January 12, 1999

Columbia, MO - On January 16, the University of Missouri will begin its 99th season of track and field with an indoor event at the Hearnes Building Fieldhouse. The 1999 edition of the Missouri team will feature a mix of both veteran experience and youthful talent. They will open the season in the newly resurfaced confines of the Hearnes Building Fieldhouse, which has been updated to provide a top notch facility for the Tigers.

1999 WOMEN'S PREVIEW

The combined events will be one of the strenghs on the women's side this season. Four all-conference performers return and Jill Osenbaugh was a solid athlete in 1998. The Tiger middle distance and distance corps will be an additional strengh for the women. Sophomore Katie Meyer was an all-conference runner in the 3,000m and is the MU record holder in the women's steeplechase. Meyer was followed closely by Sunny Gilbert, whose speciality is the 800m but she also competes in distance events. Becky Rigel returns as an indoor conference scorer from a year ago in the 800m. Jessica Patton won all-conference honors indoors in 1998 in the 1,000m.

Ashley Wysong recorded one of the strongest indoor seasons on the team last year. Overall she won four middle distance races in three different events last season and ran to all-conference honors at 800m. White will attempt to follow up her record setting season with more success in 1999. The senior set the school record in the hammer throw in 1998, tossing the implement 180-6.

In her freshman season, Tracey Holloman set a school record for the javelin throw with the 161-10 distance. She will look to qualify for her second NCAA Championships in as many seasons. Kelley Conway is back for her senior season throwing javelin. She along with Holloman will form a dangerous duo in this event for the Tigers.

Lindsey Miller leads the jumping events for MU. She is the school's triple jump record holder with a distance of 40-3 1/4. Miller was an all-conference jumper in '98. The sprinters are moving up in the conference with the tandem of Christina Page and Odessa Roberts. These quarter-milers compete on several relays along with newcomer Ada Ibe.

MISSOURI COACHING STAFF

Head coach Rick McGuire begins 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 47 All-Americans, two NCAA individual champions and 47 conference individual and relay champions.

Assistant coach Jeff Pigg is in his nineth 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.