Feb. 27, 2004
LINCOLN, Neb. - The Missouri track and field team competed Friday in the first day of the Big 12 Indoor Championships in front of a crowd of 1,977 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center on the campus of the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb. Most of day one's competition was highlighted by track preliminaries and the first day of the combined events. Missouri's women's distance medley relay team earned a Big 12 title and senior Holly Scherder once again set a new school record in the women's weight throw to surge the team to second place after day one.
The women's distance medley team clinched their first Big 12 title since 2001. The team of Jill Petersen (1200m), Jessica Stockard (400m), Allison Werner (800m), and Amanda Bales (1600m) won with a time of 11:27.35. The race was steady most of the way with Missouri in third place most of the time, trailing Texas and Oklahoma State. When Bales took the baton on the final leg of the race, she took the lead a lap into her 1600-meter run. The last time Missouri earned a Big 12 Championship in the event, the same team went on to win an NCAA Championship title.
"You have to be thrirlled whenever your kids can win a championship at the Big 12 Championships," said Dr. Rick McGuire, head track and field coach. "All four kids gave great efforts and had great races that took care of business. It was the plan and it was stuck too, and I'm happy and proud of all of them."
"Each of our girls did a fantastic job in the relay," said Rebecca Wilmes, assistant track and field coach. "All of the legs did the job to make the whole relay work. Amanda (Bales) ran a fantastic leg as well. Allison Werner's 800-meter ran a personal-best and put us on the big stage. If she doesn't run that leg the way she did, we wouldn't have won that race."
Senior Holly Scherder (Frankford, Mo.) once again broke Missouri's school record in the women's weight throw and for the first time earned an NCAA provisional mark with a toss of 61 feet, 10? inches (18.86m). The mark eclipsed her previous personal best by over 16 inches. This was also Scherder's first all-Big 12 honor for indoor competition. She earned all-Big 12 honors in the hammer throw at the 2003 outdoor championships.
"I couldn't be happier with Scherder and Snider," McGuire said. "Nobody has worked harder than those two roommates. Scherder had personal-bests three times during the meet, and when you deliver your best here, it's worth the accolades you work for."
Sophomore Tim Ross (Alto, Mich.) earned his fourth all-Big 12 honor with a fourth place finish in the 5000-meter run with a time of 14:22.26. Ross finished fifth at last year's indoor championships.
Sophomore Jessica Stockard (Godfrey, Ill.) earned her fourth all-Big 12 honor by finishing sixth in the women's pentathlon with a score of 3,697. Stockard improved her mark from the 2003 indoor championships by 210 points after achieving season-bests in three events. Sophomore Liz Young (Jefferson City, Mo/Helias HS) took 12th in the event with a score of 3,265.
In the first day of the men's heptathlon, freshman Bjorn Sommerfeldt (Norway) is in eighth place with 2,674 points in his first Big 12 Championships. Sommerfeldt's best event was the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 7.44 seconds where he scored 732 points. Senior Marcus James (Liberal, Kan.) is in tenth place with 2,611 points. Junior Brandon Goebbert (Hinsdale, Ill.) is in eleventh place with 2,565 points, posting season bests in three of the four events.
Freshmen Jimmie Jones (Detroit, Mich.) and Marcus Mayes (Sand Springs, Okla.) both qualified in the men's 800-meter run after running neck-and-neck throughout most of their heat. Mayes edged Jones 1:53.21 to 1:53.23.
"J-J (Jimmie Jones and M-M (Marcus Mayes) will be names people hear a lot in the years to come at Missouri," McGuire added.
Mizzou junior milers Ryan Hampton (Liberty, Mo.) and Amanda Bales (Bettendorf, Iowa) qualified for Saturday's finals in the mile run. Hampton finished second in his heat to conference leader, Oklahoma State's Jason Woolhouse who qualified in the fastest time.
Sophomore Ashley Patten (Clarkston, Mich.) qualified for the finals of the 800-meter run with a time of 2:09.46. Patten, finishing fourth at the 2003 Big 12 Indoor Championships, came within footsteps of last year's champion, Texas' Evelyn Dwyer.
Competing in her first Big 12 Championships, freshman Allison Werner (Danville, Iowa) qualified for the finals of the 1000-meter run with a season-best time of 2:55.63. Werner was also part of Missouri's winning distance medley relay team.
In other events, senior Jemma Archibald finished 13th with a season-best in the 60-meter hurdles (8.88), Laura Brandt took 11th in the 600-yard run (1:26.21), and Whittney Stuart finished 11th in the 400-meter dash. Junior Neville Miller placed 10th in the 1000-meter run, freshman Tipper O'Brien took 12th in the same event. Freshman Greg Bracey finished 15th in the 200-meter dash with a personal-best of 22.13.
Day two will get underway at 9:30 a.m. tomorrow morning with the final three events of the men's heptathlon. Field events begin at 1:30 p.m., and track finals start at 3:00 p.m. The meet is expected to wrap-up by 7:00 p.m., tomorrow evening. Live results can be found on mutigers.com or huskers.com.
SATALITE COORDINATES (SATURDAY ONLY) for highlights (mainly of winners of each event) DATE: Saturday, February 28, 2004 TIME: 9:00-9:15 CT COORDS: Telestar 7, Transponder 2, kU Band/Analog, Download: 11740 H, 121 West
BIG 12 INDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS Friday, February 27, 2004MISSOURI COMPETITORS ==================== NOTE: Any competitor finishing in the top eight is named all-Big 12.
**FINALS** WOMEN'S PENTATHLON 6th, Jessica Stockard (So.), 3,697 ... 9.18 (60mH), 1.61 (HJ), 11.70 (SP), 5.46 (LJ), 2:25.66 (800m) 12th, Liz Young (So.), 3,265 ... 9.72 (60mH), 1.61 (HJ), 9.95 (SP), 4.86 (LJ), 2:29.04 (800m)
WOMEN'S 5000m RUN 4th, Serena Ramsey (So.), 16:56.62, Personal-best 7th, Valerie Lauver (So.), 17:03.43, Personal-best 11th, Katherin Bonugli (Sr.), 17:23.04, Personal-best
MEN'S 5000m RUN 4th, Tim Ross (So.), 14:22.26 11th, Chase Hall (So.), 14:44.73 --, Josh Davis, DNF
WOMEN'S DISTANCE MEDLEY RELAY 1st, 11:27.35, NCAA Prov. Jill Petersen, Jessica Stockard, Allison Werner, Amanda Bales
MEN'S DISTANCE MEDLEY RELAY 11th, 10:15.51 Mark Munzlinger, Jason Jones, Neville Miller, Matt Noonan
WOMEN'S POLE VAULT --, Jennifer Bennett (Sr.), no height --, Kelley Weidinger (Jr.), no height
WOMEN'S LONG JUMP 17th, Samantha Stanley (So.), 5.37m, 17-7.5, (5.32, FOUL, 5.37)
MEN'S LONG JUMP
WOMEN'S WEIGHT THROW 3rd, Holly Scherder (Sr.), 18.86m, 61-10.5, NCAA Prov., MU School Record, Personal Best 15.50, 18.59, 18.30, 17.70, 17.48, 18.86 7th, Ann Snider (Sr.), 17.57m, 57-7.75 17.56, 17.57, 16.69, FOUL, FOUL, 17.45
MEN'S WEIGHT THROW 13th, Jason Morris (Fr.), 16.60m, 54-5.5, (15.22, 16.60, 15.74) 15th, Adam Burla (Jr.) , 16.20m, 53-1.75, (FOUL , 15.90, 15.68)
**PRELIMINARIES** WOMEN'S 60m HURDLES 13th, Jemma Archibald (Sr.), 8.88 (8.88 prelim), season-best
MEN'S 200m DASH 15th, Greg Bracey (Fr.), 22.13, Personal-best (indoor)
WOMEN'S 600yd RUN 11th, Laura Brandt (So.), 1:26.91 13th, Margaret Ibe (Jr.), 1:27.92
MEN'S 600yd RUN 20th, Jason Jones (Jr.), 1:14.07 23rd, Phillip Watson (Fr.), 1:15.79
WOMEN'S 800m RUN Qual, Ashley Patten (So.), 2:09.46
MEN'S 800m RUN Qual, Marcus Mayes (Fr.), 1:53.21 Qual, Jimmie Jones (Fr.), 1:53.23
WOMEN'S 1000m RUN Qual, Allison Werner (Fr.), 2:55.63
MEN'S 1000m RUN 10th, Neville Miller (Jr.), 2:26.28 12th, Tipper O'Brien (Fr.), 2:28.02
WOMEN'S MILE RUN Qual, Amanda Bales (Jr.), 4:48.46 15th, Kristin Hansen (Jr.), 5:05.24
MEN'S MILE RUN Qual, Ryan Hampton (Jr.), 4:07.70
**IN PROGRESS** MEN'S HEPTATHLON ... after day one 8th, Bjorn Sommerfeldt (Fr.), 2,674 ... 7.44 (60m), 6.53 (LJ), 12.63 (SP), 1.76 (HJ) 10th, Marcus James (Sr.), 2,611 ... 7.24 (60m), 6.34 (LJ), 10.36 (SP), 1.82 (HJ) 11th, Brandon Goebbert (Jr.), 2,565 ... 7.40 (60m), 6.14 (LJ), 10.78 (SP), 1.85 (HJ)