19 Tigers have qualified for meet that starts Friday

May 22, 2007

COLUMBIA, Mo.--Preparations are underway at the University of Missouri's Audrey J. Walton Stadium in advance of this weekend's NCAA Track & Field Mideast Regional that begins this Friday. Nearly 900 athletes, representing 88 different Universities that span 13 states will be in Columbia, looking for the "Gateway to Sacramento", the golden ticket to California and the NCAA Championships that a top-five individual finish will bring. Missouri will have 19 athletes in the meet and are among one of the best competitive fields to ever compete in the state of Missouri for any track meet.

The Mizzou Regional Roster: 19 Tigers Ready for Regionals

Mizzou Quick Hits

* Mizzou qualified 19 Tigers to the field

* The Tiger men had eight regional-qualifying marks in throwing events which is tied for the Mideast Region lead with Tennessee.

* Four Tiger male hammer throwers qualified for the regional which ranks No. 1 in the Mideast Region. Mizzou is tied for the national-lead in the category with Monmouth, Colorado State, and Georgia.

* In addition, Mizzou qualified four female hammer throwers which is the most in the nation among women.

* Mizzou was also the only team in the nation to qualify four female shot putters to the regional.

* The Tiger women are second nationally, and led the regional, in total regional marks in throwing events with 10. Only Arizona State, with 11, has more.

* Last year the Tiger men finish fifth in the region with 36 points, and was just two points from catching Louisville in fourth ... the Mizzou woman was ninth in 2006 with 23 points ... for both squads it was the best finish in school history ... additionally, both squads combined for eight (8) automatic, top-five finishes for the NCAA Championships a year ago, a school record.

Mizzou Athlete Notes

BRACEY: Making his second appearance in a regional, qualifying for both the 100m and 200m in the heats of the Big 12 Championships. Bracey will make his first appearance in the regional in the 200m. This Tiger is also a wide receiver for the football team.

CORNELL: Making his first appearance in a regional. Cornell is the only Tiger from Columbia to make the field, having qualified in the 1500-meter run with a 3:47.30 clocking from the Arizona State Invitational in March.

DAILEY: Making his third appearance in the regional and third with the hammer. Seeded No. 9 in the region that has seen 12 over 200 feet this year. Took ninth last year in the regional. Has a personal best of 206-4 which could threaten the top five. Named to the Big 12 "Good-Works" Team for Spring.

ENGLIN: Making his third overall appearance in a regional, third with the shot put, and first with in the hammer throw. Englin injured himself before the indoor season and still recovering. Despite the ailments, Englin has taken runner-up honors this season in both the indoor and outdoor Big 12 Championships with the shot. Englin was also runner-up in the regional meet last season with the shot. Englin enters as the No. 8 seed in the shot with his season's best at 57-11¾, but has thrown over 62 feet in the past. Only Auburn's Cory Martin has thrown over 62 feet this year. Englin is also part of a very large and strong field in the men's hammer throw. Englin added over 10 feet to his personal best in the hammer over the season to qualify.

GLOMSROED: Making first appearance in the regional, having transferred from Norway's University of Bergen before the start of the year. Leapt to a school record of 41-8½ (12.71m) at the Big 12 Championships in qualifying for the meet. The mark puts her as the No. 12 seed, but within a foot of the No. 5 seed, Seidre Forde of Louisville. LSU's Andrea Linton enters as the favorite.

HANCOCK: Cleared 16-10¾ (5.15m) at the Big 12 Championships to earn a new personal best and a second All-Big 12 honor. Enters regional meet as the only Tiger freshman and as the No. 4 seed, tied with four others at the distance and has got a shot at the "automatic" top-five spot to the NCAA Championships, being one of 13 vaulters within a bar raise of each other. McNeese State senior Brad Gebauer, the NCAA Indoor Champ, is the favorite, having been the only in the region over 18 feet this season, ranking third in the NCAA, 12th in the U.S., and 21st in the World.

HOBSON: Making his fourth appearance with the shot at the regional. Has been one of the most consistent performers for Mizzou in any event over his career, and that consistency paid off last year as Hobson was fourth in the region and automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships. Hobson was fourth at the Big 12 meet a few days ago, and his season's best of 56-4¾ puts him at 20th in the region, but only two feet separates him and his personal best and the top five in the region again.

HUNT: Making her first regional appearance in what could be called a breakthrough year, Hunt is one of four Tigers to be in both the shot and the hammer. Hunt earned All-America honors with a fourth-place showing at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March with the weight throw.

JONES: Making his third appearance in the regional and second in the 800 meters, running a 1:49.61 in the qualifying for the Big 12 final to make the regional meet. Has a personal best of 1:49.11 and was 12th in the regional a year ago.

LEE: Making her second appearance in the regional, second with the shot, and first with the hammer. Broke through with a near 40-foot personal best this season with the hammer and enters as the No. 8 seed in the meet. In the shot, Lee is the No. 12 seed with a season's best 49-8.

MAYES: Making his fourth appearance in a regional, running a season's best of 1:48.65 at the Arkansas Invitational a few weeks ago, Mayes enters as the seventh seed in the region and is ranked 21st in the NCAA. Mayes was second to Notre Dame's Thomas Chamney in last year's regional. Chamney, a native of Ireland, returns as the No. 5 seed (1:48.56), but two LSU Tigers lead the list with frosh Jamall James having run a 1:47.00 this year, which ranks No. 15 in the World.

MILLER: Making his first appearance in a regional, Miller qualified for the regional with a two-foot personal best in the triple jump with a 49-4¼ (15.04m) leap at the Big 12 Championships, into a -1.2 m/s headwind. In this stacked field, the top nine seeded in this region is in the NCAA's top-25 and is led by Michigan senior Michael Whitehead (53-4¾).

MORRIS: Making third overall appearance in the regional, along with third with both the hammer and discus. Seeded No. 4 with the hammer, ranking No. 17 in the NCAA in the event with a season's best of 214-6. Has a personal best in the event, and Mizzou's school record, with a throw of 218-11. Morris took runner-up at the regional meet last year to qualify for NCAA Championships in the event. The field includes six of the NCAA's top 25 along with the NCAA leader, Auburn's Cory Martin.

MUSIL: Making his fourth overall appearance in the regional, fourth with the discus, and third with the hammer. Will get married in a few weeks to former women's basketballer Carlynn Savant. Seeded No. 7 in the hammer with a season's best of 206-8 and just outside of the NCAA's top 25. Was fifth with the hammer a year ago at the regional meet. Fourth with both the hammer and discus at the Big 12 Championships.

NICHOLLS: Making first appearance at the regional, having transferred from Missouri Baptist this year. Only Tiger to qualify for the regional in three events, the shot put, discus, and hammer. Holds records for her home country of Barbados in the shot put and hammer throw, and is just two centimeters off the discus national record. Incredibly, holds a top-10 seed in each of the three events entered, and is the favorite in the shot put, having bested the field by two feet this year with a school-record toss of 56-2¾ in placing runner-up by a centimeter at the Big 12 Championships. Nicholls ranks No. 5 in the NCAA with her season's best and in the top 25 in the World. 

NICKOLEY: Making third appearance in the regional in the 800-meter run. Enters meet with a 2:05.37 season's best, good for a No. 6 seed and a No. 12 NCAA rank. The field has 10 of the NCAA's top 25 and is led by Michigan's Katie Erdman who ran a 2:02.99, 11th fastest in the World this season, at the Arizona State Invitational, in defeating Nickoley. Nickoley, the Big 12 Indoor Champion, is looking for her first bid to the NCAA Championships.

POTRYKUS: Making first appearance in the regional, running in the 3000-meter steeplechase. Collected a personal best in running a 10:46.91 at the Arkansas Invitational.

ROBE: Making third appearance in the regional with the shot, first with the hammer. Qualified for the NCAA Championships with the shot a year ago and has a personal best in the event of 50-8.

WYNN: Making her third appearance in the regional with the discus. Has thrown for a personal best of 162-10 in placing sixth at the Big 12 Championships, ranking her 11th in the region. But, only five feet separates her and the No. 4 seed, Kayla Schultz of Wisconsin.

Other Random Notes on the Field

·          Auburn's Donald Thomas is the co-World leader in the men's high jump, having leapt to 7-8 (2.34m) this season. The Auburn senior first attracted national attention when he joined the Lindenwood (Mo.) track team early in the 2006 indoor season in his first-ever meet, the Eastern Illinois Mega Meet, he cleared 2.22m (7-3¼) while jumping in running shoes, winning the event and breaking school, meet and facility records.

·          A very talented field waits in the men's long jump. Troy University's O'Darien Bassett, a sophomore, has the national- and region-leading mark of 25-10¾ (7.88m), but 11 of the NCAA's top 25, and furthermore, 24 of the NCAA's top 50 are among this crazy field. The top 16 competitors have season bests within a foot of each other. NCAA Indoor Champ, Louisville's Tone Belt is No. 3 in the NCAA and NCAA Indoor Triple Jump Champ, Louisville's Andre Black is No. 5 in the NCAA.

·          Southern Illnois' Brittany Riley is the No. 1 seed in the women's hammer throw, ranking as the best American so far this year and No. 10 in the World with a season's best of 237-10, less than two feet off the Collegiate record set by Georgia's Jenny Dahlgren earlier this year and just five feet off the American record. Riley set a World's record in the weight throw at the NCAA Indoor Championships earlier this year as well.

·          Notre Dame senior Molly Huddle is going after her fourth Mideast Regional 5,000-meter title this weekend, having previously won in 2003, 2004 and 2006 ... she would be the first athlete (male or female) ever to win four Mideast titles in the same individual event, and in fact, no other athlete has even won more than two Mideast crowns in the same individual event.

·          Random Steeplechase fact: the two current American record holders in the event came from the Mideast region and are previous regional champs in the event ... Arkansas' Daniel Lincoln won in 2003 and claimed the U.S. men's record last year in Rome with an 8:08.82 clocking ... Toldeo's Brianna Shook won in 2004, and in the same year went to Holland and broke the U.S. record and the collegiate record with a 9:29.32 time.

·          Auburn's Kerron Stewart is the No. 1 seed in both the women's 100- and 200-meter dashes. Stewart, the NCAA Indoor Champ at both 60 and 200 meters, is again ranked No. 1 in the NCAA in the 100, but did not declare and will not run in that event. ... but, Stewart also has the NCAA's No. 2 mark in the 200, having run a 22.52 at the SEC meet, which ranks fourth in the World ... as expected both fields are very deep with seven of the NCAA's top 25 coming in the 100, four of which has top-25 World times ... in the 200, seven of the NCAA's top 25 are in the field. The LSU tandem of Kelly Ann Baptiste, the defending region champ in the 200, Sherry Fletcher, Brooklynn Morris and frosh Samantha Henry will play big-time roles in both of these events.

·          Entering last weekend, LSU sophomore Trindon Holliday had the U.S.'s fastest 100-meter time this season, running a 10.08 at the SEC Championships. Holliday enters as the No. 2-ranked athlete in the NCAA and the fourth-fastest in the World ... overall the men's 100 includes eight of the NCAA's top 25 and three of the NCAA's top five ... Wisconsin's Demi Omole is also in the field, coming off a second-place finish in the 60-meter dash at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March

·          Tennessee freshmen Evander Wells is the No. 1 seed in the men's 200, having ran a 20.43, the 17th-fastest time in the World so far this year. The frosh ranks No. 3 in the NCAA.

·          The men's 800 field has eight from the NCAA's top 25 and is led by a 1-2 in the NCAA pair from LSU. Freshman Jamaal James, a native of Trinidad & Tobago, ran a 1:47.00 at the SEC Championships which ranks 16th in the World this year ... teammate Reuben Twijukye is second in the NCAA with a 1:47.11 from the same SEC race ... Mississippi State's Golden Coachman ranks fourth in the NCAA, having run a 1:47.40.

·          In the men's 1500, South Alabama's Vincent Rono returns to defend his region title and to begin attempts to defend his NCAA title as well. Rono currently has the No. 5 rank in the NCAA.

·          The men's 5000 field is led by Chris Solinsky of Wisconsin. The defending NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Champ at the distance have run in 13:30.54 this year. Notre Dame's Patrick Smyth is next in the regional rankings and is No. 13 in the NCAA.

·          The NCAA's leader in the 110-meter hurdles comes from the Mideast region. Mississippi's John Yarbrough is ranked No. 1 in the NCAA with a wind-aided 13.43 time and is in the World's top 20 with a 13.54 wind-legal time ... the field includes nine from the NCAA's top 25 that includes a pair from Auburn and Purdue.

·          LSU's Isa Phillips is the No. 1 seed in the men's 400-meter hurdles, having ran a 49.54 this season, the second-best in the NCAA this season and the fastest for a Jamaican. Phillips, who was sixth at the NCAA Championships a year ago, has a time that is also in the World's top 25 so far this year. ... Auburn's Rueben McCoy ranks fifth in the NCAA and in the U.S.' top 15.

·          The No. 1- and No. 2-ranked steeplechasers in the NCAA will come to Columbia. Mississippi's Barnabas Kirui, a native of Kenya, has the NCAA's top time of 8:33.59 set at the SEC Championships a week ago. The time also is a top-12 time in the World this year. Eastern Michgian's Corey Nowitzke is No. 2 in the region and No. 2 in the NCAA, having run an 8:35.10, a top-five time for an American this season.

·          LSU has won all four regional men's 4x400 races and is the defending NCAA Champs. Their time this year of 3:03.62 is only second to Baylor, what will they put on the track for the regional?

·          NCAA Indoor champ Brad Gebeauer leads an interesting field in the men's pole vault. Gebeauer has cleared over 18 feet this season in the vault which ranks No. 3 in the NCAA.

·          The men's triple jump will have a lot of intrigue as well. Nine of the NCAA's top 25 are in the field, led by Michigan's Michael Whitehead who has went 53-4¾ this year.

·          Auburn's Cory Martin leads the NCAA with a 234-3 season's best in the men's hammer throw and is one of six in the field that are among the NCAA's top 25. Martin is also the No. 1 seed in the men's shot put. Teammate Jake Dunkleberger is No. 4 in the NCAA with Kent State's Andy Nicholas close behind.

·          In the men's javelin, seven of the NCAA's top 25 are in the field with Chad Radogwski of LSU as the No. 1 seed. The top seven in the field have thrown the spear over 220 feet this season, and that should be fun to watch.

·          Tennessee has been the only team to have a winner in the women's 400-meter dash, having swept the past four years ... This year, Arkansas' Jessica Cousins leads the field with a 52.06 time, ranked No. 9 in the NCAA ... Cousins is one of seven that are in the NCAA's top 25 in the field.

·          In the women's 800, Michigan Katie Erdman enters as the No. 1 seed and the No. 2 rank in the NCAA with a U.S. top-six time of 2:02.99 this year. Seven of the NCAA's top 25 are in the field in what should be a heavily-contested run to the top five.

·          Arkanas' Dacia Barr leads as the No. 1 seed in the women's 1500, having run a 4:14.97 at the SEC meet. Michigan's Nicole Edwards is the defending region champ and finished fourth at last year's NCAA Championships. She enters as the No. 2 seed with a 4:16.47 best. Seven of the NCAA's top 25 are in the field, and Michigan has had someone win the event in each of the last three years.

·          Middle Tennessee State senior Juan Walker (Picayune, Miss.) is the only male in the country to qualify for the regionals in a four individual events. Walker qualified in the 110-meter hurdles, 400-meter hurdles, long jump, and triple jump. Walker ranks in the Mideast nation's top-25 in the 110 hurdles and long jump.

·          Michigan senior Anna Willard (Greenwood, Maine) qualified for the regionals in a regional-best four distance events, the 800-meter, 1500-meter, 5000-meter runs and the steeplechase. Willard ranks in the NCAA top-10 of each of those events. Which will she run?

·          Illinois senior Yvonne Mensah (Surrey, British Columbia) also qualified for the regional in four events: 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, long jump, and triple jump. Mensah is the national top 25 in the 100-meter dash.

·          Tennessee's men leads the region, and is No. 2 in the nation, with 31 regional qualifying marks. Florida State leads the nation, and the East region, with 34 marks.

·          LSU's men are No. 1 in the region and No. 2 in the nation with 14 marks that rank in the national top 25.

·          Notre Dame's men led the nation with eight regional qualifying marks in middle-distance events (800m and 1500m) with eight.

·          Wisconsin's men tied for the national lead in regional qualifying marks for distance events (5000m and Steeplechase) with eight (Oregon).

·          The Mideast Region is by far the toughest for women's sprints and hurdles, as 45 competitors from the national top-25 in the five events are among the field. The East Region is the second-toughest in the category with 33 ... the Mideast is also the toughest region in women's middle-distance races (800m and 1500m) with 18 NCAA top-25 marks.

·          LSU's women led the nation with six qualified for the regionals in the 100-meter dash.

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