Missouri
NCAA Championship Preliminary Round
Dixon, Irwin Punch Tickets to Eugene
5/28/2010 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
May 28, 2010
Aaron Dixon Interview | Blake Irwin Interview
AUSTIN, Texas - Both Aaron Dixon (Lee's Summit, Mo.) and Blake Irwin (Bettendorf, Iowa) used strong kicks in the final 200 meters of their quarterfinal races to earn a spot at the second round of the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 800m run as Mizzou wrapped up day two of the first round of the NCAA Championships on Friday (May 28) in Austin, Texas. Now that the pair has qualified for the second round of the NCAA Championships, Mizzou will have four athletes compete in Eugene, Ore., next month.
The 800m quarterfinal was divided into three heats and Irwin -who claimed the Big 12 title at 800m two weeks ago - was first Tiger to run as he was in the second heat. After running in fourth throughout much of the first 600 meters, Irwin kicked with about 200 meters to go and bolted to third place in his heat to earn one of the automatic qualifying spots as the top three in each heat automatically advanced to Eugene.
"It is really just another step in a miraculous season for me," Irwin said after the race. "Winning Big 12s was a highlight and I just wanted to come back and prove to myself and everyone that it wasn't a fluke. I wanted to prove that Aaron and I are here to stay and that we are here to make big names for ourselves. We did that today and now we get the chance to go try and do it again out in Eugene."
Irwin's time in the quarterfinals was 1:47.53, a personal-best and the fastest time run by a Tiger this season; that is until Dixon ran in the very next heat. Dixon was even farther back from the top three heading into the final 150 meters of the race, but just like Irwin, he used a late kick to put himself back in contention for a berth into the semifinals. He lunged at the finish line to try and pass Baylor's Chris Gowell and he ended up falling to the track, but he came up just one hundredth of a second shy of earning third in the heat and the automatic berth to the semifinals. But, his time of 1:47.39 was the fastest among the non-automatic qualifiers which advances him to Eugene. His time is a personal-best and is the fastest run by a Tiger this season, topping the time that Irwin has set just two minutes earlier.
"The other runners got out on me moderately hard, which is pretty regular, but they never slowed down," Dixon said after the race. "So because they were pushing so much I just decided to relax and in the last 250 meters I would start picking them off. So that is what I did; I let them tire themselves out and that way I was able to move up just a bit and start kicking. That heat was going so fast that at that point, I knew my time was going to get me in so I just stayed relaxed and continued to run hard."
Dixon and Irwin now rank fifth and seventh, respectively, on Mizzou's all-time men's 800m list, which contains some of the most celebrated athletes in program history. The berths to the championships are the first for both Irwin and Dixon.
"It is obviously exciting for them," men's distance coach Jared Wilmes said after the race. "They have worked really hard and prepared themselves well and it is good to see the preparation really pay off for them. We knew it was going to take fast times to get in, but we came in with the purpose of being smart and tactical. We really tried to finish the last half of the race well and I think the executed that plan very well today."
Aside from Dixon and Irwin, Mizzou saw sophomore Leslie Farmer (Jefferson City, Mo.) compete in the 400m hurdle quarterfinals on Friday. Once again, as she has done almost every week this season, she reset her own school record in the event after clocking in at 58.92 to finish fifth in her heat. Overall, she finished 16th overall, just four spots shy of earning her a spot in the semifinals in Eugene. Her season comes to a close, but not without several highlights. In fact, entering the season, her top time in the 400m hurdles was 1:00.44 and she shaved 1.52 off of that mark this season, setting up a bright future for the Tiger sophomore.
Megan Collins (Lee's Summit, Mo.) and Katie Evans (Powersville, Mo.) were the first two Tigers to compete on day two the first round, doing so in the women's discus. Collins just missed qualifying for the event finals with a throw of 46.32m (152-0), placing her 25th in the event. Evans finished just behind her with a throw of 43.51m (142-9) to place 38th overall. Staying in the throws events, junior Chris Holly (Topeka, Kan.) was the next Tiger to compete as he participated in the men's hammer throw. He threw 56.45 (185-2) to finish 32nd overall.
Senior combined event standout Nick Adcock (Kansas City, Mo.) was the first Tiger to compete on the track on Friday as he ran in the 110m hurdles. He ended up finishing 30th overall with a time of 14.53, earning him 30th overall. Despite not qualifying for the semifinal in Eugene in the hurdles, Adcock has already punched his ticket to the final round of the NCAA Championships in the men's decathlon. He and teammate Lars Rise (Trondheim, Norway) have both earned a spot in the decathlon as they are the nation's No. 2 and No. 3 decathletes, respectively.
Senior Lana Mims (Tulsa, Okla.) also competed for Mizzou on Friday, doing so in the long jump and the 200m dash. Her top performance came in the long jump as she leaped 5.88m (19-3 ½). She also clocked a time of 24.34 in the 200m dash to finish fifth in her heat and 31st overall, leaving her just seven spots shy of earning a berth in tomorrow's quarterfinals.
Senior Angela Potrykus (Evergreen, Colo.) rounded out the Tigers' day as she ran a time of 10:48.82 in the 3,000m steeplechase for 11th in the heat. The Tigers have no one competing in the final day of action at the first round of the NCAA Championships tomorrow. The next meet for Mizzou will be the final round of the NCAA Championships in Eugene, which begin June 9. For all the latest on Mizzou track and field, stay tuned to MUTigers.com.
Players Mentioned
