Numerous Titles Claimed At Home Meet

April 21, 2018 | Track and Field

By: Athletics Communications

NORMAN- The University of Oklahoma track and field team concluded competition Saturday at the 49th annual John Jacobs Invitational on a rainy day in Norman.

OU head coach Jim VanHootegem recapped the Sooners' lone home meet of the outdoor season, “It was a successful meet across the board for the program in that we were able to get the meet done under tough conditions. At the end of the day, I can still address our team and talk about a lot of PRs and marks on the top-ten school list."

VanHootegem added, "It serves as a lesson, if you're ready to go and you're ready to get after it, weather can't stop you. I hate to single anything specific out, but the men's 4x1 relay is a great example of that. They were out there in a driving rain, it was cold, and they went out and ran great. On and on, several people on our team showed the type of competitors they are. I feel good about going to battle, to the Big 12 championships and beyond, with those type of people.”

Both the Oklahoma men's and women's teams took home the team titles, scoring 236 points and 312 points, respectively. The Sooners claimed 16 event titles on day two of the John Jacobs Invitational after claiming five on Friday.

Day two began with sophomore Gabby Kearney taking home the women's javelin title with a mark of 156-5 (47.68 meters). Freshman Josh Haus took second place in the men's javelin throw with a personal best mark of 186-5 (56.82 meters).

Winning in a jump-off, sophomore Meagan Gray claimed the women's pole vault title, clearing 13-1.5 (4.00 meters). Also competing in the pole vault competition, junior Sydney King placed third with a mark of 12-7.5 (3.85 meters). Freshman Abby Bilsbury finished sixth, clearing a height of 12-1.5 (3.70 meters) and sophomore Julia Hanks placed ninth with a mark of 11-1.75 (3.40 meters).

Junior Greg Vann won the men's long jump to claim the Sooners third event title of the day, jumping a distance of 24-0.25 (7.32 meters). Freshman Langdon Williams took third with a mark of 22-1.75 (6.75 meters), while senior Thomas Cheval placed fifth with a jump of 21-4.75 (6.52 meters). Freshman Garry Williams finished 11th with a best jump of 20-5 (6.22 meters). In the women's long jump, junior Hailey Patterson took third, jumping a distance of 18-2.25 (5.54 meters).

The Sooners swept the high jump competition at the John Jacobs Invite. Freshman Falyn Reaugh took the women's title, clearing a height of 5-9.25 (1.76 meters) while fellow freshman Vernon Turner claimed the men's event with a record-breaking jump of 7-5.25 (2.27 meters). Although moved indoors due to inclement weather, Turner's mark stands as a John Jacobs Invitational meet record, Mosier Indoor Facility record, and the top mark in the NCAA this outdoor season.

Oklahoma swept another set of events in the 4x100-meter relays. The OU women won the event with a time of 46.04 while the men claimed the title in a time of 39.77 seconds.

In the hurdles competition, the Sooners saw one victory and numerous top-five finishes. Sophomore Bryce Douglas won the men's 110-meter hurdles, finishing in 14.84 seconds. Steven Jazdyk took third with a time of 15.08. On the women's side, freshman Camri Austin finished second in 13.88 seconds, senior Cece Jackson took third in 14.63 seconds. Sophomore Eryn Stafford finished 14th with a time of 17.76 seconds. Running in the men's 400-meter hurdles, freshman Isaiah Levingston took fifth in a time of 54.55 seconds.

Freshman Evette Blanks won the women's 400-meter dash with a time of 56.00 seconds. Also running in the 400, freshman Myah Bowen placed 11th, finishing in 1:03.08.

The Sooners recorded six top-ten finishes in the women's 100-meter dash. Leya Buchanan took the title with a time of 11.65 seconds, Ja'Leesa Giles placed third in 12.00 seconds, and Amanda Van Buren took fifth in 12.02 seconds. Freshman Alexis Barnes finished seventh in 12.18 seconds, freshman Camri Austin placed ninth in 12.36 seconds, and freshman Essence Thomas rounded out the top ten in 10th with a time of 12.38 seconds.

OU claimed the top three spots in the women's 800 meters. Senior Belle Wallace won the race in a time of 2:12.60 while Sarah Scott and Cece Moore took second and third, with respective times of 2:14.43 and 2:17.53. Also recording a top-five finish was junior Hayley Redwine, finishing in 2:21.14.

Sophomore Calvin Miller edged out fellow teammate Heath Warren for the men's 800 meters title, both finishing with a time of 1:52.39. Freshman Derek King also recorded a top-five finish for the Sooners with a time of 1:54.68.

In the triple jump competition, OU recorded another victory by way of Essence Thomas in the women's section. The freshman jumped 39-7.75 (12.08 meters) to take the title. Fellow freshman Nura Muhammad took second with a mark of 38-3.5 (11.67 meters). Junior Najuana Strickland came in third, jumping 38-1.5 (11.62 meters). In the men's triple jump, freshman Papay Glaywulu finished second, recording a jump of 47-11.75 (14.62 meters), while junior Josh Foster placed fifth with a mark of 46-5.5 (14.16 meters).

Another Sooners' sweep came in the 200-meter dashes. In the women's competition, senior Ama Pipi took first in 23.79 seconds. Fellow senior Leya Buchanan finished second in 24.02 seconds, Medinah Spencer came in third with a time of 24.05 seconds, and Amanda Van Buren placed fourth in 24.39 seconds. Senior Mia Mukes placed seventh in the event, finishing in 24.78 seconds, while freshmen Ja'Leesa Giles and Alexis Barnes took eighth and 10th, finishing in 24.88 and 25.20 seconds, respectively.

Sophomore Xavier Brown claimed the men's 200-meter dash title with a time of 21.45 seconds, besting fellow sophomore Jackson Webb who took second in 21.85 seconds. Other top-ten finishers included Thomas Cheval taking sixth in 22.46, Lawrence Murray placing seventh in 22.46, Greg Vann finishing eighth in 22.49 and Larry Murray crossing the line 10th in 22.89 seconds.

In the men's discus, the final field event of the weekend, OU saw three top-ten finishes. Sophomore Brad Daboub placed second with a throw of 160-11 (49.05 meters), freshman Cooper Campbell finished fourth with his best throw reaching 145-9 (44.42 meters), and senior Steven Jazdyk took sixth with a throw of 122-5 (37.32 meters).

The meet concluded with the men's and women's 4x400-meter relays. The OU women's relay team took first with a time of 3:47.16. Oklahoma 'A' men's team finished third in the men's 4x4, while the men's 'B' squad took fourth, finishing in 3:23.17.

Full results from the John Jacobs Invitational can be found at PrimeTime Timing.

The Sooners track and field team returns to the track next week in Philadelphia, Pa. as they conclude their outdoor regular season at the Penn Relays, held Thursday-Saturday on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania.