Published: May 20, 2008 11:27 pm            

OC tracksters ready to fly

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma Christian University will compete in six events at the 2008 NAIA Outdoor Track and Field National Championships.

The national meet is slated for May 22-24 at Southern Illinois University, with events starting at 10 a.m. on Thursday.

Highlighting Oklahoma Christian’s qualifiers is the 4x800-meter relay team, which placed third at indoor nationals in March. OC has three straight All-America finishes in the event, dating back to the 2006-07 indoor nationals.

The contingent of Curtis Pratt, Cole McAllister, Eric Poole and Josh Wayland relayed the baton in 7:42.31 to finish close behind first-place Sienna Heights (Mich.) (7:41.09) at this year’s indoor championships.

The quartet’s third-place indoor finish was OC’s best in the race since 1993 when Kenny Burns, Royce Carter, Kenny Lemons and Wayne Strohman finished third in the nation.

The Eagles were fifth in the outdoor race last season behind Poole, Pratt, Wayland and Jordan Powell’s 7:36.51 timing.

“We’ve got a seasoned group now with three juniors and two seniors who have excelled at a lot of meets,” OC head coach Randy Heath said. “They have a goal of finishing in the top three with an outside shot of maybe winning it.”

Powell will also be on the start line for the 1,500 meters in Edwardsville. The junior won this year’s Sooner Athletic Conference championship in 3:52.32. He looks to improve on a seventh-place showing at the 2006-07 outdoor nationals.

“Jordan has matured and gotten much faster and stronger. Coach (Wayne) Strohman has done an excellent job training him and we believe it’s his time to move into that top group,” Heath said.

Chris Plank rounds out the men’s competitors, as he seeks his first NAIA All-America finish in his third national outdoor appearance. Plank sped to second place at the SAC Championships. He missed final qualification at NAIA Indoor Nationals by just four-one thousandths of a second.

“Coach (Jeff) Bennett has worked with him on his hurdling and he’s gotten better every year. He ran his qualifying time down at OU last weekend against a very fast field. We’re hoping he can qualify through the first two rounds and reach the finals,” Heath said.

The Lady Eagles also have three strong competitors ready to shine at nationals.

Charlotte Heron will compete in the high jump with the hopes of a second consecutive All-America finish. The 6-3 junior jumped to sixth place at last year’s national event. Heron became a two-time SAC champion in the high jump with a 1.62-meter hop at this year’s conference event.

Sylvia Chirchir, who is already an All-American in cross country, looks to add track All-America status to her resume in the 5,000 meters. The freshman was seventh in the 3,000 at indoor nationals and was third in the 5,000 at the SAC Championships.

“Sylvia comes in ranked 26th out of 29 competitors, so we’re hoping she can surprise some people. The competition at the NAIA level is very tough, but she’s run really well all season,” Heath said.

“We’re very optimistic that Charlotte can score some points for us,” Heath said. “She’s jumped very well the last few weeks and had her best jumps at OU last weekend.”

Chelsea Berges will make her first nationals appearance in the 100-meter hurdles. Berges placed second at the SAC Championships in 15.30. The all-around talent also posted top-five marks in the javelin (26.98) and long jump (5.09) at the conference meet.

        

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