The OU Indoor track and field teams are looking to both defend several individual titles and improve their Big 12 finishes from 2009 at the conference championships this weekend.

“At this point in the season, coaches start to structure their practices where the intensity is a little less so they can begin to bring their event groups into a peak for the championship part of the season,” head coach Martin Smith said.

In 2009 conference championships, the men and women finished fifth and sixth respectively.

Junior Ti’anca Mock is defending her 2009 title in the long jump competition and redshirt freshman Karen Shump is ranked number one in shot put.

On the track, Junior Latoya Greaves and junior Ronnie Ash are defending their titles in the 60 meter hurdles. Ash is the conference’s top ranked athlete in the race.

Junior Jacob Boone is currently ranked first in the men’s mile. Boone and Junior Eric Harasyn both ran sub four minute miles this season.

Another major athlete to watch is Junior K.P. Singh. Last week at the Sooner Open in Norman, Singh won the weight throw event and broke his own school record. He was also named Big 12 athlete of the week.

All twelve conference schools will attend the meet in Ames, Iowa. Last year, Texas won the men’s side for the fourth consecutive year and the Texas A&M women won for the third year in a row.

The Iowa facility has a 300-meter track with four pole vault runways, two long/triple jump pits and can seat two thousand spectators.

Nationally, the men and women’s teams are currently ranked 12th and 15th respectively. The Sooners will attend the national NCAA Indoor Championships on March 12th.