Sooners Cap Three-Meet Weekend

Sooners Cap Three-Meet Weekend

February 09, 2019 | Track and Field

NORMAN — The Oklahoma men's and women's track and field teams wrapped up competition at three meets in three states on Saturday.

The Sooners continued action from Friday at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., and the Iowa State Classic in Ames, Iowa. The rest of the squad stayed in Norman to compete in the UCO Alumni Classic, hosted by the University of Central Oklahoma at Mosier Indoor Facility. The weekend was OU's final chance to face competition in preparation for the Big 12 Indoor Championships in two weeks. 

Oklahoma started the day in Arkansas with a trio of top-10 finishes in the collegiate women's pole vault. Senior Mackenzie Shell and redshirt junior Meagan Gray both cleared 13-2.5 (4.03m) for seventh and ninth place, respectively, while senior Sydney King took the bar one increment higher, clearing 13-6.5 (4.13m) on her way to third place. 

Redshirt junior Meia Gordon claimed another third-place finish for the Sooners, although she finished second among collegiate competition in the women's shot put. Her throw of 53-11 (16.43m) led OU in the event, while sophomore Lauren Jones tossed it 47-5.75 (14.47m) for ninth place overall, and freshman Faith Ette tied her own collegiate-best throw 47-2.5 (14.39m). 

The Sooners continued their strong season in the triple jump. In the college men's triple jump, junior Roman Mason picked up the win, leaping 51-10.5 (15.81m). Mason moved up one spot on OU's all-time program marks list to seventh with the jump. Garry Williams claimed sixth place, jumping 50-1.75 (15.28m). Sophomore Essence Thomas finished in second place on the women's side, recording a 42-2.75 (12.87m). Freshman Allanah Lee improved her collegiate-best mark to 40-6.25 (12.35m) to remain at 10th on the program all-time list. 

On the track, sophomore Ja'Leesa Giles secured a personal-best time of 23.92 on her way to a sixth-place finish in the women's 200-meter dash. In the men's 3,000-meter run, redshirt junior Brendan Taylor finished runner-up, clocking in at 8:24.97, a personal best. 

Two Sooners competed in invitational events at the Tyson Invitational: sophomore Falyn Reaugh in the women's high jump and sophomore Papay Glaywulu in the men's triple jump. Reaugh took home sixth place, clearing 5-9.75 (1.77m). Glaywulu leaped 52-2 (15.90m) to earn fourth place.

Sophomore Cooper Campbell tossed a personal-best 60-10.5 (18.55m) in the men's shot put to collect another second-place finish for the Sooners. With the mark, Campbell moves from sixth to fifth on OU's top-10 performance list.  Junior Bradley Daboub took sixth place with a throw of 56-8.5 (17.28m). 

OU ended the weekend in Fayetteville with the women's 4x400-meter relay. Freshman Kennedy Blackmon teamed up with sophomores Dai'Lyn Merriweather, Ja'Leesa Giles and Jai'Lyn Merriweather to cross the line in 3:37.51, putting the group fifth in program history. 

At the Iowa State Classic, only one student-athlete competed the day after the Sooners saw a 28-year old school record fall. Freshman Haley Herberg clocked 15:58.44 in the women's 5,000-meter run Friday, becoming the first Sooner to break 16 minutes in the event. 

Sophomore Ackeen Colley concluded the Sooners' trip to Ames, finishing 11th out of 54 competitors in the men's 800-meters with a time of 1:50.22.

Meanwhile, at the UCO Alumni Classic in Norman, the Sooners racked up 11 event victories. 

On the track, senior Alexis Barnes claimed two of her own event victories, running 7.77 in the 60-meter dash and 25.72 in the 200-meter dash. Freshman Zac Tucker won the 200-meter dash on the men's side at 22.77. 

OU also swept all of the 400-meter dashes and 800-meter runs, with sophomores Myles Wheeler (51.53) and Myah Bowen (58.88) taking the titles in the 400s. Freshman Jordyn Kaplan took the women's 800-meter run at 2:22.89, while sophomore Derek King won the men's race with a time of 1:56.86. 

In the field events, freshman Deja Alexis finished first in the women's long jump, leaping 18-9.25 (5.72m), while senior Najuana Strickland won the women's triple jump with a mark of 39-1.25 (11.82m). Sophomore Abby Bilsbury cleared 12-4 (3.76m) in the women's pole vault to earn a first-place finish. 

Lastly, the Oklahoma men's 4x400-meter relay team captured a win with freshmen Caleb Johnson, Brooks Glanton, Zac Tucker and sophomore Myles Wheeler finishing in 3:26.07. 

Up next, the Sooners take a weekend off in preparation for the Big 12 Indoor Championships at the Sports Performance Center in Lubbock, Texas, on Feb. 22-23. 

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