The Sooner State

Interview with Oklahoma State's Ryan Vail
Posted by Matt
Ryan Vail of Oklahoma State University recently placed 11th at the NCAA XC Championships individually as his Cowboys placed third as a team. His indoor track season is going to kick off at the Tyson Invitational.

Bobby Lockhart to serve as assistant coach at Oklahoma
Posted by TheRunning
Bobby Lockhart, 24, a former standout distance runner at the University of Wisconsin and high school national athlete of the year, was hired as an assistant track and field coach by the University of Oklahoma today.

Route 66 Marathon Pays Dividends (KOTV 6 Tulsa)
Posted by TheRunning
Talk about giving someone a run for their money, organizers of the Route 66 Marathon presented the Tulsa Area United Way with a check for $24,000 Wednesday. It's money they raised during the first-ever Route 66 Marathon in November.

Oklahoma track and field at Nebraska Saturday (NewsChannel 10 Amarillo)
Posted by TheRunning
The University of Oklahoma men's and women's track and field teams will be in Lincoln, Nebraska Saturday for the Adidas Classic. All-American pole vaulters...

Oklahoma kicks off track and field season (KOTV 6 Tulsa)
Posted by TheRunning
Oklahoma's men's and women's track and field teams kick off the 2007 indoor season today at the Arkansas Invitational in Fayetteville.

Area thinclads excel in ORU track meet (Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise)
Posted by TheRunning
Bartlesville High senior track stand-out Johnny Castro set a blistering pace in the 800-meter run to finish fourth at the Christmas Classic track & field meet held last week at Oral Roberts University.

Marathon Runner inspires others to “Honor our Ancestors� by getting in shape for 2007! (Native Times)
Posted by TheRunning
Michelle Conroy is not one to let opposition get in her way. She has taught aerobics, kickboxing and self-defense with a little personal training on the side. Her first marathon was a 10K (6.2 mile), her recent ones have been 51K (31 miles).

Ashley Aitken, a 2:08 800m runner from New Zealand, is headed to the University of Tulsa
Posted by TheRunning
Hawke's Bay's Oklahoma-bound national women's 800 metres track champion will have an impressive feat on her CV when she arrives in the US in June.

Davies Sets Second Conference Meet Record at Big 12 Outdoor Championships
Posted by LG
Oklahoma State’s Mary Davies set a conference meet record in the 3,000-meter Steeplechase Sunday at the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships, while claiming three individual titles over the weekend.

Memorial marathon to honor bombing vistims
Posted by LG
The 168 people who died in the Oklahoma City bombing April 19, 1995 will be honored at the Sixth Annual Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon April 30 at Robinson Avenue and 6th Street in Oklahoma City.

Cowgirl cross country places first at Jamboree
Posted by LG
The Oklahoma State women’s cross country team placed first in the 69th annual Cowboy Jamboree Saturday.

OSU cross country to host Cowboy Jamboree this weekend
Posted by LG
A few of the teams involved this weekend will be the highly touted Arkansas Razorbacks, Abilene Christian, which is the No. 1 ranked Division II team, and of course, OSU, which looks to make a long run into the postseason this year.

OU Names Martin Smith Head Coach
Posted by LG
Martin Smith, who has coached five national championship teams during a 26-year tenure on the NCAA Division I level, is the new men’s and women’s track and field and cross country coach at Oklahoma. OU Athletics Director Joe Castiglione made the announcement today.

Oklahoma hires Smith to coach track, cross country
Posted by LG
Martin Smith, a former Oregon coach who won national championships at Wisconsin and Virginia, was hired Thursday as Oklahoma's track and cross country coach, athletic director Joe Castiglione said. Smith, 53, resigned in March as Oregon's director of men's and women's track and field and cross-country. He was coach of the men's track and field and cross country teams from 1998 to 2003, when he also took over the women's team. Oregon's men's team finished sixth at the NCAA track meet last season. "This is a very exciting day for our track and field and cross country programs," Castiglione said. "Martin Smith has earned the respect and admiration of many throughout the national and international track and field communities. He has an impressive record of achievement everywhere he has been."

Stadel, Jimoh, Daniels Win At WAC
Posted by LG
Rice juniors Luke Stadel and Funmi Jimoh and freshman Marissa Daniels all won gold on Friday to lead Rice at the 2005 Western Athletic Conference Men's and Women's Track and Field Championships in Tulsa, Okla.

In 1889, the Indian Territory was opened to settlers. Thousands of people lined up on the border and, when the signal was given, they raced into the territory to claim their land. Some people went in early to claim their land. They became known as Sooners.
Hence, Oklahoma's nickname today is “The Sooner State”.
source: http://www.salinaok.com/oklahoma.html