Track & Field's Trials Begin Friday In Sacramento
7/6/2004 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
July 6, 2004
The U.S. Track and Field Olympic Team Trials will begin Friday, July 9th in Sacramento, Calif., and seven current and former Tigers will be in attendance, vying for a spot in the 27th Olympic Games to be held in Athens, Greece in August. Three from Missouri, Christian Cantwell, Derrick Peterson, and Ray Hughes, will enter their events in the top eight amongst all entries. The top three finishers in each event will become a part of Team USA, provided they have earned or will earn an Olympic "A" qualifying mark. Live television coverage can be seen throughout the week on NBC and the USA Network.
The list of the seven current and former Tigers that have achieved qualifying marks good enough to gain entry into the meet include: Christian Cantwell (men's shot put), Derrick Peterson (men's 800-meter run), Timothy Dunne (men's 800-meters), Michelle Moran (women's heptathlon), Fiona Asigbee (women's heptathlon), Janae Strickland (women's shot put), and Ray Hughes (men's steeplechase). Missouri junior Conrad Woolsey ranks 25th on the entry list in the men's shot put. The top 24 that declare into the meet will compete; therefore, if one in the top spots decides not to declare, Woolsey will travel to Sacramento. The declaration deadline for the men's shot put is tonight, Tuesday, July 6th, at 10:59 p.m., central.
A quick look at Missouri's competitors...
Christian Cantwell ('03), Nike, Eldon, Mo., Men's Shot Put
Cantwell currently ranks No. 1 in the IAAF World Standings in the shot put and has the world's longest throw of 73 feet, 11? inches (22.54m) for the season. Earlier this year, Cantwell won his first U.S. Championship at the USATF Indoor Championships in Boston, Mass. He followed by striking gold at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Cantwell has won 14 straight shot put finals, with the second best thrower in the world two feet behind. USA, as of now, has the top four performers in the world. Cantwell's competition will be stiff, with two-time Olympian John Godina, 2000 silver Olympic Medialist Adam Nelson, and Reese Hoffa, 2004 World Indoor Runner-Up, being the top competitors for the top spots.
While at Missouri, Cantwell, a native of Eldon, Mo., was a seven-time all-American and a six-time Big 12 Champion. Cantwell holds both the Missouri indoor and outdoor school records in the shot.
Cantwell will throw in the preliminary round on Friday, the 9th, and, if advances, will throw in the finals on Saturday, the 10th, live on NBC.
Derrick Peterson ('00), adidas, Jonesboro, Ga., Men's 800-meters
Derrick Peterson will be running in his second USATF Olympic Trials this year. The former Tiger missed qualifying for the 2000 Olympic Trial final by two-hundredths of a second. This time around, Peterson will have the much needed experience needed to excel on such a stage. Peterson, a native of Jonesboro, Ga., a suburb of Atlanta, will have lots of people gunning for him, as it will be one of the most exciting and unpredictable events in the Olympic Trials.
Peterson is one of only six Americans to have achieved the Olympic "A" qualifying standard in the past two years. His time of 1:45.69 at the Maine Distance Festival in June 2003 ranks him high on the list of performances of the past two years. His season-best time of 1:46.46 came at his last meet at the Occidental College Twilight Distance Qualifier in Los Angeles, Calif. Earlier this year, Peterson finished second at the Indoor USATF Championships, earning a spot on Team USA for the IAAF World Indoor Championships.
While at Missouri, Peterson won both an indoor and outdoor NCAA Championship in the 800 meters. His winning time of 1:45.88 at the 1999 NCAA Indoor Championships still I the American Collegiate record in the event. Peterson was also an eight-time Big 12 Champion and six-time all-American.
Timothy Dunne ('03), N.Y. Athletic Club, Jerome, Idaho, Men's 800-meters
Dunne will be entering in his first USATF Olympic Trials. Originally from Jerome, Idaho, Dunne was an NCAA all-American in 2003 in the 800 finishing in ninth place.
His personal-best time of 1:47.39 occurred at last year's qualifying round of the NCAA Championships. He currently has a season best of 1:47.76.
Peterson and Dunne must go through three rounds to advance to the Olympic Games. The quarterfinal will be on Friday, the 9th, followed by the semifinal on Saturday, the 10th, and if continuing to advance, the top three will come from the final which will be held Monday, the 12th, live on the USA Network.
Michelle Moran ('00), Wildwood, Mo., Women's Heptathlon
Moran will be entering in her second U.S. Olympic Trials. Moran, a native of Wildwood, Mo., qualified for the Olympic Trials with a personal-best score of 5,698 points in May at Missouri's Audrey Walton Combined Event, setting a new stadium record.
Earlier this year, Moran finished second at the USATF Indoor Combined Event Championships in Chapel Hill, N.C.
While at Missouri, Moran experienced much success in the year 2000. That year, Moran was the Big 12 Heptathlon Champion, an all-American, and qualified for the USATF Olympic Trials. She took a year off in 2001 to rehabilitate from a back injury.
Fiona Asigbee ('03), Walford, Iowa, Women's Heptathlon
Asigbee, a native of Walford, Iowa, captured the indoor pentathlon and outdoor heptathlon Big 12 Championships titles in 2003. The four-time all-Big 12 performer also qualified for the 2003 NCAA Championships, finishing ninth, and placed eighth at last year's USATF Championships.
Asigbee scored her personal best of 5,669 points in early-June at the Olympic Training Center's Multi-Carnival. During the indoor season, Asigbee finished third at the USATF Indoor Combined Event Championships.
Moran and Asigbee will compete on Friday, the 9th, and Saturday, the 10th.
Janae Strickland (Sr.), Houston, Texas, Women's Shot Put
Strickland, the only current Tiger to travel to Sacramento, will be on hand for the women's shot put. Strickland holds the indoor and outdoor Missouri school records, with her personal-best outdoor toss of 55 feet, 6? inches (16.92m) occurring at this year's Big 12 Championships. Strickland is a two-time All-American, finishing eighth at this year's NCAA Championships in Austin, Texas.
Strickland's mother, Lorinda Richardson, was a five-time All-American at Missouri, and holds the school's indoor and outdoor long jump records.
Strickland will compete in the preliminary round of the women's shot put on Thursday, the 15th, and, if she advances, the final on Friday, the 16th.
Ray Hughes ('98), Nike, Leasburg, Mo., Men's 3000-meter Steeplechase
Steeplechaser Ray Hughes, originally from Leasburg, Mo., currently lives and trains in Eugene, Oregon. A Big 12 Conference champion while at the University of Missouri in 1997, Hughes ran a sub-4 minute mile in 2001 (3:59.78). Hughes trains under the tutelage of National Track & Field Hall of Fame member Bill Dellinger, the legendary former coach at the University of Oregon.
After graduating from the University of Missouri in 1998, Hughes trained at Wake Forest University under coach John Goodrich, who assisted Hughes in developing additional strength.
This year, Hughes has the seventh-fastest time by an American, running 8:29.20 in late May.
Hughes' qualifying round is Monday, the 12th, with the final coming on Thursday, the 15th.
For more coverage of Missouri Track and Field's California run with stats, bios, schedules and much more, visit mutigers.com
