RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Oklahoma Baptist women's track and field tied with Harding for the top spot in the 2023 Great American Conference Preseason Coaches Poll released Thursday afternoon. OBU and HU received 77 total votes and five first-place votes apiece.
The reigning GAC track and field outdoor champions transition into the spring season fresh off their indoor campaign. The Bison turned in four NCAA qualifying marks and a host of top-five individual finishes.
Top returners going into the outdoor season are Anisha Henderson, Jade Byrd, Emily Julian, Sophia Strange, and Mary McKey.
Henderson, a sophomore, looks to build upon her success in the winter that featured a first-place finish in the long jump (5.68m) at the Wichita State Herm Wilson Invitational. She topped the mark with a 5.84m (19'-2") leap in the long jump at the TTU Matador Qualifier, the 28th-best mark in DII. Last outdoor season, Henderson won the long jump at four different meets as a freshman.
Byrd posted the furthest marks of any Bison in the shot put, and the weight throw in the winter. Byrd placed second in the weight throw at the Herm Wilson invite with a personal-best mark of 15.13m (49'-7.75"), her highest career finish.
Julian, OBU's most experienced pole vaulter, enters her final outdoor season on Bison Hill. Julian earned a season-high mark at the Crimson and Gold invitational in December, clearing 3.73m (12'-2.75") to meet the DII standard and chart the 34th-highest mark in the country.
Strange also managed an NCAA qualifying finish in the 5000 meters at the Gorilla Classic. Strange crossed the finish line in 17:10.53, the fastest OBU indoor time in the event since 2017. The sophomore from Seabrook, Texas, recorded five top-five finishes a season ago.
McKey returns after an outstanding sophomore season that featured 25 top-five finishes, capped with two All-American honors at the NCAA Outdoor Division II Championships. McKey placed fifth in the 400m hurdles at the championships before running the third leg on OBU's All-American 4x400 relay squad.
Oklahoma Baptist will kick off the outdoor season March 24-25 as hosts of the OBU Invitational in Shawnee.
2023 GAC Women's Track & Field Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Oklahoma Baptist - 77 (2)
T1. Harding - 77 (2)
2. Southern Arkansas - 63
3. Arkansas Tech - 48
4. Ouachita Baptist - 46
5. Northwestern Oklahoma State - 45
6. Southern Nazarene - 33
7. Southeastern Oklahoma State - 30
8. Southwestern Oklahoma State - 17
9. East Central - 14
