Sooners Impressive in Season Opener

Saturday, December 14

Manhattan, Kan.

University of Oklahoma

K-State Winter Invitational

December 14, 2019 | Track and Field

Results Photo Gallery

By: Patrick Dunn

MANHATTAN, Kan. — The University of Oklahoma track and field team opened up the 2019-20 season strong in Manhattan, Kan., on Saturday at the Kansas State Winter Invitational.

The Sooners started the season in impressive fashion, collecting nine victories, one school record and numerous personal bests on the day, with five wins coming on the track and four more in the field events. Freshman Mikeisha Welcome broke the OU school record in the indoor women's triple jump in her first meet as a Sooner.

"I'm very excited about how we opened up," said OU interim head coach Tim Langford after his first meet with the program. "Across the board, we had so many kids open up at their personal record or better than their personal record. That speaks to what we've done all fall and it really sets the program up for success."

"It was an entire team effort. It showed the new vision and direction of the Oklahoma track program." - Tim Langford

Senior and 2019 NCAA Outdoors first-team All-American Meagan Gray collected OU's first victory of the season, taking the women's pole vault title by clearing 13-7.25 (4.15m). The mark tied her indoor personal best.

In the men's pole vault, freshman Eli Darrough started his Sooners career with a third-place finish, first place out of collegiate competition, by clearing 14-7.25 (4.45m).

OU's second win on the day came in the women's long jump where junior Essence Thomas leaped a personal-best 19-11.75 (6.09m) to claim first. The mark improved her place on OU's all-time top-10 list to seventh. Sophomore Symone Washington placed third in the event with a jump of 19-3.25 (5.87m), while senior Amanda Van Buren took fifth (18-1.5, 5.52m).

In the women's weight throw, freshman Geraldine Udo took fifth with a PR 48-8.25 (24.84m) in her first weight throw action and junior Lauryn Jones placed seventh with a personal-best 44-6 (13.56m).

Competing in her first collegiate meet, Welcome etched her name in the OU record books. The Toronto native leaped a school-record 43-9.75 (13.35m) to claim the women's triple jump title.

OU put up a combined five top-five finishes in the men's and women's shot put. Freshman Diego Trevino, competing in his first collegiate competition, took the men's title with a collegiate PR throw of 55-9 (16.99m), while fellow freshman Darrough placed fourth (39-8, 12.09m). On the women's side, Jones finished fifth (41-10.5, 12.76m) and freshman Crislyn Cole placed sixth (40-11.75, 12.49m).

Continuing the field events In the men's long jump, sophomore Golden Eke jumped a indoor PR 23-8 (7.21m) to finish runner-up. In the women's high jump, sophomore Madison Langley-Walker cleared the bar at 5-5.25 (1.66m) to take third.

It was a 60 meters sweep for the Sooners. In the women's race, sophomore Kennedy Blackmon won her first title of the day, finishing in a PR 7.50 seconds to edge fellow Sooner Ja'Leesa Giles' personal record of 7.53. Junior Dai'Lyn Merriweather clocked in at 7.63 seconds to place fifth, Thomas crossed the line in a PR 7.65 to take sixth and Van Buren finished in 7.66 to finish seventh.

In the men's 60 meters, newcomer Demarius Smith claimed his first victory as a Sooner, crossing the line in 6.72 seconds, barely in front of teammate Joseph Sheffield's 6.73. Both marks stand as personal bests and ninth and tenth on the OU indoor top-10 list. Senior Xavier Brown (6.96) finished eighth, Eke (7.15) claimed 10th and junior Myles Wheeler (7.25) finished 14th with a personal best.

The eighth OU win of the day came courtesy of junior Camri Austin in the women's 60-meter hurdles. Austin took the title in 8.35 seconds, while Langley-Walker finished fourth in 8.69.

Two Sooners went 2-3 in the men's 60-meter hurdles with senior Bryce Douglas taking second in 8.01 and redshirt sophomore Isaiah Levingston crossing in a PB 8.02 to place third. Darrough clocked a 8.85 to finish sixth, while junior Hutch Helbig took seventh in a PR time of 9.18.

In the 600-yard races, freshman Levi Gladd placed third in the women's race in 1:29.46, while junior Sorre Bah claimed sixth in the men's race in a PR 1:15.41.

OU's ninth and final victory of the day came in the women's 300 meters. Blackmon took her second win in as many races, finishing in 38.64 seconds. D. Merriweather took home her second top-five finish of the day, crossing the line in 38.96 to place second. Freshmen Nia Sims (41.28) and Kamryn McCall (41.75) saw their first collegiate action, placing sixth and eighth.

On the men's side of the 300 meters, sophomore Zac Tucker (35.80) and Wheeler (35.94) finished fifth and sixth, respectively.

Freshman Lucas Badcock competed for the Sooners for the first time in the men's mile, placing fifth in 4:30.73.

The Sooners finished their day in the men's 4x400-meter relay where Brown, Colley, Caleb Johnson and Smith teamed up to take second in 3:17.69.

"To see Mikeisha go out and break a school record in her first collegiate meet, that makes the future look really bright," concluded Langford. "We have newcomers like Demarius Smith who won the 60 meters and Isaiah Levingston, in his first opener in the 60 hurdles, open up really fast. We had throwers who really got the job done.

"It was an entire team effort. It showed the new vision and direction of the Oklahoma track program."

UP NEXT
The Sooners travel to Nashville to compete at the Vanderbilt Invitational Jan. 17-18, 2020.

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