VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The Oklahoma track and field team wrapped up the first day of the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships at the Virginia Beach Sports Center Friday night. All five OU athletes secured top-six finishes in their respective events to earn First Team All-America honors and the women's team concluded day one in second place.
The women posted 19 points during the first session of the championships, collecting scores from
Pippi Lotta Enok (6),
Olivia Lueking (6),
Angel Richmore (4) and
Jasmine Akins (3).
Nikaoli Williams finished second in the men's long jump for eight points, helping the men climb to 10th.
In the pentathlon, Enok opened the day with a PR 60-meter hurdles time (8.45) for 1,028 points and fifth overall. Richmore registered 8.73 for 967 points. The multis duo moved on to high jump where both cleared 1.75m (5'8.75") to tie for third in the event. Enok sat in second place with 1,944 points and Richmore sixth with 1,883 points heading into the shot put.
At the halfway mark, Richmore secured the third-best throw in the field with a 14.10m (46'3.25") toss, collecting 801 points. Enok posted a 12.18m (39'11.50") mark for 673 points. With this score, Richmore jumped to fourth and Enok positioned herself at fifth. Next in the long jump, Enok posted a 6.18m (20'3.50") leap for 905 points to climb to fourth overall in the event. Richmore followed with a 6.01m (19'8.75") mark and 853 points, entering podium position at third place.
In the midst of combined events,
Olivia Lueking cemented herself as one of the greatest pole vaulters in Oklahoma history. In her final indoor meet as a Sooner, the senior confidently cleared every height, including her final mark of 4.55m (14'11.00"), to garner third place and a First Team All-America award.
To wrap up the pentathlon, Enok raced to 2:17.84 and 853 points in the 800-meter run, securing third place overall with final score of 4,375. Richmore posted 773 points with a 2:23.74 time for fifth place and a total of 4,310 points. Enok claimed the third All-America award of her career and Richmore notched her fourth.
Jasmine Akins kept the momentum rolling with sixth place in the women's long jump, leaping to 6.58m (21'7.25") for First Team All-American. Akins' finish is the best by a Sooner at the NCAA Indoor Championships since Ti'Anca Monk earned fourth in the event in 2011.
Nikaoli Williams' runner-up finish in the LJ closed out the day for Oklahoma. He recorded a 7.96m (26'1.50") mark on his fifth attempt, securing the fourth All-America honor of his career. The graduate student out of Portmore, Jamaica, posted Oklahoma's best place in the long jump at an NCAA indoor meet in at least 36 years, up there with Russell Adams' finish in 1989 and Will Claye's bronze medal in 2009.
OU opens the Saturday session with the men's high jump at noon ET. Live results for the NCAA Indoor Championships can be found via
Flash Results and a broadcast of Saturday events will air on
ESPN+.
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