February 4, 1999
Columbia, Mo - On Friday and Saturday the Missouri Tiger track and field team will take part in the Cyclone Invitational hosted by Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. MU is coming off a dominating performance this past Saturday versus Bradley and UMKC. The Tiger men tallied 167 points in their win, while the MU women earned 192 points in their victory. Overall the Tigers won 22 of 34 events at the meet.
Several top caliber teams, including MU, will compete Friday and Saturday at the Invitational. The Tigers will be looking to continue their string of strong team performances which has run over the first three weeks of the season. The men's and women's teams have gained first place finishes at the Missouri Invitational and Misouri/Bradley/UMKC Triangular thus far. The men and women also combined for a second place finish at the MU/KU/KSU Triangular.
Events at the Cyclone Invitational will begin Friday and run throughout the day on Saturday. Results from each day's action will be released as soon as possible for media and fans.
Missouri hosts the All-Comers meet at the Hearnes Fieldhouse next Saturday, February 13. Open registration for all events begins at 8:00 am however individuals interested in running the 5000m, 55m hurdles, and 55m dash must complete registration by 8:30 am. Also registration for the mile run, 400m dash, 800m run, 200m dash, 3000m run, and 4x400 relay must be completed by 11:00am.The day's competition begins at 9 am and continues all day.
Sommerfeldt and Shelton Challenge Personal Marks
At Saturday's triangular meet, sophomore Eli Sommerfeldt did some serious damage with the shot put. The heptathlete smashed her personal record in the event with a put of 38-10 1/2. Previously her best mark was 36-5. Eli's mark earned her first palce at last weekend's triangular and established her as a threat at every meet in the event. Also on Saturday, Kent Shelton tied his personal best, clearing 15-0 in the pole vault.
Posey Starts Off on the Right Foot
Carlos Posey had not run on a track in a while and he had not practiced his block start until the final call for the men's 55m Dash at the MU/KSU/KU Triangular. The Tiger figured to run a decent race using the speed that has also made him a starting conerback for Larry Smith's football Tigers. Instead Posey won the race, ran the best time of the year by a Big 12 runner, and provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships with a 6.26 time. On the football field, the junior from Baton Rouge, La., started all eleven games for MU and registered 49 tackles. On the track he has emerged as one of the conference's top sprinters. No word yet on whether he is reguired to attend practice now after his stellar performance without any.
Shanks Uping the Ante
Micah Shanks continues to set records for the Tigers. The sophomore again set the MU record in the men's 35 lbs. weight throw at the MU/KU/KSU Triangular, with a 54-8 3/4 throw to take third place. The toss bettered his old mark of 51-3 set at the Missouri Invitational to open the season. He has now set the weight throw mark three times since coming to MU.
MISSOURI COACHING STAFF
Head coach Rick McGuire is in his 16th season at Mizzou. He came to Columbia in 1983 as the women's coach and assumed the men's team responsibilities as well in 1988. While at Mizzou, McGuire has coached come 47 All-Americans, two NCAA individual champions and 47 conference individual and relay champions. Assistant coach Jeff Pigg is in his ninth year at Missouri, coaching the distance runners and cross country teams. This past fall he led both the men's and women's cross country teams to the NCAA Championships for the first time in school history. Pigg is a three-time NCAA Midwest Region Cross Country Coach of the Year. Assistant Coach Natasha Brown is now in her sixth year as a full-time assistant coaching the Tiger sprinters. As a Mizzou athlete, Natasha was a six-time All-American and a five-time Big 8 champion. She also brings her experience from international competition as a silver mealist at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and as a World Champion as a member of the 1,600m relay team at the 1993 World Championships. Assistant coach Brett Halter coaches MU's throwers for the second season as a full-time assistant, his sixth with the Missouri program. In just the last three years, Mizzou's throwers have established eight school records, have earned two conference championships and earned All-American honors three times.
HEARNES FIELDHOUSE RENNOVATED
In late 1998, the Hearnes Building Fieldhouse received a major facelift for track seasons to come. It now features a Martin ISS-2000 enscapulated, polyurethane surface for a six lane, 200 meter track. The resurfacing and updating of the facility has escalated it into a top-notch indoor track environment. Now along with the Audrey J. Walton Track and Soccer Complex, Missouri Tiger track has two teriffic homes for its program.