March 7, 2000
Nine Tiger track & field stars have been selected to participate in the NCAA Championships this weekend, the NCAA announced yesterday. The nine participants marks the largest Missouri contingent in nearly 20 years. Seniors Derrick Peterson and Ryan Pirtle, junior Ashley Wysong, sophomore Timothy Dunne and freshman Christian Cantwell will all compete individually while the women's distance medley relay team of Kerry Hils, Ada Ibe, Sunny Gilbert and Ann Marie Brooks will compete collectively.
Peterson will be looking to defend his 1999 national indoor title while Wysong hopes to improve on her 1999 sixth place All-American finish at last season's championship meet. It is the first appearance for the other seven athletes.
"We have worked really hard in the middle distance events," assistant coach Jeff Pigg said. "It is a sign of growth and development in our program. Things have come together perfectly. We have a lot of momentum going into the NCAAs which will give us a good chance to run our best race of the season."
Pirtle is a 2000 USA Olympic Trial qualifier in the 3,000m steeplechase but has developed into a great "miler" according to Pigg. He ran a career-best 4:02.88 in the mile at the NCAA last chance meet this past weekend. Pirtle also competed in the 1,000m and 3,000m this season, provisionally qualifying in the 3,000m at the Big 12 Championships.
Dunne is continuing his success from the 1998-99 indoor season. He has been running well all season but found his niche at the Big 12 Championships. After qualifying for the NCAA Championships with a time of 1:49.66 at the Iowa State Classic earlier in the season, Dunne broke the Big 12 Conference meet record in the 800m (1:50.09), running to a second place finish just behind Peterson.
Cantwell has developed quite a following in his first collegiate season with everyone taking notice. He is one of the country's most exciting young throwers. The Eldon, Mo., native provisionally qualified in both the shot put and the 35-lb. weight throw, but will compete solely in the shot put. He threw a season-best 60 feet 6 ? inches at the NCAA last chance meet. For one week Cantwell held the MU school record in the weight throw with a hurl of 64 feet 4 ? inches, passing junior Micah Shanks before Shanks set the mark again at the conference meet to become the Big 12 Champion.
The women's distance medley relay team ran well all season, surpassing the qualifying mark on three different occasions. At the Big 12 meet, the foursome broke the meet record by over eight seconds with a third place performance (11:24.68). While the relay team works great together, they have also competed well individually. Like the relay team, Gilbert hit the qualifying mark in the 800m three different times, but competed very strong the entire season. Her season-best time in the 800m was 2:08.58, putting her in third place among other athletes in the conference. Gilbert also ran a strong 1,000m, taking second place at the Big 12 Conference meet with a time of 2:47.37, breaking the meet record. Hils, a freshman middle distance runner, provisionally qualified in the mile, but will run in the DMR. During the regular season, she also competed in the 1,000m, breaking the Big 12 Conference meet record with a time of 2:47.84. Ibe, a junior, was very consistent in the 400m and the 600yd during the regular season. She ran the 400m leg in the DMR at the Iowa State Classic, knocking down a time of 55.60. In the 600yd, Ibe ran a season-best time of 1:25.01 at the Big 12 Championships. Brooks, a sophomore, ran to a fourth place finish in the mile (4:49.51) at the Big 12 Championships. She followed that up with a season and lifetime-best of 4:47.92 for first place, also in the mile, at the NCAA last chance meet.
For a complete list of NCAA Qualifiers, check out the NCAA Web site at www.ncaa.org.