Missouri
Big 12 Outdoor Championship
Stockard Runs Down Big 12 Heptathlon Title
4/30/2004 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
April 30, 2004
NORMAN, Okla. - The University of Missouri track and field team completed day two at the Big 12 Championships on Friday. Sophomore Jessica Stockard was a surprise winner of the women's heptathlon, securing the second consecutive title for Missouri in the event. Hans Uldal took second in the men's decathlon with a national top 12 performance.
Stockard (Godfrey, Ill.) was crowned as Big 12 Heptathlon Champion today, winning with a personal-best score of 5,378 points. The score places Stockard sixth on the national performers list from scores entering the weekend. Stockard's previous-best score of 5,175 points came at last year's Big 12 Championships where she finished sixth. Claiming now her seventh all-Big 12 honor, Stockard gave Missouri their second consecutive Big 12 heptathlon title. Last year, the Tigers' Fiona Asigbee was crowned as champion.
"I'm very excited and I can't believe that I won," Stockard said. "I'm very thankful that things fell my way."
Stockard has now won her second Big 12 title as she was part of the Tigers' Distance Medley Relay team that took the indoor conference crown in February. At that meet, Stockard finished sixth in the indoor pentathlon.
Stockard battled for second and third throughout the first five events. A turning point came in the sixth event, the javelin throw. The leader at the time, Kansas State's JaNelle Wright, fouled all three attempts, eliminating her from top contention an opening the door for the Tiger. Stockard earned a personal-best in the discipline, throwing for 107 feet, 4 inches (32.72m). Wright entered the weekend with the second-best national performance by a collegian for the year.
"It was a heartbreaker for me to see JaNelle foul out," Stockard added. Everyone out here respects her and what she does, and we consider her the best one out here."
The crown was then to be decided by the final event, the 800-meter run. Stockard approached the line with only a 66 point lead, knowing that she could not trail Baylor's Jordan Willman by more than four seconds to take the crown. In second place stood Baylor's Jordan Willman who's personal-best in the 800 was near 2:12; Stockard's best was 2:18.89.
"I really didn't know I was in first until Coach McGuire told me. Then I knew I had to stay close in the 800, but I had so much adrenaline that I just went for it."
Stockard finished with a three-second personal-best time of 2:15.46, trailing Willman by less than a second with her time of 2:14.52.
"I had won a Big 12 Championship in the indoor distance medley relay, but this was my first in the hep. It feels great. I don't think it has fully soaked in yet."
Stockard is now one of four from the Big 12 in the top ten on the national performance list. Her score improves her NCAA provisional qualifying mark.
Sophomore Hans Uldal finished second in the men's decathlon with a final score of 7,329 points, an NCAA provisional qualifying mark that will place him in the top 12 in the nation. Uldal hit a personal-best in the pole vault event on his way to his season-best overall score.
Also today, junior transfer Conrad Woolsey finished fourth in the men's shot put, throwing for 59 feet, 7? inches (18.18m). Woolsey is now a two-time all-Big 12 performer after finishing third at the indoor conference championships.
Junior Jenny Bybee cleared five feet, six inches (1.68m) for fifth place in the women's high jump. Bybee has now earned five all-Big 12 honors.
Freshman Melanie Uher earned her first all-Big 12 honor finishing fifth with a toss of 158 feet, 1 inch (48.18m) in the women's discus.
In the preliminary rounds on the track, the Tigers will advance four to tomorrow's finals. Senior Comfort Ibe set a personal-best in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:01.54 to advance. Also advancing, junior Amanda Bales in the 1500-meter, sophomore Ashley Patten in the 800-meter, and junior Whittney Stuart advances to the 400-meter finals after running a personal-best time of 55.56.
On the men's side, junior Neville Miller qualified for the 800-meter run finals with a time of 1:50.99, the sixth best time in the group.
Freshman Greg Bracey recorded personal-bests on the day. First, Bracey in the 400-meter dash tied his previous best time of 49.86, then he finished in 14th in the 200-meter, shattering his personal-best with a time of 21.76.
Tomorrow's portion of the meet will begin at 1:00 p.m. with field events and the track finals beginning at 4:00 p.m.
For complete results visit mutigers.com or recordtiming.com.
