March 28, 2003
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The University of Missouri men and women's track team had another outstanding day at the Florida Relays in Gainesville, Florida today. Two Tiger athletes grabbed three individual titles and the women's 4x1500 meter relay team won their event. The three championships coupled with two yesterday, decathlon and women's 5000 meter run, brings the total number of titles at the Florida Relays to five.
On the women's side sophomore Jenny Bybee won the high jump with a leap of 5 feet, 7inches and won her first collegiate title in her career. The women's 4x1500 meter relay team of Serena Ramsey, Amy Chipman, Jill Petersen, and Ashley Patten won the race in a time of 18:43.51.
On the men's side senior All-American Russ Bell won both the shot put and the discus. Bell threw 61 feet, 7 inches in the shot put and launched the discus 180 feet, 9 inches. All collegiate winners from today and yesterday have the opportunity to compete in the invitational portion of the meet tomorrow. Bybee and Bell will take part in the invitational.
Missouri head track and field coach Rick McGuire said, "Anytime you go to a track meet some athletes do an awesome job, some do what you expect them to do, some have breakthrough performances, and some do not do as well as you hope and all of those things have happened at this meet. We get to compete against a lot of teams that we don't normally get compete against. To compete against the amount of teams we are competing against and get a number of champions at this meet is just terrific, and we have a lot of firepower for tomorrow. I'm thrilled."
In addition to the five champions the Tigers have had at the relays many athletes have qualified for the NCAA Regional Championships in Columbus, Ohio at the end of May. Jenny Bybee (high jump), Jason Edmonds who jumped 6-9.25 in the high jump (high jump), Russ Bell (shot put, discus), and Neville Miller who ran the 800 meters in 1:51.14 (800 meters) qualified today for the Regionals. Fiona Asigbee (high jump), Abbe Ohneck (long jump), and Knut Sommerfeldt (javelin throw) qualified for their events yesterday in the heptathlon and decathlon.
The Florida Relays conclude tomorrow with the completion of the relay runs and the invitational portion of the event. The Tigers open up their home season next week at the Missouri Relays held on Friday and Saturday at Walton Stadium.