May 15, 2004
MANHATTAN, Kan. - At the Ward Haylett Invitational on Saturday, the University of Missouri track team added six to the list of NCAA Regional qualifiers that will be making a trip to Louisiana in late May. Also today, Tiger post-collegian Christian Cantwell took his tenth straight shot put final, winning over longtime rival and friend, Nebraska's Carl Myerscough.
Today's meet was the first on K-State's new R.V. Anderson Track since 2000 and great weather helped the Tigers get over the top. This weekend also marked the final time tracksters could earn the regional qualifying standard, and many who where close to that mark took notice.
Margaret Ibe (St. Louis, Mo.) ran for a personal-best time of 1:00.55 in the 400-meter hurdles to secure a qualifying mark. Her time places her second all-time in Missouri history, and just one-hundredth of a second of the school record. Ibe joins her sister, Comfort, as one of the 24 Tigers that will make the trip to Louisiana. Comfort qualified in the same event last weekend at Indiana's Billy Hayes Classic.
Two freshmen, Marcus Mayes and Bobby Musil also qualified in their events. Mayes (Sand Springs, Okla.) ran for a personal-best time of 1:49.94 in the 800-meter run. His time is the second fastest for an American under 19 for this year and, also gives him the World Junior Championship "B" standard. Mayes, along with Musil and other freshmen Tigers, will compete at the U.S. Junior National Championships in College Station, Texas, in late June, shooting for a spot in the World Junior National Championships in Grosetto, Italy.
Musil (DuBois, Neb.) grabbed a regional qualifying mark in the men's discus. His throw of 172 feet, 4 inches (52.54m) sets a new personal-best.
Sophomore Jamie Wynn (Lee's Summit, Mo.) hit a personal-best and earned a regional qualifying mark in the women's discus with a throw of 153 feet, 6 inches (46.72m).
Senior pole vaulter Lyndsey Tait (Jefferson City, Mo.) cleared the bar at 12 feet, 3? inches (3.75m) to earn an NCAA Regional mark and set a new personal-best. Tait also extended her mark as second-place all-time at Missouri.
Junior Adam Burla (Ellisville, Mo.) finished with a shot put throw of 54 feet, 1? inches (16.49m), earning a regional mark. Burla's throw was good for fifth place and set a personal outdoor best.
Also, at the men's shot put, World Indoor Champion and Tiger post-collegian Christian Cantwell won his tenth consecutive shot put final, winning with a stadium record throw of 69 feet, 3? inches (21.11m). Cantwell once again battled with long-time rival and friend, Nebraska's Carl Myerscough. Cantwell and Myerscough's first throws were with in ? inches within each other to Myerscough's advantage. Cantwell's next throw was the winner, Myerscough after improving on his second throw, fouled his final four.
Cantwell next weekend will throw in the inaugural Home Depot Invitational in Los Angeles, Calif., as part of a world-class field. Coverage of that meet can be found on mutigers.com throughout next week.
The 1600-meter relay team of Josiah James, Marcus Mayes, Jimmie Jones, and Neville Miller, won their event in a time of 3:15.31, setting a new track record.
Also winning today, Senior Holly Scherder in the women's hammer threw for 192 feet, 10 inches (58.78m). The school record holder and Big 12 Champ qualified for Regionals early in the season.
After a week without a meet, the Tigers will next travel to the NCAA Mideast Regional in Baton Rouge, La. The best teams of the SEC and Big Ten will be amongst the field. Missouri is the only school from the Big 12 that are assigned to the region. In all of the four regions, the top five in each event will automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships along with two to three wildcards from each event. The 24 that will represent the Tigers include three men's shot putters, three women's discus throwers, and eight distance runners, among others. Look for complete coverage of the event on mutigers.com throughout the next two weeks.