View slideshow - Track and Field: Sooner Invitational

Track and field is heading into the latter portion of its schedule, and the participants wearing the OU logo are performing like the meets are becoming more important.

Saturday, competing at the Sooner Invitational at its home venue, OU saw several of its athletes move their way up the NCAA and Big 12 leaderboards.

One Sooner who did not disappoint was freshman Will Claye. Claye came in to the event as the nation’s top-ranked triple jumper, and tightened his grasp on the national lead with a jump which would have been the longest in program history, had it not been deemed wind-aided.

Claye was the victim of some unfortunate weather in the long jump as well, when his original mark was nullified by a high wind reading. The 17-year-old would have had the nation’s top number in the long jump if not for the wind reading. Junior Neelon Greenwood finished fourth even after having four regional qualifying marks discarded for wind.

The top two spots in the Big 12 discus standings now belong to Sooners, after redshirt freshman Luke Bryant and freshman Colin Quirke snagged the top two spots Saturday. Bryant’s throw of 192 feet, one inch landed him a slot at No. 6 nationally, while Quirke’s throw of 186 feet, one inch is the fifth best all-time in OU history.

Junior Buck Sullivan extended his program record with his hammer throw mark of 196 feet, 11 inches.

Junior Mikaela Johansson won the women’s hammer throw while extending her program record with a distance of 189 feet, 11 inches.

In the women’s shot put, junior Amy Backel recorded a regional qualifying toss of 51 feet, nine inches. The distance ranks third in OU program history, but only was good enough for fourth in the Big 12 rankings and fifth in the tournament.

Freshman Katelyn Penner won the women’s javelin event, with a regional-qualifying distance of 152 feet. Penner’s performance was the fifth best in OU program history.

Senior Katherine Johnson tied her own personal record in the women’s high jump, while finishing first in the event. Johnson cleared a regional qualifying mark of five feet, 10 inches, defeating SMU’s Viktoria Leks, the only other competitor left at that height.

Also in the high jump, junior Paul Gill eclipsed his season best mark of seven feet, 1/4 inches while capturing the event. Gill’s jump ranks him third in the current Big 12 standings.

Freshman Mookie Salaam finished second in the men’s 100-meter dash, but was able to lower his time in the process, recording 10.47 seconds.

Salaam also managed a third place finish in the 200-meter dash, with a time of 20.87, slightly off the pace from his time on April 11.

OU reigned supreme in the women’s 3,000-meter run, with three of its athletes sweeping the top spots. Sophomore Lauren Watson, freshman Jessica Engel and sophomore Lindsay Pierson took home the first three slots in the competition, respectively.

In action elsewhere, junior Scottesha Miller recorded her season-best time in the 100-meter dash, while competing in the 2009 Penn Relays in Philadelphia, PA.

The 4x400-meter relay team of junior Amanda Mayfield, freshman Tiara Sims, freshman Sherine Wells and senior Leslie Cole also clocked the season’s fastest time, at 3:37.65.

Meanwhile, in Eugene, Ore., four regional-qualifying times were met at the Oregon Relays. Junior Tony Clement, sophomore Scott Cooper, sophomore Rob Sorrell and sophomore Kelly Waters punched tickets to the 2009 NCAA Midwest Regional.

The regional tournament will be held May 29 and 30, in Norman, at OU’s John Jacobs Field.