OU Facing the Nation’s Best at NCAA Championships
EUGENE, Ore. — The Oklahoma Track and Field program has arrived in Eugene, Ore., with high expectations leading into this week’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships which kicks off Wednesday at Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon. Action for the No. 6 Oklahoma women and No. 11 Oklahoma men is slated to begin Wednesday at 2 p.m. with Luke Bryant in the men’s discus.
The Oklahoma men are tied for sixth in the country with 11 total entries while the women are tied for seventh with nine total entries. The two teams combined have 20 entries, good for sixth in the country. The Big 12 Conference leads all conferences in the nation with 87 men’s entries and 82 women’s entries.
OU lays claim to two defending champions as Ronnie Ash enters the meet as the nation’s top-ranked athlete in the men’s 110-meter hurdles while Will Claye will look to defend the triple jump title he won last year on his 18th birthday. Hampered by injuries for most of the season, Claye enters the meet ranked eighth nationally in the triple jump. The two are joined in the nation’s top 10 by Eric Bailey (No. 10 in the 400-meter hurdles), Bryant (No. 7 in the discus) and Mookie Salaam (No. 6 in the 200-meter dash).
The women’s team is led by the throws group that accounts for five of the nine entries. The four throwers all enter the meet ranked in the nation’s top eight with four in the top four. Brittany Borman is No. 2 nationally in the discus and No. 4 in the javelin. Amy Backel joins Borman in the javelin at No. 3 while Karen Shump is No. 3 in the shot put. Tia Brooks rounds out the group at No. 8 in the shot put. On the track, Latoya Greaves is ranked No. 8 in the 100-meter hurdles.
The Oklahoma men’s track and field and cross country program currently sits fifth with 27 points in the USTFCCCA Program of the Year race after finishing 12th at the 2009 Cross Country Championships and 14th the 2010 Indoor Track and Field Championships. The Sooners are just one point out of the fourth spot, held by Arizona State with 26 points. Oregon leads the race with 4.5 points followed by Northern Arizona with 13.5 points and New Mexico with 18 points.
Oklahoma qualifiers for Championships, national rankings and season bests entering the meet:
Men’s 100-Meter Dash: No. 14 Mookie Salaam (10.25)
Women’s 100-Meter Dash: No. 12 Scottesha Miller (11.30)
Men’s 200-Meter Dash: No. 6 Mookie Salaam (20.41)
Women’s 200-Meter Dash: No. 17 Scottesha Miller (23.28)
Women’s 5,000-Meter Run: No. 20 Jessica Engel (16:20.69)
Men’s 10,000-Meter Run: No. 16 Kevin Schwab (29:27.90)
Men’s 110-Meter Hurdles: No. 1 Ronnie Ash (13.31)
Women’s 100-Meter Hurdles: No. 8 Latoya Greaves (13.05)
Men’s 400-Meter Hurdles: No. 10 Eric Bailey (50.17)
Men’s 4×100-Meter Relay: No. 16 Oklahoma (39.72)
Men’s 4×400-Meter Relay: No. 17 Oklahoma (3:06.60)
Men’s Triple Jump: No. 8 Will Claye (53-5.75 [16.30]); No. 17 Neelon Greenwood (52-0.50 [15.86])
Women’s Shot Put: No. 3 Karen Shump (55-10.25 [17.02]); No. 8 Tia Brooks (54-9.25 [16.69])
Men’s Discus: No. 7 Luke Bryant (194-10 [59.39])
Women’s Discus: No. 2 Brittany Borman (186-1 [56.72])
Women’s Javelin: No. 3 Amy Backel (182-5 [55.60]); No. 4 Brittany Borman (171-10 [52.38])
Men’s Hammer Throw: No. 15 K.P. Singh (215-6 [65.69])
Updated 06-09-2010
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