March 26, 2003

The University of Missouri men and women's track teams open up their season's at the Florida Relays on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida this weekend. The Tigers will compete with 46 other schools at one of the most prestigious collegiate track and field events of the year.

Missouri hopes to build on their impressive indoor track and field season in which the men finished the year 27th in the nation and fourth in the Big 12 Conference and the women finished 38th nationally and seventh in the Big 12. Christian Cantwell (shot put), Russ Bell (shot put), Jesse Sims (high jump), Janae Strickland (shot put), and Jennifer Bennett (pole vault) all earned All-American honors at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Fayetteville, Arkansas earlier this month.

Forty-seven Tiger athletes will compete and this weekends relays, which marks the 60th anniversary of the event. The relays start today with the first day for the heptathlon and decathlon and conclude on Saturday with the relay races. The Tigers open up the home season next weekend with the Missouri Invitational on April 4th and 5th.