June 2, 1999

Boise, Id. - Here's a recap of the University of Missouri Track & Field team's first day at the 1999 NCAA Outdoor Championships, which are being held June 2-5 in Boise, Id.

Men's 800-Meter (Semifinals)

Junior DERRICK PETERSON finished second in his preliminary heat, and advanced to the finals on Friday evening, where he will look to defend the indoor national championship he won in March. Peterson, who finished with a time of 1:49.62, came in just behind Patrick Nduwimana of Arizona, who won the third of three heats with a time of 1:49.40. Peterson's time was the fifth-best among qualifiers. Trinity Gray of Brown had the fastest time on the evening, as he won the first heat with a time of 1:49.16.

Peterson will look to improve on his fifth-place finish in the 1998 NCAA Outdoor meet, when he ran a personal outdoor best of 1:47.14. His best time on the outdoor season is 1:47.39, which he turned in at the Big 12 Championships. He won the 1999 NCAA Indoor 800 earlier this year, with a new indoor American collegiate record time of 1:45.88.

Women's 800-Meter (Semifinals)

Sophomore ASHLEY WYSONG took second in her qualifying heat, with a time of 2:08.34, and advanced to Friday's finals, as well. Wysong finished just behind Brigita Langerhole of USC, who won heat #3 with a time of 2:08.12. Wysong's time was the eighth-fastest qualifying time on the night. Tytti Reho of SMU ran the fastest time, with a 2:05.72 in the first heat.

Wysong is making her first appearance at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. She earned all-American honors earlier this year when she finished sixth at the 1999 NCAA Indoor Championships, with a time of 2:06.59. She has a personal best of 2:05.75 in the outdoor 800 meters.

Upcoming Schedule

Missouri has the day off tomorrow (Thursday), as none of the four Tigers who made the trip to Boise are scheduled to compete.

At 2:30 p.m. (central time), senior RANNVEIG KVALVIK will begin her quest for her first all-American finish in the heptathlon. Her best finish in the NCAA championships came last year, as she placed 13th overall. Four events will be contested on Friday, with the final three set for Saturday.

At 4:00 p.m. on Friday, senior DARIN FILE will look to close out his Tiger career by earning his third straight all-American honors in the javelin. He finished eighth in 1998 and took fifth in 1997.

Wysong will compete in the women's 800 meter finals at 8:30 p.m. Friday, while Peterson will defend his indoor title 10 minutes later, at 8:40 p.m.