Derrick Peterson, NCAA 800m National Champion
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
March 8, 1999
Columbia, Mo. - Missouri track star Derrick Peterson, pictured, will no longer have to wonder what it feels like to stand on the top step of the victory stand at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Now he knows.
Peterson, a five-time Big 12 champion, won the national indoor championship in the 800 meters with a 1:45.88 time, the fastest ever by any American collegian.
"Its better than I ever imagined. I dont know if I can put it into words, but I guess Ill have to," said Peterson, a junior from Jonesboro, Ga.
Going into the race, Peterson, who finished second in the NCAA Indoors last season, was favored to win the race. That kind of pressure concerned MU coach Jeff Pigg.
"Its a nerve-wracking thing knowing that youre the best, but unless you are able to do it at that right moment, it doesnt matter," Pigg said. "For him to pull the trigger at the right time is really something great.
"Its one of the most exciting things Ive been through."
Peterson is the first national champion from MU since Albert Lane won the hurdles title in 1984. Pigg was a member of the MU team that season.
Missouri's Ashley Wysong also got into the fun by earning all-America honors in the 800. Wysong, a sophomore from Nevada, Mo., finished sixth in the NCAA women's competition.
"Im just in shock," she sad. "I thought I eventually might do something like this, but not this soon."
Wysong followed her school-record time of 2:06.59 in the qualifying round on Friday with a 2:06.90.
She ran her race just before Peterson took the track for his race.
"It was a crazy five minutes for us," Wysong said.
Peterson said he was comfortable throughout the day, but had a pre-race talk with Pigg so he wouldnt get too confident.
"The last thing I wanted to be was so overconfident that I couldnt run the race, but I just waited until I saw a window and took it," Peterson said. "I came out with a win - and a new record."
The win qualifies Peterson to be part of a list of possible competitors for the national team. But the biggest change will come in two weeks when the Tigers start preparations for the outdoor season.
"Its just a different chapter in my running career and Im grateful for it," Peterson said. "Now I have sit down and reassess my goals before the outdoor season."
This story appeared in the March 7, 1999 edition of the Columbia Daily Tribune
