Oklahoma Sooners
Track & Field
Scottesha Miller |
Olympic Hopefuls Head to Eugene
June 26, 2008
NORMAN, Okla. — Seven track and field athletes from the University of Oklahoma will head to Eugene, Ore., over the next week-and-a-half to compete in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials with hopes of representing the red, white and blue in Beijing. The eight day event, beginning Friday, is broken up into two sections with a two-day break on Tuesday and Wednesday before ending on Sunday, July 6. Select action from all eight days will be aired on NBC and the USA Network.
Four women and three men, with a combined 12 NCAA All-America honors, will compete across eight different events including two athletes, Leslie Cole and Scottesha Miller, taking part in two events each. Miller will take to the track in the 100- and 200-meter dash with Cole joining the Port Orange, Fla., native in the 200 along with running in the 400-meter dash.
In its history, the Oklahoma track and field program has had six Olympians compete under the American flag, the latest in 1996 as Jason Rouser claimed the program’s third gold medal as a member of the U.S. men’s 4x400-meter relay. The previous two gold medals in OU history were both picked up by J.W. Mashburn on the 4x400-meter relay in 1952 and 1956. OU did place three athletes in the 2004 Athens games as Michael Blackwood (Jamaica), Laverne Jones (Virgin Islands) and Danny McFarlane (Jamaica) competed for their respective countries.
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Miller will open up Oklahoma competition in the 100-meter dash Friday at 5:30 p.m. PST while Toni Smith will begin competition in the women’s triple jump 10 minutes later. Miller will attempt to advance to the quarterfinals of the 100 at 7:40 p.m. Friday night.
Amy Backel will step into the spotlight as the women’s javelin kicks off on Saturday at 12:45 p.m. Should she advance from Friday’s quarterfinals, Miller will then compete in the 100-meter dash semifinals at 3:25 p.m. with the finals scheduled to begin at 5:48 p.m.
Saturday, June 29, will will mark the debut of Cole in the 400-meter dash at 3 p.m. and the return of Smith in the women’s triple jump final at 2:25 p.m. The goal for Cole will be advancing to the 400 semifinal on Monday at 7:10 p.m. The same goes for Backel as the women’s javelin final is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. on Monday.
After a two-day break, action returns on Thursday, July 3. Cole is Oklahoma’s only possible competitor with the finals of the women’s 400-meter dash at 8:05 p.m.
Independence Day will mark perhaps OU’s busiest day as five athletes compete in three events. Marcus Pugh kicks things off in the prelims of the 200-meter dash at 6:50 p.m. Big 12 triple jump champion Shardae Boutte and Tydree Lewis will take to the runway in the event at 7:10 p.m. while Cole and Miller get into the starting blocks for the 200-meter dash at 7:20 p.m.
Oklahoma action on Saturday, July 5, will hinge on the previous day’s finishes for the athletes in the 200 as the event’s quarterfinals and semifinals are scheduled for 11:50 a.m. and 2:05 p.m., respectively. The final day of action, Sunday, July 6, will feature the men’s triple jump final at 4 p.m. and the 200-meter dash finals beginning at 4:25 p.m.
Check with SoonerSports.com for all your latest updates involving Oklahoma athletes at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials. For more information about the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, visit USATF.com. A full TV schedule of the event can be found below.
Full Olympic Trials TV Schedule (All Times Central):
| Date | Time | Network |
| June 27 | 11 p.m.-12 a.m. | USA |
| June 28 | 7-8 p.m. | NBC |
| June 29 | 6-7 p.m. | NBC |
| June 30 | 10 p.m.-12 a.m. | USA |
| July 3 | 10 p.m.-12 a.m. | USA |
| July 4 | 10 p.m.-12 a.m. | USA |
| July 5 | 4-5 p.m. | NBC |
| July 6 | 6-8 p.m. | NBC |
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