FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Oklahoma’s Ronnie Ash claimed his second straight NCAA title in the 60-meter hurdles, while Ash and six other Sooners earned All-American honors Saturday at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships inside the Randal Tyson Track Complex.
Saturday’s performances gave OU eight All-Americans for the weekend after Mookie Salaam earned the honor Friday in the 200-meter dash. The OU men finished 14th overall with 14 points, while the women were 21st with 10 points.
Ash won his title with a time of 7.56. He was able to hold off South Carolina’s Booker Nunley by two-hundreths of a second to defend the 2009 NCAA 60-meter hurdles title he won while a member of the Bethune-Cookman program.
“I didn’t get the start I’m capable of and I saw the South Carolina runner out in the furthest right lane and I started to accelerate so I could stay hurdle-for-hurdle with him. I thought he may have nudged me at the line but when I looked up and saw the time, I was real happy,” Ash said. “I thought I had it, but I wasn’t sure. I didn’t run completely through the line, so coach may be upset with me, but I got the win.”
Already the OU record holder entering the meet, Ash lowered his time and ran the third-fastest time by an American this year on Friday when he clocked the fastest time of the event’s prelims, 7.55.
The title gave the Sooners their 15th men’s indoor national title and 19th overall indoor national title. Ash became OU’s seventh individual title winner as eight titles have been won by Sooner relay teams.
Karen Shump and Tia Brooks became the first pair of Sooner women to earn indoor All-America honors in the same event in the same year as the two redshirt-freshmen who finished fourth and fifth, respectively. The two provided each other their biggest competition as Shump (54-11.50) edged Brooks (54-11.25) by just a quarter of an inch.
K.P. Singh earned OU’s first ever All-American honor in the men’s weight throw when he finished seventh in the event. Singh furthered his own program record in the event with a top throw of 69-3.50.
Scottesha Miller picked up her fifth career All-America honor as the junior finished eighth in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.39. Miller’s performance gave OU women’s sprints group an All-American for the third straight year.
In the first running event of the day, Eric Harasyn finished ninth in the men’s mile with a time of 4:04.94. Despite the ninth-place finish, Harasyn still receives All-American distinction because the honor is extended to the top-eight American-born finishers. The result gave the Sooners an All-American in the men’s indoor mile for the second consecutive season.
Running in the first of three heats, the Sooner men’s 4x400-meter relay of Remuro Henry, Zach Dawson, Jarell Warren and Eric Bailey finished ninth with a time of 3:08.59. Jasmine Simmons finished 10th in the women’s triple jump with a top jump of 42-8.75. Simmons, like Harasyn, will also receive All-American status because she was a top-eight finish among American born participants.
