Jan. 17, 2002

The Missouri Indoor Track & Field teams host the Missouri Invitational Friday, Jan. 18, in a meet that should have some exciting performances in several events.

The Tigers return to Hearnes Fieldhouse after hosting an eventful Missouri Triangular a week ago. Four fieldhouse records were set that night, including Christian Cantwell's Big 12 record 66-5.75 toss in the shot put.

Teams competing this Friday include Drake University, Michigan State (men only), Oral Roberts University, Southwest Missouri State University, Southwest Texas State University and the University of Tulsa. Michigan State will have strength in throws and Southwest Texas, Michigan State and Oral Roberts all have great pole vaulters.

"There will be some great competition at this meet and the throws and pole vault should be great crowd-pleasers," Missouri Head Coach Rich McGuire said. "This meet will have one of the best pole-vaulting competitions this year."

The men's and women's pentathlon will begin at 11 a.m., field events begin at 4 p.m. and running events start at 6 p.m.

Missouri Homecoming

The Missouri Triangular will bring some familiar faces back to the University. Olympic silver medalist, six-time All-American and Missouri Hall of Famer Natasha Kaiser-Brown is now the women's track & field coach at Drake University, one of the teams competing Friday. Kaiser-Brown was an assistant coach for Missouri from 1993-2000. Kaiser-Brown's husband Brian Brown is an assistant at Drake and also coached as a graduate assistant. Brown holds the Hearnes Fieldhouse record in the high jump (7-5), which was set back in 1991.

Another former assistant coach returning Friday to the fieldhouse is Michigan State Head Track & Field Coach Darroll Gatson. Gatson spent six years as an assistant coach at Missouria and assisted with sprints. Gatson is in his sixth year as head coach at Michigan State.

Up Next

The men's and women's track & field teams will take their first road trip of the 2002 season Jan. 26 when they travel to Manhattan, Kan. for the 13th annual KU-KSU-MU Triangular. The Triangular is the only meet in the country to combine the men's and women's results for one team score.

Missouri has not won the meet since 1998. Host Kansas State has been victorious the past two seasons.