Nura Muhammad's ready to standout as a Sooner


Name: Nura Muhammad Stephens
School: Mountain Pointe
Signed with: University of Oklahoma

How do you decide to sign with Oklahoma?

I decided Oklahoma because I saw a lot of spirit on the team and throughout the campus. People were very personable, I could not tell that this was an entire new team with new coaches and athletes. Everyone spoke and bonded as if they knew each other for a while. I liked that because being a freshman next year I want to feel welcomed. Overall I feel like I will grow and prosper as an athlete, student, and a person at OU.

What made you want to pay them a visit?
Honestly would say the home visit I had with Coach V. Initially I wasn't that interested with Oklahoma, thankfully during the home visit I bonded with Coach V and discovered he has a very real personality and humble spirit aside from his background in Track & Field. He is also very knowledgeable and will be able to make me a great triple jumper in the future.

What were some of the other schools you were investigating?
Clemson, Arizona State, Mizzou, GCU, LSU, and TCU.

How do you fit in with Coach Vanhootegem vision for the team and did you see any similarities with Mountain Pointe's program?
Oklahoma is in need of a female jumper so that's where I would come in. And yes I would consider Mountain Pointe and Oklahoma similar. I would say both schools always go into competition as the underdog, and since I'm fairly new to track I would consider myself as an underdog. You may not always be the number one complete team which takes away some of the meet pressure and expectations of others off, but both MP and OU always have some phenomenal standouts.

What draws you academically at Oklahoma? Have you decided on a major you want to pursue?
Oklahoma has strong business and an excellent engineering department and I happen to have an interest in both areas.

You've been very blessed to compete with Mountain Pointe and learn from Coach Todd. What will miss most about him and your teammates?
I will miss Coach Todd's dry humor and the patience he has with me. I will miss the family bond my teammates and I have. We are all very close, and some of my best friends.

Did you make friends with any current or future Sooner athletes?
I have made a few, and follow other commits on social media. But it is definitely intimidating to be attending such a large school not knowing many people.

What is something you still want to accomplish before you graduate high school?

I would like to become more of a leader in the track aspect, I still lack some of the basic knowledge to the sport but I am definitely also going for the all-time Arizona triple jump record.
(Photo by Rob Versaw)