Feb. 24, 2007
Complete Results
AMES, Iowa--The University of Missouri track and field squad completed competition at the Big 12 Indoor Championships in Ames, Iowa, on Saturday. The Tiger men finished the meet fourth overall with 79 points, just 1½ points from Oklahoma at third. Texas and Nebraska were co-champions on the men's side with 93 points. On the women's side, the Tigers finished in seventh with 51 points. In addition, junior Trisa Nickoley won her second conference crown in the women's 800-meter run.
"This was a fabulous meet," said Head Coach Dr. Rick McGuire. "Our kids came here and competed hard, and laid it all on the line. This was exactly the type of meet we predicted it would it be. Nine teams on the men's side came here thinking that had a chance at the title. This was the craziest conference meet I've ever seen. I congratulate Nebraska and Texas on making it through this meet on the top."
Junior Trisa Nickoley (Tecumseh, Kan.) won her second career title in the women's 800-meter run, leading from gun to tape to clock 2:08.46. Nickoley also won the title during her freshman year in 2005, leading to the conference's Big 12 Freshman of the Year honor. Mizzou has now won the event three of the last four years. Nickoley finished a half-second ahead of Oklahoma's Kristi Cook for the crown. Sophomore Ellen Ries was sixth in the race with a 2:11.99 clocking.
"I wanted to go out and gun it," said Nickoley on leading gun-to-wire. "Although I didn't go out as fast as I wanted, I felt I had a good race."
Missouri led all teams in the conference with 37 points from men's throwing events. The Tigers produced 15 points in today's men's shot put with a 2-3-8 finish to add to 22 points tallied in last night's weight throw. Junior Nate Englin (Shoreview, Minn.) placed second with an indoor personal-best mark of 60 feet, 5¾ inches (18.43m) to become a six-time All-Big 12 performer and move into the NCAA's top 20 in the event.
Sophomore Chris Rohr (Lee's Summit, Mo.) was third in the shot, throwing 56-11¼ (17.35m), an indoor personal best to become a four-time All-Big 12 honoree. Rohr scored 14 points for the Tigers on the weekend to lead the men. Junior Tyler Dailey was eighth to win his fourth All-Big 12 honor, marking 54-10¾ (16.73m). Oklahoma's Kevin Bookout won the shot with a toss of 61-11¾.
The Tiger women scored 14 points in the women's shot put with 3-4-6 finishes. Junior transfer Shernelle Nicholls was third with a 52-8¾ (16.07m) mark, adding a foot to her personal best and NCAA-provisional qualifying mark to land in the NCAA's top 15. Sophomore Krishna Lee (Kansas City, Mo.) was fourth at 51-5 (15.67m), adding two feet to her indoor personal best to jump to third all-time in Mizzou history and gain her an NCAA-provisional qualifying mark to reach the NCAA's top 25. Junior Elizabeth Robe, now a five-time All-Big 12 perfomer, was sixth at 49-4½ (15.05m), marking a new personal best and moving to fourth all-time in Mizzou history.
In the men's heptathlon, Tiger mainstay Hans Uldal placed second with 5,478 points to move to the NCAA's top 10 with an NCAA-provisional qualifying mark. Uldal was helped by an 8.25 clocking in the 60-meter hurdles, tying his own school record. Senior Bjorn Sommerfeldt was fifth, scoring an NCAA-provisional qualifying 5,394 points. Sommerfeldt had personal bests in the 60-meter hurdles and pole vault to reach the score. In a super-tough event, freshman Nick Adcock was 10th with 5,129 points, adding 130 points to his previous personal best.
The Tiger men's 4x400-meter relay team of Jerron Forte, Jimmie Jones, Marcus Mayes, and Nick Adcock was seventh at 3:10.23, earning an NCAA-provisional qualifying time as the second-fastest squad in Tiger indoor history.
Seniors Mayes and Jones was also third and fourth, respectively in the men's 800-meter run. Mayes clocked 1:50.60 in another intense race to become an 11-time All-Big 12 honoree. Jones ran in 1:50.82 as the top five all finished within a half-second of each other. Jones is now a 10-time All-Big 12 honoree.
In the men's Mile run, senior Tipper O'Brien was third at 4:05.24 to earn his fourth All-Big 12 honor.
In the men's 1000-meter run, sophomore Brian Graybill earned his first All-Big 12 honor clocking 2:28.35. Sophomore Angela Potrykus was seventh in the women's 1000-meter run with a 2:53.86 clocking.
Senior Tim Ross was seventh in the men's 3000-meter run at 8:14.06.
Freshman Brian Hancock (Monroe City, Mo.) was a pleasant surprise in the men's pole vault. The frosh cleared a personal-best height of 16-7½ to place eighth and score in his first Big 12 Championship.
In the Border Showdown Series, presented by Midwest Ford Dealers, Missouri and Kansas split the two points available in the series. Mizzou was fourth on the men's side with 79 points, Kansas was seventh at 57. In women's scoring Mizzou was seventh at 51 points, while Kansas was sixth at 52.
The Tigers will return to Ames, Iowa, next weekend for the Cyclone National Qualifier in hopes of qualifying more athletes for the NCAA Indoor Championships to be held in two weeks.
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