University of Oklahoma Athletics

Vaulters Lead A Strong Sooner Showing In Austin :: McNamara and Westlund post NCAA provisional qualifying marks in the pole vault.

Vaulters Lead A Strong Sooner Showing In Austin :: McNamara and Westlund post NCAA provisional qualifying marks in the pole vault. Vaulters Lead A Strong Sooner Showing In Austin

McNamara and Westlund post NCAA provisional qualifying marks in the pole vault.




Senior Michael McNamara recorded an NCAA provisional qualifying mark Saturday at the Texas Invitational.

May 4, 2002

AUSTIN, Texas - There's something about the state of Texas, the month of May and senior Michael McNamara's efforts in the pole vault. Last year, he qualified for the NCAA with a vault in the Big 12 Championships at College Station. Two years ago, he posted his career best in Abilene at the ACU Invitational, earning a trip to the NCAA and the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials. On Saturday, he got his first NCAA provisional mark of the outdoor season, jumping 17-6.5 to finish third in the pole vault at the Texas Invitational.

OU junior Michael Westlund finished fifth in the vault with a 17-2.75, his first NCAA provisional mark of the outdoor season. OU volunteer vault coach and former Baylor vaulter Kurt Hanna was second in the competition, also with a 17-6.5.

After her first no height of the season last weekend, sophomore Leslie Dunlap showed a return to form, clearing an NCAA provisional mark of 12-5.5 to finish third.

All around, it was a good day for the Sooners as 14 season bests were posted by the OU women and eight were put up by the Sooner men. The lone OU winner was Cecil Rose, who took the 3000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:34.25. In the women's steeplechase, senior Jennifer Ledford cut another 11 seconds off the school she set last year and lowered by nearly a minute just two weeks ago, finishing fourth with an 11:20.33.

In another interesting distance note, sophomore Joey McNair lowered his season best in the 1500 by nearly four seconds, finishing second with a 3:52.94. He then came back less than three hours later to post a season best in the 3000 with a 8:53.11, good for seventh.

Junior Aisha Stringer continued to lower her career best mark in the women's 800, finishing third with a 2:09.10. That time is nearly .90 seconds off the career best mark she set just last weekend. The Sooners were third, sixth (Kelli O'Rourke) and seventh (Kim Thomas) in that event.

Former Sooner Michael Blackwood won the 400-meter dash title with a 45.59. OU senior Raoul Harvey was sixth with a season best 46.85.

The Sooner pole vaulters are scheduled to travel to the Abilene Christian Invitational on Thursday while the rest of the team will break for finals and began preparations for the Big 12 Championships to be held May 17-19 in Columbia, Mo.

Texas Invitational
OU Results
Women
100-Meter Dash -- 1 White, LaKeesha, Texas, 11.48 -0.4; 17 Carter, Fallon, Oklahoma, 12.55 0.6; 21 Williams, Krystal, Oklahoma, 12.91 0.6
200-Meter Dash -- 1 Robinson, Amber, Florida, 23.20 1.0; 23 Williams, Krystle, Oklahoma, 26.27 1.4
400-Meter Dash -- 1 Downer, Naleya, Texas, 52.61; 7 Robinson, LaKisha, Oklahoma, 55.58; 15 Thomas, Lameisa, Oklahoma, 57.55; 16 Cates, Taylor, Oklahoma, 59.06; 17 Thomas, Michelle, Oklahoma, 59.54; 19 Wedel, Amanda, Oklahoma, 1:02.02
800-Meter Run -- 1 Pantoja, Maria, Texas A&M, 2:08.38; 3 Stringer, Aisha, Oklahoma, 2:09.10; 6 O'Rouke, Kelli, Oklahoma, 2:13.47; 7 Thomas, Kim, Oklahoma, 2:13.95; 20 Justice, Sara, Oklahoma, 2:27.81
100-Meter Hurdles -- 1 Denby, Nichole, Texas, 13.21 0.4; 8 Davis, Tiffany, Oklahoma, 13.62 1.5; 15 Carter, Fallon, Oklahoma, 14.12 1.0; 18 Swaby, Sand

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