OU Track: Oklahoma Delivers Memorable Finish at Big 12 Championships

The OU women's squad set a new team standard while three Sooners won conference gold and numerous records fell.

John E. Hoover | Feb 26, 2023

OU Track: Oklahoma Delivers Memorable Finish at Big 12 Championships /

By OU Media Relations

LUBBOCK, TX – Oklahoma had a memorable day two at the 2023 Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championship on Saturday, with a record scoring performance, a school record and three conference champions.

"Today closed out a great weekend for our program," said head coach Tim Langford. "To amass the most points ever by an OU women's team shows the collective effort and culture we are creating here. We had several ups and downs throughout the meet, but our teams left their best on the track."

The Sooners finished day two with three conference champions, a new school record, broken meet and facility records, and several career-best performances.

The OU women's squad placed third with 99.5 points, the highest points total for the women's team in school history. The men's team finished in sixth place with 75 points.

Kristo Simulask won the men's heptathlon title with a total of 5,939 points, which was aided by personal bests in three events. Simulask broke his own school record and set a new meet record for the Big 12 Championships.

Next, Brandon Green Jr. finished fourth in the men's triple jump after clearing a personal best 51-11.25 (15.83m). On the women's side, Jasmine Akins (12.96m) and Agur Dwol (12.94m) finished fifth and sixth, respectively.

Freshman David Warmington clocked a 7.92 in the men's 60-meter hurdles to take fifth place.

Kennedy Blackmon took home fourth in the women's 60-meter final with a time personal-best time of 7.22. Her performance is the second-fastest time in school history.

The women's shot-put group had all Sooners place in the top five. Payden Montana (16.74m) took second, Abby Moore (16.40m) claimed third, and Paige Low (15.76m) placed fifth.

Back on the track, Yazmine Wright collected a fifth-place finish in the women's mile after running 4:47.03.

Sophomore Jenna James crossed the finish line at 1:20.13 in the women's 600-yard run and took home fourth place. James now owns the second-fastest time in school history. On the men's side, Gage Hensey ran a 1:13.63 for seventh place.

The Sooners' success continued when Ashonti Warner claimed fourth place in the women's 400-meter dash with a time of 52.64. On the men's side of the 400-meter dash, Muzuri Mattar crossed the finish line at 46.23 for sixth place.

Next, Fernando Morales set a new school record in the men's 1,000-meter run with a time of 2:22.27.

Anass Mghair finished the men's 800-meter dash with a time of 1:49.60 for fourth place.

In the women's 200-meter, Kennedy Blackmon matched her personal best time of 23.24 for eighth place.

In the men's shot put, three Sooners finished on the podium with Diego Trevino (19.18m), Tucker Smith (18.62), and Bryant Parlin finishing second, sixth, and eighth, respectively.

Yazmine Wright had her third podium finish in the women's 3,000-meter fun after clocking ter clocking a 9:33.77 for sixth place.

For the second year in a row, Vernon Turner won the men's high jump title after clearing 7-5.75 (2.28m).

The women's 4x400 relay ran a season-best time of 3:38.42 for fifth place.

"I'm thankful for everyone buying into our program vision; from the non-scorers to the numerous conference champions," said Langford. "I can't wait for the national championship."

Published Feb 26, 2023

JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.