theme for the athletes to add to their repertoire. This week centers on accountability as the athletes will be expected to take it upon themselves to get themselves ready for their events. It is accountability to themselves as well as to their teammates who are relying on them to do their job to help the team. Combined with their previous goals of execution, consistency and focus, the Sooners should be fully equipped and prepared to handle the moment, the spotlight and the spectacle that is sure to await them.

A recap of the day's events will be provided at the conclusion of each day at SoonerSports.com. As always, you can follow along on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook (OU_Track) for updates throughout the day. A live webcast and results will also be available on ArmoryTrack.com.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

OU to Face Tough Competition in New York

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