Missouri
Big 12 Outdoor Championships
Irwin's Win at 800m Highlights Day Three
5/16/2010 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
May 16, 2010
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COLUMBIA, Mo. - Tiger sophomore Blake Irwin (Bettendorf, Iowa) claimed his first career Big 12 title - and the team's second of meet - during the final day of the 2010 Big 12 Outdoor Championships on Sunday (May 16) at Walton Stadium. Irwin used a late kick in the race's final 200 meters to separate himself from the field as he crossed the finish line in 1:48.40, more than half a second ahead of the next best finisher. Irwin joins Nick Adcock (Kansas City, Mo.) as Big 12 Outdoor Champions in 2010 as they highlighted what as another great weekend for Mizzou.
"It's great," Irwin said after the race. "There have been a lot of guys running 800s here that have had amazing times like Derek Peterson, who won eight in a row in indoor and outdoor. It's just great to bring the title back to Mizzou and it feels good to be the one to do it. It's a great feeling."
In fact, Irwin is the Tigers' first Big 12 Outdoor Champion in the 800m run since Derrick Peterson - who is currently an assistant coach with the Tigers - claimed four straight outdoor titles from 1997-200. Also, Irwin's time of 1:48.40 in the event is a personal-best in the event and ranks him 21st nationally and eighth in the west region, qualifying him for the first round of the NCAA Championships, which will be held in Austin, Texas, on May 27-29.
Also in the 800m run, Irwin's teammate Aaron Dixon (Lee's Summit, Mo.) placed sixth in the race with a time of 1:50.73, earning him All-Big 12 honors. Dixon was among the leaders through the majority of the race, but fell back to sixth during the last 200 meters. With the sixth-place nod Dixon earns his third All-Big 12 laurel as he claimed a pair during the Big 12 Indoor Championships as a member of the distance medley and 4x400m relays. In all, the duo of Irwin and Dixon combined to score 13 points for the Tigers in the team competition.
Staying in the 800m run but moving to the women's side, Layne Moore (Emporia, Kan.) placed fifth overall in the event to earn her second All-Big 12 honor of the 2010 season as she finished the race in 2:10.38. The fifth-place nod builds upon her Big 12 1,000m run title during the indoor season.
Sophomore Leslie Farmer (Jefferson City, Mo.) also earned All-Big 12 honors while once again resetting her own school record in the 400m hurdles after clocking in at 59.30, just one hundredth of a second back of the fifth-place finisher in the event as she placed sixth. The All-Big 12 honor is her third of the season as she earned the accolade in the 600-yard run and as a member of the 4x400m relay during the indoor season. That mark now ranks her 14th in the west region, earning her a spot to the first round of the NCAA Championships. In all, Farmer and Moore combined to score seven points for the Tiger women on day three.
Freshman Katie Evans (Powersville, Mo.) rounded out the individual All-Big 12 honorees on day three as she earned her second of the Championships, this time doing so in the women's shot put. Evans finished eighth overall with a throw of 14.67m (48-1 ¼), earning another point for the Tiger women. Evans also earned All-Big 12 honors in the discus yesterday as she finished fourth. In all, Evans earned three All-Big 12 honors during the 2010 season after also finishing in the top eight at the Big 12 Indoor Championships.
Also earning All-Big 12 honors on the weekend was the women's 4x400m relay team which was comprised of Farmer, Moore, Lana Mims (Tulsa, Okla.) and Sierra Gant (Wichita, Kan.). The foursome clocked in at 3:43.42 to place sixth place overall.
The Tiger women earned All-Big 12 honors in the 4x100m relay. That foursome clocked in at 47.24 in the race to earn sixth place and three more points for the Tiger women. Farmer, Gant, Mims and Shawnte Middlebrook (Lee's Summit, Mo.) all ran as a member of the race and earned All-Big 12 honors. For Mims and Farmer, the All-Big 12 honors were their second on the day. For Mims, the pair of All-Big 12 honors gives her seven in her four-year career as well. Gant and Middlebrook each earned their first career All-Big 12 honors on Sunday.
The men's 4x400m relay team also earned All-Big 12 honors after placing eighth with a time of 3:10.40. The foursome was made up of Ryan Blackwell (Fenton, Mo.), Adcock, Irwin and Chris Davis (Riverdale, Ga.). They ran in one of the most competitive events of the meet with some of the nation's best teams and still ranked in the top eight.
In all, the Tiger men and women each earned 10th overall in the team competition with 44 points and 24 points, respectively. Texas A&M ran away with the women's championship after scoring 157 points, 55 more than the next closest competitor. The Nebraska men, despite coming down to the final race, claimed the men's championship with 118 points, just four ahead of second-place Oklahoma.
Next up for the Mizzou track and field program will be the first round of the NCAA Championship, which will be held in Austin, Texas, on May 27-29. For all the latest on Mizzou track and field, stay tuned to MUTigers.com.
Players Mentioned
