Oklahoma
‘We will forever feel this loss’: Victims with Oklahoma ties lost in DC plane crash

Frequent flier reflects from Wichita airport on news of American Airlines tragedy
Jon Anderson said the news affected him deeply as a frequent air traveler, noting he had difficulty falling asleep the night of the crash.
Investigators on Friday forged ahead with search and salvage operations after the collision of a passenger plane and a U.S. Army helicopter that killed 67 people, as families and communities across the U.S. and in other countries mourned the victims in the deadliest aviation disaster in over two decades.
Among the victims were people with ties to Oklahoma State University, Tinker Air Force Base and Oklahoma’s agriculture community.
Shortly before 9 p.m. on Wednesday night, American Airlines flight 5432 plunged into the Potomac River when it collided with an Army UH-60 Black Hawk conducting a “routine” training exercise. All 64 aboard the plane bound from Wichita, Kansas to D.C. are presumed dead, as are the three soldiers who occupied the helicopter.
Wednesday’s collision is the worst crash involving a U.S. airline since February 2009.
Here’s what we know about some of the victims who had ties to Oklahoma:
Lindsey Fields: Dedicated to ‘changing students’ lives every day’
Forgan native Lindsey Fields was headed to Washington, D.C. to advocate for excellence in life science education.
She was president-elect of the National Association of Biology Teachers, a role she was eager to step into because it was the same position her father Todd Carter held in 2008.
For the past decade, Fields taught biology at Butler Community College in the Wichita area. She was beloved at the school, who praised her energy and dedication to her craft.
“Lindsey was a colleague, friend, and educator who dedicated her wisdom and talents to changing students’ lives every day. We owe her much gratitude for sharing her light with us and we will forever feel this loss. We send much love and support to her family and friends during this most difficult time,” the school said in an announcement Friday morning.
Fields, a graduate of Forgan High School in the Oklahoma Panhandle, earned a master’s degree in zoology from Oklahoma State University. After that, she took an internship with the Oklahoma City Zoo working with big cats. According to an online biography, Fields’ graduate research led her to Kansas where she examined water quality of reservoirs on the central plains.
Oklahoma State Professor Andy Dzialowski was her coursework adviser at the university. He said that Fields took on the rare job of being an undergraduate teaching assistant, which is a role usually reserved for post-graduate students.
“If you asked people in her department who would have been one of the most successful teachers, it would be Lindsey. She was a really good teaching assistant,” he said. “She was a really nice person. A great big smile.”
Dzialowski feels humbled to see that Fields became so successful in her field.
“Students appreciate someone who’s dedicated to teaching them. Even if you don’t become a biologist, it’s important that you understand science,” he said. “Being a biology professor and teaching general biology courses really has a significance in our society.”
Andrew Eaves, a Black Hawk instructor pilot, served at Tinker AFB
One of the pilots on board the U.S. Army Black Hawk was Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves, who was serving as an instructor pilot.
Before joining the Army’s warrant officer program to fly helicopters, Eaves was a sailor stationed at Tinker Air Force Base.
Eaves was a native of Brooksville, Mississippi. His wife, Carrie Eaves, shared the news in a post on Facebook.
“We ask that you pray for our family and friends and for all the other families that are suffering today,” she wrote.
The Army said the Black Hawk, from the 12th Aviation Battalion, Davison Army Airfield in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, was on a training mission when it collided with the American Airlines jet.
Bob and Lori Schrock: Compassionate, eager to help others
Robert “Bob” and Lori Schrock were known in their community as compassionate people.
Bob, 58, and Lori, 56, lived in Kiowa, Kansas, which sits on the border with Oklahoma near Alva. Bob worked there as a farmer, their daughter Ellie told The Washington Post. The Oklahoman, which is part of the USA Today Network, reached out to Ellie, who wasn’t immediately available to speak about her parents.
The couple was flying out of Wichita that week and planned to ride the train to visit their daughter in Philadelphia. It was a typical trip the two took.
Michael Simpson, a longtime family friend, shared that the couple were quick to lend a hand. Bob was one of the few men who encouraged him, Simpson said on social media, and he often sought Bob out for advice throughout his life.
“[They were] always silent in the background and never looking for any appreciation. They had a strong, vocal relationship with the Lord and I look forward to seeing my friends again. One of the last times we talked was about how amazing heaven will be and how excited we were about the hope we have, but until then we have a job to do for the Kingdom,” Simpson wrote on Facebook.
Simpson said while he misses his friends, he is praying for Ellie’s future.
“Biggest heartbreak that we’ve been both praying about is their daughter because I can’t imagine how lonely that is going to feel. For me, for Mark, we’re going to hurt; it’s going to be painful, but we know we’re going to see our friends again,” he told KSN News.
Ellie’s close friend Grace Cantrell shared with reporters that she mourns the moments that the three will no longer be able to share.
“All the things that her parents won’t be there for, her wedding, her first boyfriend, her first kid, she’s planning on going to med school. If she becomes a doctor, they won’t get to see her achieve that,” Cantrell told KSN News.
Lici Beveridge of the Hattiesburg American contributed to this story.

Oklahoma
What Rick Barnes said about No. 4 Tennessee's game at Oklahoma on Saturday

What head coach Rick Barnes said before practice Friday morning at Food City Center, previewing No. 4 Tennessee (19-4, 6-4 SEC) at Oklahoma (16-6, 3-6) on Saturday (Noon Eastern Time, ESPN) at Lloyd Noble Center in Norman:
His reaction to the Tennessee Lady Vols beating UConn Thursday night
“Man, I tell you what, my wife was so excited. She was in another room for me because I was watching that and obviously watching what I need to do for this weekend and she kept calling me. She said, what’s going on here? And I’m like, when you come in here, we can talk about it. But it’s so exciting because they’ve been so close in some of those games, and just a great win over obviously a great program. And the rivalry there with UConn and Tennessee has been special. But to keep it going you need to win and I think they had beaten us four times in a row. But just a great win for the Lady Vols and for us. And really happy for her. And I loved her comment at the end of the game that she just wanted to get home and see her baby boy. So I’m sure that was a special way to cap off a great win for her.”
What stands out about Oklahoma
“Well again, a lot of respect for Porter Moser. When he was at Loyola, they knocked us out of the NCAA Tournament. But I’ve known Porter and certainly about him and he’s done a great job everywhere he has been. And you go back, I mean, out of nowhere early in the year they go to Battle of Atlantis, against a great field there, come out as champions of that tournament. And we all know once you get into this league every night, it can be just a different battle. But his teams, they guard, they do some different things. They’ll show you some pressure in the back court, change their ball screen coverage at times. But they work hard. I’m sure they’ll play personnel like everyone does. But just a lot of respect for him and his team and again, for this league. I mean, they’re like us. Every time you turn around you’re playing against a ranked team and they’ve been right there all year with everybody. And no doubt in my mind they’re as competitive as anybody that we will play this year.”
Jahmai Mashack’s lack of second half minutes against Missouri
“Just the fact that I thought that the group got going, you know, they got going and Jordan kept the floor spread and that’s what was working, that’s what we stayed with.”
What they need to do to get off to better starts offensively
“Well I told our guys, I mean, I thought we’ve done a good job, you know, following our game plan from a defensive standpoint. But all that we talked about from an offensive standpoint, game plan, we didn’t do any of it. It was there for us, but we didn’t, for whatever reason. And again, when it doesn’t work you can look at your opponent knowing that they might have something to do with it or have a lot to do with it. But the fact that we looked at it at halftime, it was there, we just didn’t take advantage of it. And if we would have, they would’ve adjusted obviously. But I think it’s the focus in terms of on both ends being ready. And we talked about where we wanted certain guys after missed baskets and we didn’t get them there. And second half we were much more together in terms of execution.”
Oklahoma’s Jeremiah Fears
“Well he has good size, sees the floor well. And, again, I look at the coaching staff and they’ve done a really good job putting him in positions he needs to be in to be effective.”
The key for Igor Milicic to find consistency
“Just focus. I think it’s understanding he plays with a, obviously, I think a high motor. But I think that what it gets about is can you focus for the two and a half, three hours you’re out there. But I think it starts long before that. I think it started way back in the summer and I talked about that with our team yesterday. Being at a high level is really hard to do. Very few people can do it. That’s why there’s very few guys that have long outstanding careers at the highest level. You know, you can talk about— I think most coaches will say they like to have a guy with a high motor, which to me translates to a competitive spirit. But to do that at the highest level is really, really, really hard. And it’s something that has to be worked on every day. Every time you go out on a practice court, you got to be able to say I got to go right now. I’m gonna win it or lose it right here. And it’s a habit that you try to form, which is really hard to form. And then when the lights come on, you’ve got to be ready to go knowing that the guy on the other side wants it just as badly as you do. And let’s see whose habits went out right now?”
Four of Tennessee’s next five games being on the road
“Yeah, I don’t think about it. I just think about the next one. I couldn’t even tell you who four of the five are. I wouldn’t have known the next one except I just did a TV show with Bob (Kesling) and he told me, and I said, ‘we can talk about what you wanna talk about, but our mindset has to be on Oklahoma right now.’ And that’s how you approach it.”
If Igor Milicic’s play in his last two games has taken pressure off Tennessee fifth-year guard Chaz Lanier
“I think when Igor plays well, it takes pressure off everybody. I don’t think it’s just him. I think that’s why we need consistency outta (Darlinstone Dubar). We need that from him. We need to know what we’re gonna get there ’cause Igor, hopefully can continue to build and (do) what he does, but we need D-Stone to do what we know he’s capable of consistently. Those guys, and Cade (Phillips), and really Felix (Okpara), I think when they’re playing well, doing what we need them to do, I think it takes pressure off all the perimeter players.”
What changes when Zakai Zeigler is playing off the ball and Jordan Gainey is running point guard
“Well I think Zakai, that was what he naturally was when he got here. I thought Zakai was — I knew he was good during the game — but after watching the game, I thought he played one of his best games of the year in terms of managing the game for us and getting us settled in and doing what we needed to do. Now he was one of those guys at the start of the game I thought was locked in, but waiting to do what he needed to do. But his teammates weren’t doing what they needed to do. But I thought he stayed poised and confident. When we really got going, he made some just terrific passes, but really controlled the flow for us.
“We like him off the ball because we think that those inside-out threes for him are when he’s really at his best, where he can shoot it or drive the ball from the triple-threat position.”
What he remembers most about Tennessee’s loss in the NCAA Tournament to Loyola Chicago, who was coached by current Oklahoma coach Porter Moser
“An uncontested shot at the elbow by Jordan Bone. That’s what I remember. You know, they got the elbow jumper, we didn’t contest it.”
His favorite Tennessee Lady Vols player of all time
“Candace Parker. I mean, she and I were at the John Wooden Award (banquet) back when she won it. We were at the head table and it was a four-hour banquet and she was sitting beside me, and we hadn’t known each other, and just outta the blue, I started playing hangman with her. We started doing the box game and we literally did that for four hours, you know, and I think I won most of it.”
Oklahoma
OU Basketball: Oklahoma Survives Road Game vs. Ole Miss Thanks To Late Run

Oklahoma finished Thursday’s game against Ole Miss how it started.
The Sooners beat the Rebels 66-56 on the road, ending the game on a 12-2 run. The surge came after OU blew a15-point lead and allowed Ole Miss to hold a seven-point fourth-quarter lead.
Here are three takeaways from Oklahoma’s win:
After the Sooners stalled during the second and third quarters, they ended the game well.
OU, trailing by seven in the fourth quarter, went on a 10-0 run in the middle of the period to retake the lead. The Sooners never allowed the Rebels to take the lead back, outscoring them 23-11 altogether in the fourth.
Sooners On SI Podcast, Ep. 282
The Sooners (16-6, 5-5 SEC) dominated Ole Miss in the paint in the fourth quarter, grabbing 13 rebounds to Ole Miss’ seven. OU didn’t allow Ole Miss to score in the final 2:39 of the game, with the Sooners forcing five turnovers in the fourth quarter.
This late-game surge came after Ole Miss (15-7, 6-4) outscored Oklahoma 36-19 in the second and third quarters. OU’s final 10 minutes looked much more similar to its first 10 minutes, when the Sooners went to the first quarter break with a 24-9 lead.
The Sooners were without star center Raegan Beers due to an undisclosed illness, per an OU source.
Beers — Oklahoma’s leader in points, steals and blocks per game — has reached double figures in all but one game this year, the exception being the Mizzou game in January, when she suffered an injury.
Still, the Sooners saw contributions from a variety of players on Thursday.
Nine Sooners scored against the Rebels, with senior guard Payton Verhulst leading the way with 19 points on 7-of-18 shooting. Sahara Williams and Liz Scott also reached double figures, logging 14 and 10 points, respectively.
Oklahoma assisted on 17 of its 22 field goals.
Even after Thursday’s well-rounded effort, the Sooners will welcome Beers back with open arms. The junior center is averaging 16.9 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game.
The Sooners have six regular-season games remaining in their inaugural SEC campaign. They battle Auburn on Monday, the first of three final games at the Lloyd Noble Center.
Oklahoma moves back to .500 in league play with Thursday’s win, and the Sooners are in sole possession of eighth place in the SEC standings.
OU Basketball: No. 1 Auburn Dominates Oklahoma in Second Half, Sooners Are 3-6 in SEC
Of the Sooners’ six losses, five came against opponents ranked in the top 15. The only exception was OU’s road loss to Mississippi State in January.
OU entered Thursday ranked No. 20 in the NET rankings, used heavily by the NCAA Tournament selection committee to determine which teams are selected for the tourney.
Oklahoma
OU Softball: Oklahoma Building on New Identity in Today’s Season Debut

Finally, the softball season is here.
Patty Gasso’s No. 3-ranked Sooners begin the process of officially breaking in a host of new faces in live action on Thursday with a pair of games in California.
Up first, Oklahoma takes on Cal State Northridge and San Diego State, which serves as the debut for a team that she has continually said will have a new feel this season.
OU will still hit home runs, but the Sooners are expected to be more athletic on the basepaths, putting pressure on opposing pitchers and defenses by swiping extra bags and simply putting the ball in play.
Putting on an Oklahoma uniform for the first time can be daunting for transfers and freshmen alike, but Gasso hopes to just get everyone acclimated and focused on taking the game on play at a time this weekend.
“If you could imagine coming in as a freshman and saying, ‘Oh my gosh, this team has won four national championships, so what is my job? To win them a fifth.’ That’s not what we’re asking for, but it’s just a common feel for them,” Gasso said. “And if we can just get them to settle in and not worry about the outcomes but really about the process of learning and together and those kinds of tough situations, fighting through them, you’ll start to see us rise.
“And I’m really excited for you all to watch what this might look like, because I’m very excited to see it.”
After the two-game set in San Diego, Gasso takes the team to Fullerton on Friday for a pair of games before closing the weekend in Los Angeles.
The slate is not only designed to challenge the team on the field, but to force the team to play through the kind of physical toll that a deep postseason run will take.
All the travel will serve as a good chance for the team to bond, as it’s the first real time Gasso has taken her new group in the road.
“We have a lot of bus rides this first weekend. And bus rides are where you connect,” Gasso said. “If you’ve ever been on a team, if your bus is quiet, then you got a problem. If your bus is rocking, then good things are going on. If there’s a lot of laughter.
“… But as long as there is energy and fun at times, you know they are connecting. What is important is that individuals don’t show their frustration because maybe they’re not getting what they want or they’re not in the lineup as much. They — I still need to see and feel good teammates. Good, like, for the team versus for self. And not everybody’s going to get probably what they want. But that’s part of being a team. And that’s where the captains step in and recognize those things.”
Gasso will undoubtedly tinker with her lineup throughout the non-conference slate, but the opening six games gives the newly minted Team USA coach ample time to mix and match her new pieces all over the field.
“I definitely feel I’m gonna be doing that,” Gasso said. “I think we have a good opportunity to bring in, like a second crew, to come in, maybe defensively in the outfield or defensively in the infield.
“… So there’s lots of opportunity. I just really want to give everybody a feel for what this feels like. We’re going to take in every game. We’re going to really break it down, understand it. … The early preseason is going to be probably the most important part of our season. Because if we aren’t ready going into the SEC, it’s too late to try to get ready.”
Those preparations will start against Cal State Northridge at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, and the night’s second contest against San Diego State is scheduled to start at 8 p.m.
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