SHAWNEE – The Oklahoma Baptist men's and women's track and field teams will kick off the 2023-24 indoor season this weekend at Pittsburg State University. OBU will compete in two meets over two days, the Boo Rogers combined events and the Crimson and Gold Invitational.
Events will begin on Friday and conclude on Saturday inside the Robert W. Plaster Center on the campus of Pittsburg State.
Head coach Brian Whitlock and staff have eight indoor meets on this season's docket, spanning from Dec. 8 to Feb. 16. The squads will make three straight trips to Pitt State, including this weekend, to participate in the Rumble in the Jungle (Jan. 19) and the Wendy's/Pittsburg State Invitational (Jan. 27).
Next, OBU travels to the Washburn Open and Multi's (Feb. 2) before returning to PSU for the 9th Annual Indoor Gorilla Classic on Feb. 10. Then the Bison will wrap up its regular season with stops at the Nebraska Tune-Up (Feb. 16) and the Arkansas Qualifier (Feb. 16).
The NCAA Division II Indoor Championships, where the Bison sent two individuals a season ago, will take place Mar. 8-9 at Pittsburg State.
Those two names, Trey Bartholomew and Isaiah Willis, return to OBU's lineup this year. Bartholomew, a sophomore, leaped to an All-America (Honorable Mention) finish in the high jump at the national event. Willis, a junior, claimed a First-Team All-America nod in the long jump with a mark that placed 7th among 14 participants.
The duo became the first Bison to garner All-America honors for an indoor field event in the program's Division II era. Furthermore, Willis is the lone Bison to collect a First-Team recognition since OBU joined the NCAA.
On the women's side, Olivia Tate, Sophia Strange, and Anisha Henderson highlight the returnees. Each registered NCAA DII qualifying marks in their respective events during the 2022-23 indoor season.
Tate put on an outstanding freshman campaign, which included three top-five finishes. In her OBU debut at last season's Crimson and Gold Invitational, Tate took second place in the 200m with a time of 24.76. She topped the mark later in the season with a 24.66 at Texas Tech's Matador Qualifier.
Strange recorded multiple personal best times, including a 17:10.53 in the 5000 meters that placed fourth at the 8th Annual Indoor Gorilla Classic.
Henderson registered five top-five finishes, highlighted by a win in the long jump at Wichita State's Herm Wilson Invitational. Her season-best leap of 5.84m (19-2) in the long jump finished as the 28th-best mark in the country.
Whitlock and staff signed 32 new faces, including 27 freshmen, over the off-season. The remaining athletes were transfers, including former Division II Indoor All-American and Great Northwest Athletic Conference Athlete of the Year, Steven Schmidt.
