With the Summer Olympics approaching, the Olympic trials are now in full swing. The Sooners have a couple student-athletes looking to make their World debut in London for the August games.

On Thursday Junior Gymnast, Jake Dalton started his trek to London at the U.S. Gymnastics Olympic Trials. Dalton was the 2012 NCAA all-around champion and 11-time All-American. He posted the top score on the floor and the vault exercise and he also had the 5th best score all around. If Dalton makes the U.S. Team, he will only be the second Sooner to compete in the Olympics while still enrolled in school.

Dalton continues on to the final day of competition on Saturday starting at 3:00 PM CST. The trials will be televised on NBC.

Also on the Olympic Trial front, members of the Track and Field Team are looking to punch their ticket to London. Shot-Putter Tia Brooks came in 4th at the shot put qualifier on Thursday. If Brooks finishes in the top 3 on Friday’s final, she will have earned her way to London.

On Friday, other Sooners competing in the trial include:  OU seniors Brittany Borman (women’s javelin throw) and Ti’Anca Mock (women’s long jump) Former Sooners include Ronnie Ash (men’s 110-meter hurdles), Amy Backel (women’s javelin throw) and Mookie Salaam (men’s 200-meter dash).

The U. S. Olympic Track and Field trials are being held in Eugene, Oregon June 21-July 1 and fifteen Sooners are looking to make the team.

In each event, the top-four finishers in every track and field sport will earn a spot on the Olympic with the exception of the 100 and 400-meter dashes, which takes the top-eight. Sooners that entered the trials include:

George Alex- Mens 500

Brittany Borman – women’s javelin

Tia Brooks – women’s shot put

Luke Bryant – men’s discus

Eric Cray – men’s 400-meter hurdles

Riley Masters – men’s 1,500

Ti’Anca Mock – women’s long jump

Alexandra Acker – women’s pole vault

Former Sooner stars Ronnie Ash (men’s 110-meter hurdles), Amy Backel (women’s javelin), Kevin Bookout (men’s shot put), Mookie Salaam (men’s 100 and 200), Toni Smith (women’s triple jump)  Leslie Cole (women’s 400 meters) and Candyce McGrone (women’s 100) are also contending for a spot on the team.

You will be able to check out the Olympic Track and Field Trials starting Friday, June 22nd on NBC.

It was graduation weekend for the University of Oklahoma but while the Seniors were taking the stage, several Sooner sports were taking the stage as well. And what a busy weekend it was!

The softball team beat Iowa State and earned the Big XII title, putting the No. 4 ranked Sooners to host the NCAA Regional starting Friday in Norman. The Sooners will face Lehigh in the first round of the four-team, three-day Regional. Besides Oklahoma and Lehigh, Oregon State and Tulsa will be in contention of moving on to the Super Regional.

The schedule for the Norman Regional is as follows:

Friday, May 18
5 p.m.– Tulsa vs. Oregon State
7:30 p.m. — Oklahoma vs. Lehigh

Saturday, May 19
1 p.m. — Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
3:30 p.m. — Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
6 p.m. — Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3

Sunday, May 20
1 p.m. — Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5
3:30 p.m. — Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6

Another Sooner Women’s team is also on the road to an NCAA Championship, the Golf Team. They advanced to the NCAA Championship for the first time since 2002 after coming in eighth in the 24-team West Regional Tournament in Colorado over the weekend. The Championship will be held at the Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tennessee May 22-25.

The Men’s Track and Field Team came in third place in the Big XII track Championship with the women finishing sixth. The Sooners had six individual winners led by George Alex, who became the first male runner to sweep the long distance races at the conference meet and also the first male Sooner to win the 5000-meter. He won the 10,000-meter run on Friday and closed out the meet with a win in the 5,000-meter run on Sunday.

Lastly on the sports radar over the weekend, the Sooner baseball team had a surprising and impressive sweep over the No. 2 ranked Baylor Bears. The Sooners will close out the season this week with TCU on Tuesday and then a three-game series against Samford starting on Thursday. They are 13-10 on the season in Big XII play.

Congrats to all of the Sooners this weekend who graduated and to the athletes who are still hard at work to bring more titles to Norman.

Saturday was a great day for the Oklahoma Track and Field team. The Sooners combined for five wins in the Oklahoma Invitational. Seven Sooners also had personal bests in their events.

Other schools that competed in the Oklahoma Invitational were, Central Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Tulsa, Oral Roberts, Southern Nazarene, New Mexico JC, North Texas, Northwood, Prairie View, Sam Houston State, Stephen F. Austin and University of Texas-Arlington.

The men’s team entered the Event at No. 23 in the country and No. 3 in the Midwest region, while the Sooner women are ranked No. 6 regionally.

From SoonerSports.com:

Claire McConnell tied a personal best with a first-place finish in the women’s high jump (5-6.00). Bailey Wagner claimed the women’s shot put title with a throw of 51-11.00, passing teammate Karen Shump on her fifth attempt. Shump went on to take second (51-2.25).

Alex Madkins won the men’s long jump title with a season’s best leap of 23-3.50. Natalie Crain captured the women’s 1,000-meter run title in 2:54.70 in her first time running the event as a collegian. Hilary Krein won the women’s mile run, setting a collegiate best in the event in 4:59.52. Molly Fergusonfinished third in the mile (5:04.16).

Rylee Rackley set a new personal best in the women’s weight throw with a throw of 57-10.50 to finish second. The mark is the second best in the event in school history. Wagner finished third with a season-best throw of 57-7.75, and Angel Togafau was fourth (55-3.50).

Katie Adair cleared 13-1.50 to finish second in the women’s pole vault. Adair was the top collegiate finisher in the event that saw teammate Jacy Bennett finish third. Bennett cleared a collegiate best 12-7.50, a mark that ranks seventh on the program record list in the event.

Tre Lathan set a new personal best, taking third in the men’s 60-meter hurdles final with the eighth-best time in program history, 7.96. Lathan was the first of four Sooners to cross the line in the final as Matt Wicks,Malcolm Anderson and Nathaniel Winfrey also competed. Evan Pierson (6.89) was fifth in the men’s 60-meter dash finals, while Marcus Anderson was seventh (6.92).

After posting the top qualifying time of 7.48 in the women’s 60-meter dash, Shawna Anderson finished third in the final in the same time. Sherine Wells came in fourth in 7.49. Shakeeri Cole set a new personal best in the 600-yard run, crossing the line in 1:22.36. Shelleyeka Rolle came in fourth with a time of 1:22.87.

Landon Sharp set a new collegiate best in the men’s high jump. Sharp cleared 6-9.00 to finish fourth in the event. Teammate Wayne Walls registered a mark of 6-5.00 to take eighth and Christian Johnson was 10th (6-3.25).

Whitney Johnson finished third in the women’s long jump with a season-best leap of 18-1.75. Alisa Jenkinsqualified for the women’s 60-meter hurdles final, finishing eighth (8.94).

Caleb Gagliardi took seventh in the men’s pole vault, clearing 14-0.50, while Walls was fourth in the men’s triple jump, tying his season best with a jump of 47-7.25. Conrad Aaron also placed fourth in the men’s shot put (55-3.00).

Oklahoma’s men took fourth in the mile relay as the team of Marcus Anderson, Winfrey, Wicks and Michael Ervin finished in 3:23.74.

The Sooners will be back on the track next week in the Big XII Indoor Championships in College Station, TX.