T&F Announces 20-21 Schedule

NORMAN – University of Oklahoma track and field head coach Tim Langford and vice president and director of athletics Joe Castiglione announced Thursday the 2020-21 OU indoor and outdoor track schedule.

"I'll tell you what, I'm excited," said Langford. "It's been too long. Our kids are ready to get back to what they came here to do. Track is so important in their lives. They know what it's like to have lost it and they don't want to go through that again.

"Whatever precautions we've had to make, if it means there's a pathway for them to compete again, they've embraced it." - Head Coach Tim Langford

Highlighted by two home meets and an early start to the season this weekend in Manhattan, Kan., the Sooners will compete at some of the best indoor and outdoor venues in the country.

The Sooners will start the indoor slate Saturday, Dec. 5 at Kansas State for the K-State Winter Invitational before taking a month off before the next indoor meet on Jan. 16 in Fayetteville, Ark., at the Arkansas Invitational.

"Even in the midst of a pandemic, we put together a really good schedule," added Langford. "Our indoor schedule, we put our kids in the best facilities we could possibly find. Opening up 2021 at Arkansas, that's the same track that will be hosting NCAA Indoors. You can't ask for a better situation.

"Indoors, we have the best surfaces and opportunities that you could possibly give any one sport. It's not going to take a lot of travel, so it's pandemic-safe. We won't have to jump on any planes or take any long bus rides. If it provides the right opportunities for our student-athletes, then I'm all for it.

OU will compete eight consecutive weeks from Jan. 23 through the end of the indoor season, traveling to Lubbock back to back weekends, College Station, Texas (Charlie Thomas Invite), back to Lubbock (Texas Tech Shootout) and Fayetteville, Ark. (Arkansas Qualifier) for the indoor regular season finale on Feb. 19.

The 2021 Big 12 Indoor Championships will be held in Lubbock Feb. 26-27 on the campus of Texas Tech for the second time in three years.

Following indoor Big 12s, those that qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships will travel back to Fayetteville for the national meet on March 12-13.

Oklahoma will open the outdoor season in Fort Worth, Texas, at the TCU Invite March 20 before a quick turnaround to compete at the 93rd Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays in Austin, March 24-27.

"Outdoors, we were conscious about the current climate that we're in so we selected good meets that will provide competition yet still keep us in a travel radius that is safe," continued the second-year head coach. "You look at some of the meets on our schedule and we didn't have to sacrifice too much. Texas Relays is a meet our athletes love going to and I think they'll find some comfort seeing some other familiar meets on the schedule yet understand when we put new meets on the schedule they still have positive opportunities to compete.

"That's all they can ask for after having last outdoor season taken from them. Wherever they're shooting the gun is where they want to be."

Following Texas Relays, OU will take a weekend off before heading back to the state of Texas for the North Texas Classic April 10 in Denton.

OU will host consecutive home meets in April, holding the Sooner Invite & Multis (April 16-17) and the annual John Jacobs Invitational (April 23-24) at John Jacobs Track & Field Complex in Norman.

The Sooners will cap the outdoor regular season May 1 in Tucson, Ariz., at the Desert Heat Classic hosted by the University of Arizona.

The 2021 Big 12 Outdoor Championships will be held on K-State's R.V. Christian Track, May 14-16. OU hosted the last Big 12 outdoor meet in 2019, where then-senior Sarah Scott claimed her second consecutive Big 12 title in the women's steeplechase and current senior Cooper Campbell threw an OU school record in the men's shot put. OU's women's squad placed third at the meet, while the men took sixth.

The Sooners will travel back to College Station, Texas, for the NCAA West Regional May 27-29 at Texas A&M. Qualifying athletes will compete at the 2021 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon, June 9-12, at the renovated Hayward Field. The 2019 NCAA Outdoor Championships saw the Sooners bring home six All-America honors.

For updates and more information on Oklahoma track and field, follow the Sooners on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_Track) and like Oklahoma Sooners Track & Field and Cross Country on Facebook.

*all meet dates and times subject to change due to COVID-19 precautions.

Players Mentioned

Cooper Campbell

Sarah Scott

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics