Oklahoma Posts Team Win At Midwest Regionals

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) _ Texas A&M's women's team dominated the field at the NCAA Midwest Regionals at Drake Stadium on Saturday, winning the team title by 32 points over three-time defending champion

Saturday, May 26th 2007, 2:27 pm

By: News On 6

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) _ Texas A&M's women's team dominated the field at the NCAA Midwest Regionals at Drake Stadium on Saturday, winning the team title by 32 points over three-time defending champion Texas.

Oklahoma took the men's title with 75.33 points, more than 15 points better than runner-up Nebraska. The Big 12 placed the top eight teams in the men's standings, and the top four on the women's side.

The Aggies, who qualified a meet-high 40 athletes, used their depth to rack up 99 points. Texas A&M's effort was highlighted by its 400 meter relay team, which ran the second-fastest time in the country this year to win in a stadium record 43.29 _ just .03 of a second off LSU's national best.

``Its a wonderful feeling to run 43.29, that's a really good time. We have a really good shot at winning the NCAAs, so hopefully we can do just as well there,'' Texas A&M's Simone Facey said.

Baylor beat its own men's 1,600 meter relay national best for this year, as Quentin Summers ran a 45.2 anchor to help give the Bears the win in 3:01.66.

Houston junior Ebonie Floyd turned in the top individual performance of the day by running 22.32 in the 200 meter dash, which was the second fastest in the world this year. Floyd, who took the women's sprint double with a win in the 100 meters, fell .14 of a second behind the time Allyson Felix ran last week in Carson, Calif.

Leonel Manzano of Texas, who won the mile at the 2007 Indoor Championships, took his third straight regional title and set a Midwest Regionals record by finishing the 1,500 at 3:40.21.

His winning mark was the second best in the nation this year.

``Today was a little windy, and I didn't know how it was going to feel like as the wind kept coming off and on,'' Manzano said. ``I just wanted to go out there and have a good race.''

Minnesota's Heather Dorniden, the 800 winner at the 2006 NCAA Indoor Championships, ran the fourth fastest 800 meters in the United States this year _ and the second fastest in college competition _ with a 2:02.03. UTEP's Fatimoh Muhammed ran the third best college time in 2007, finishing second in 2:03.03.

Colorado's Jennifer Barringer shattered the regional and stadium record in the women's 3,000 meter steeplechase with a time of 9:44.31, which also ranks second in the nation in 2007.

Oklahoma basketball star Kevin Bookout won the shot put at 63 feet, 3/4 inches, and fellow Sooner Shardae Boutte won the triple jump with a regional record leap of 52 feet, 8 inches.

Texas Tech's Marlon Odom won his third straight title in the men's 110 hurdles, with a time of 13.54.

``I had a great race and I could have not asked for anything better,'' Odom said. ``I hope to win nationals and I am in good position.''

Conditions were overcast for much of the day, with winds up to 13 mph, but the rain that pounded central Iowa during the morning ended soon before events began. Organizers had worried that thunderstorms and persistent rains would interrupt competition.

Saturday's session drew 5,244 fans, a strong crowd for a regional. Des Moines will host the NCAA Outdoor Championships in 2008.