Jan. 10, 2005
The following is a preview of the 2005 Missouri Track & Field team broken into event group catagories.
Combined Events
The Tigers will return six total to the combined events. In 2004, Hans Uldal had to redshirt his indoor season due to surgery to repair an artery wrapped around his kidney. A set back for sure, but it would be hard to believe after seeing the outdoor production Uldal put on. Uldal became the first Tiger decathlete to make the Olympic Games in 80 years after breaking the school record with 7,733 points at his home Norwegian National Championships. Uldal will be the only returning collegian in the decathlon to have competed in the 2004 Olympic Games. Not to be outdone was his performance at his second appearance at an NCAA Championship. After the first day Uldal stood in 16th overall. Gaining three personal bests on day two catapulted him to fifth in the country and earned him All-America status. Uldal also was runner-up in the Big 12 in the decathlon. More greatness to come from the young decathlete.
Uldal's Norwegian partner in crime is Bjorn Sommerfeldt. Earning All-Big 12 honors at the indoor Big 12 Championships in the heptathlon, Sommerfeldt will look to build upon his personal-best score of 7,006 to become a force within the conference.
Senior Brandon Goebbert is returning as a three-time All-Big 12 performer in the combined events. With personal bests in all 10 events combining for a possible score above 7,000, Goebbert is prone to become a breakout star in the conference during his final seasons.
Tiger senior Benjamin Vrbicek also returns for his final year as a Tiger. Vrbicek will add strength to Tigers' high jumping core as well.
Newcomers Kaela Rorvig and Sterling Hayden will provide some excitement. Rorvig was a multi-talented, multi-sport athlete in high school and will look to translate proficiency in many skills to the heptathlon.
Liz Young will return as the Tigers' veteran in the heptathlon. Also a talented high jumper and pole vaulter, Young is looking to score in the conference's combined events to add to her All-Big 12 performance in the high jump.
Throws
An exciting year is up ahead for the Tiger throwers, with each discipline returning and welcoming new talent, the Big 12 Conference will have a large share of its competitors come from Missouri. Fourteen Tigers return to the throws and six more newcomers will add to a throws contingent already overflowing with talent.
Conrad Woolsey (Excelsior Springs, Mo.) returns for his final year with vast experience in the shot put and discus. His marathon-of-a-year in 2004 culminated with a birth into the USATF Olympic Trials for the shot put. Already a four-time All-American at Northwest Missouri State, Woolsey gained 2½ feet on his shot put personal best by the end of his first year as a Tiger. Woolsey, always underrated coming into meets, won two All-American honors, including a seventh-place showing at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the shot. The three-time All-Big 12 performer also scored with the discus at the Big 12 Championships in 2004.
The two remaining seniors Adam Burla (Ellisville, Mo.) and Lindsey Markworth enter the 2005 season with several All-Big 12 and NCAA Regional appearances under their belts. Burla grabbed an 11th-place finish at the NCAA Midwest Regional in the shot put in 2004 with his personal-best toss of 56-1¾. Markworth is a three-time Big 12 scorer with performances in the shot put and discus. Markworth also qualified for the NCAA Regional in both the shot put and discus.
With the shot put, watch Bill Hobson (Katy, Texas), an All-Big 12 performer and regional qualifier in 2004. Hobson, Burla, and Woolsey make up a strong base for the Tigers men's shot put crew.
But, a huge pool of young talent also could make a huge impact on the throws at Missouri including a smattering of second-year Tigers along with two powerful newcomers in Nate Englin and Chris Rohr could make for a bountiful year of accomplishments. Dave Borchardt, Tyler Dailey, Jason Morris, and Bobby Musil are throwers entering their second-year, some using redshirts in '04. An extra year of refining skills for the group looks to be successful from what as come in fall practices as all four took the shot, weight, and discus, and have improved with much ease. Their impact on the conference could be immediate in what should be an interesting year to watch up-and-comers.
And what excitement will be coming from newcomers Rohr and Englin. Rohr, from Lee's Summit, Mo., had the second-longest throw in the USA for a high schooler in 2004 with the discus. His dominance in the State of Missouri earned him High School All-America honors from USA Today and Track & Field News. Rohr was the adidas High School National Champ with the disc as well and was a USA Track & Field Junior All-American. Rohr is also a shot put threat with a PR of 61-10 with the high school ball.
Nate Englin, of Shoreview, Minn., was one of the top 15 high school shot putters and discus throwers in the land in 2004. His best of 65-6 with the shot and 194-4 with the disc earned him five Minnesota High School Championships.
Ben Stafford of Leawood, Kan., placed 10th at the Big 12 Championships in his freshman year as a Tiger with a personal best with the javelin. Stafford along with decathlete Hans Uldal will make up the men's javelin crew in 2005. Uldal's best in the javelin of over 200 feet, coming in the decathlon, comes close to the regional standard.
For the Tiger women, discus throwers Melanie Uher (Wilber, Neb.) and Jamie Wynn (Lee's Summit, Mo.) look to tear up the Tiger record books in 2005. Uher, in her first year as a Tiger, became the second-best all-time at Missouri along with qualifying for the NCAA Midwest Regional and placed fifth at the Big 12 meet. Wynn also qualified for the regionals in 2004, improving her PR by 14 feet over the season.
Tiger veterans Laura Ortineau and Jennifer Smith will concentrate on the shot put and weight throws. Ortineau has shown much improvement over the fall practices.
The women also have an interesting group of newcomers. Elizabeth Robe (Waukesha, Wisc.) was the 2004 Wisconsin state champ with the shot put and is also an All-State performer in the discus. Elisha Hunt, of Linn, Mo., is one of three Tigers to have reset the MSHSAA Class 2 discus state record in high school and is a four-time state champion. In all four years of high school, Hunt placed first or second in the state in both the shot and discus. Denise Gilmore (Manhattan, Kan.) has not thrown the shot put in competition since she was 14 years old. In high school, Gilmore was a three-time All-State softball player. Lydia Mariam (Mahomet, Ill.) joins the squad as a javelin thrower. Mariam walked-on as part of an open tryout, she transferred from Baylor where she competed her freshman year.
A lot of unpredictability with this year's crop of throwers - much of which are still young into their collegiate careers. However, with a large dose of potential, the 2005 season has the makings of being an incredible one.
Jumps
Coach Matt Candrl is returning four from the 2004 season for his jumping crew for the 2005 season. Once again, the Tigers' jumping strength will build around the high jump.
Returning for his senior season is Jesse Sims from Paola, Kan. Sims earned All-America honors in 2003 with a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Three times in his career, Sims has cleared 7-2½ (2.20m), his current personal best.
Maybe the most consistent performer on the entire track and field squad is senior Jenny Bybee of Springfield, Mo. As a four-time All-Big 12 performer, Bybee has finished in the top eight in the high jump at both the indoor and outdoor Big 12 Championships the past two years. With a fourth-place showing from winning a jump-off at the NCAA Mideast Regional in 2004, Bybee earned her second trip to the NCAA Championships.
One threat for the Tigers around the conference in all three jumps is junior Chris Horn (O'Fallon, Ill.). Not yet cracking the top eight at the conference championships, Horn can change that quickly as a successful fall could turn into three All-Big 12 performances by late February.
Also on the women's side Alison Suntrup will compete in the high jump and newcomer heptathlete Kaela Rorvig could be the Tigers' best long and triple jumper.
Five newcomers on the men's side are led by Jason Miller. Miller comes into Missouri as a High School All-American, named after placing high in the adidas Outdoor High School Championships. His best high jump of 6-10¾ will instantly make him a strong name around the conference.
Pole Vault
All eight pole vaulting Tigers from 2004 will return on the 2005 squad for vaulting coach Dan Lefever. The Missouri all-time top five list for the pole vault on the women's side consists entirely of current team members.
In their final years of eligibility Jennifer Bennett and Lyndsey Tait will be the Tiger stronghold for the vault. Bennett (Ashland, Mo.) has the outdoor season remaining of eligibility - Tait (Jefferson City, Mo., has the indoor season remaining. Bennett, the school's record holder for the indoor and outdoor vaults, was an indoor All-American in 2003 and the Big 12 Champion during the 2003 outdoor season. Bennett worked through tough injuries throughout the 2004 season, yet still qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Tait is a three-time All-Big 12 performer herself and will end her collegiate career with the ending of the indoor season.
Only one newcomer for the Tiger vaulting group this year, and it's a good one. Tommie Powers, from North Richland Hills, Texas, comes to Mizzou as one of the hottest pole vaulting prospects in the country. Powers earned USATF Junior All-America status in 2004 with a sixth-place finish at the USATF Junior Nationals in June. Powers also owns Texas' all-class pole vault record and was the 4A State Champ in '04.
The Tiger women also return Christina Gilpin, Erin Shryock, Jessica Walter, and Kelley Weidinger. The quad will be jockeying for position on the Tigers' all-time top five list as the seasons go along.
On the men's side, two Tiger sophomores lead the charge in Will Drover and Dan Willingham.
From the combined event side, Liz Young and Hans Uldal will provide top performances in the pole vaulting arena as well. Watch for them as the year goes along.
Sprints
Marquis Davis and Greg Bracey are two Tigers returning back to the Tiger squad for the 2005 season. Both are in Missouri's all-time top five in the 60-meter dash and have comparable marks in the 100- and 200-meter dashes as well. Davis, of O'Fallon, Ill., has a personal-best time of 20.99, within reach of a very difficult Missouri all-time top five in the event. Davis in 2003 as a Tiger was a NCAA Regional qualifier with the 4x400-meter relay team; also he earned All-Big 12 honors in the 100-meter dash and 4x400-meter relay.
Bracey, of Milwaukee, Wisc., is one of the Missouri Football Tigers' up-and-coming wide receivers. With unbelievable football speed, Bracey can translate into great times on the track. Watch for the duo of Davis and Bracey in the short sprints throughout the season.
Also on the men's side are Jason Jones, Austin Kerkhover, and Michael Madison. Jones and Madison will concentrate on the longer sprints, Madison covering 200 and 400 meters - Jones takes 400 meters and the indoor 600-yard run. Kerkhover enters his sophomore year as 400-meter hurdler.
One newcomer coming on board for the Tigers, Tim Fritson of Liberty, Mo. Fritson will likely concentrate on the long hurdles with Kerkhover as he was an All-State performer in the 300-intermediate hurdles in high school.
On the women's side, junior Laura Brandt is returning as a three-time All-Big 12 performer and will concentrate on the 400-meter dash and 600-yard indoor run. Brandt will also make an impact as part of the Tigers' 4x400-relay team. Whittney Stuart will also play a vital role on the Tigers' relay team as a 400-meter runner. Stuart had a vast season of improvement in 2004 and will look to continue the trend to add to her fiveAll-Big 12 honors, three coming from the 2004 outdoor season.
Margaret Ibe, of St. Louis, Mo., came within one-hundredth of a second to breaking the school record in the 400-meter hurdles. However, her time of 1:00.55 did qualify her for the NCAA Mideast Regional, look for Ibe in her senior year to become one of the Tigers' headliners
Junior Erin Moses also improved greatly over the 2004 season, look for her in the long sprints on the indoor track and leaping over the 400-meter hurdles in the outdoor season.
Distance
Missouri's middle-distance and distance group for the 2005 season will once again be a genuine strong point for the Tiger Track & Field. Returning to Jared and Rebecca Wilmes' arsenal include 24 Tigers, 15 of which have scored in the Big 12 Conference encompassing 52 All-Big 12 performances. In addition, the Wilmes' have a strong recruiting class entering with 14 new faces adding to the crowd.
With so many accomplishments added to the Missouri distance core's resume in 2004, it is difficult to choose where the preview should begin. After gaining two Big 12 Championships, four NCAA Track & Field Championship appearances, a Tiger post-collegian punching a ticket to the Athens Olympics, a cross country team placing 11th in the nation and second in the Big 12, and many other note-worthy undertakings in 2004, it was without denial that last year held a lot of water for the Tiger distance group.
Now in 2005, a lot of up and coming and current Tiger stars will begin and continue to shine.
One in particular that has been in everyone's sights in the conference has been Amanda Bales. Bales (Bettendorf, Iowa) enters 2004 as a senior in the indoor season and a redshirt junior for the outdoor season. Bales, now a nine-time All-Big 12 performer, expanded her distances on the track in 2004. After gaining All-America status at the 2003 NCAA Cross Country Championships, Bales raced in her first 5000-meter run as a collegian at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships. Later, Bales would qualify for the NCAA Track Championships in the 5000 after placing fourth at the NCAA Mideast Regional. Once again, Bales had a great cross country season. Bales earned her third All-Big 12 and All-Region honor as a Tiger harrier.
Two Tiger seniors, Serena Ramsey (Waukesha, Wisc.) and Jill Petersen (O'Fallon, Mo.) come into the track and field season fresh from a highly-accomplishing cross country season. Not only did the duo lead the Tigers to a NCAA Midwest Region Championship, they led the women to their highest-national finish since 1984. Ramsey placed fifth at the conference cross country championships and seventh at the regionals. Ramsey is also the Tigers' second-best all-time runner in the 10,000-meter run on the track following a sub 35-minute performance at the 2004 Stanford Invitational. Clocking that time, gained her a spot in the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
In the past two years, Jill Petersen has earned much respect as one of the nation's leading distance runners. Petersen keeps building her cake of accomplishments and is looking for the icing to complete her track and field collegiate career in 2005. In the 2004, cross country season, Petersen earned her sixth all-time All-Big 12 honor with an eighth-place conference finish.
Petersen along with Bales, Allison Werner, and Jessica Stockard won the Tigers a Big 12 Indoor Championship in the Distance Medley Relay and expect that facet of the Tiger track team to remain a huge factor in the conference and in the nation.
Junior Ashley Patten (Clarkston, Mich.) earned her first recognition as a national-class 800-meter runner in 2003 as USATF Junior Champion in the event. In 2004, she continued to build her status in the distance by qualifying for both the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships, earning her first All-America honor at the indoor championships in Fayetteville, Ark. Oh, and also worth mentioning is the fact that Patten won her first individual Big 12 title in the 800 at the indoor championships in Lincoln.
Patten will be joined in prominence by incoming freshman Trisa Nickoley (Tecumseh, Kan.). Nickoley was the third-fastest high schooler in America at 800 meters in 2004 with a blazing personal-best time of 2:06.67. Nickoley earned a spot on the IAAF World Junior Championship team with Team USA, earning Junior All-America status. Track and Field News also named Nickoley as one of their five High School All-Americans at the distance. At Shawnee Heights High School in Kansas, Nickoley won 17 individual state championships.
Another one of many outstanding Tiger freshmen prospects taking their first crack at the collegiate track season is Maddie Schueler (Louisville, Ky.). Schueler has already worn a Missouri uniform during the cross country season where she made an immediate impact. Her resume includes a nod by Harrier Magazine to their FootlockerTM Cross Country All-America list in 2003. Her senior year on the track saw the addition of her fifth Kentucky High School Championship along with her 3200 meter time being one of the top five in the nation.
It's hard to believe we haven't discussed the dominance of the Tiger males in the distance areas.
A big impact at 800 meters has been current sophomores Marcus Mayes (Sand Springs, Okla.) and Jimmie Jones (Oak Park, Mich.). Mayes and Jones earned USATF Junior All-Americans in 2004 with top five performances at the U.S. Junior National Championships. Mayes' second-place finish at that meet earned him a spot on the Team USA roster that made an appearance in Grosseto, Italy, for the IAAF World Junior Championships. His personal-best in the 800 of 1:49.94 and Jones' best at 1:50.20 will make them players in the tough Big 12 Conference.
Tiger upperclassmen Tim Ross, Matt Noonan, Ryan Hampton, Rem Moll, Neville Miller, Josh Davis, and Chase Hall will build a solid foundation for the distance group as all have multiple All-Big 12 honors under their belts.
Junior Tim Ross (Alto, Mich.) became Missouri's first male to cross the finish line in the top 10 at the conference cross country championships since the late-70s. Ross also earned entry into the NCAA Cross Country Championships as an at-large selection for the first time in his career. Along with being the Tigers' record holder in the indoor 5000-meter run, Ross qualified for the NCAA Mideast Regional Track Championships in the 5k in 2004.
Redshirt senior Ryan Hampton (Liberty, Mo.) is looking for his final seasons as a Tiger to be his best ever. Progressively climbing through the conference and the Missouri record books, Hampton stands in the Tiger all-time top five in the Mile run. In addition to earning All-Midwest Region honors in cross country in 2002, Hampton is a three-time conference scorer.
Junior Matt Noonan (Baldwin City, Kan.) had a breakthrough cross country season in 2004, earning All-Big 12 and All-Region honors for the first time in his career. Noonan was just feet apart from an individual at-large birth into the NCAA Cross Country Championships, placing ninth at the NCAA Regionals, a huge leap from his sophomore finish. Noonan is more known as a steeplechaser on the track. He earned All-Big 12 honors in the event in 2003 and will continue to improve upon his PR that sits at just over nine minutes.
Redshirt junior Rem Moll (Tulsa, Okla.) will be a returning middle-distance threat. After redshirting in 2004, Moll is excited to get on the conference and national scene carrying Junior All-America status from his run in 2002. Moll is already a two-time conference scorer in the 1000 meters.
Junior Chase Hall (Tulsa, Okla.) and senior Josh Davis (Liberty, Mo.) will be conference threats at 10,000 meters. Hall is the Tigers' second-best all-time in the event after gaining his PR of 29:29.18 at the Stanford Invite in 2004. Hall also earned All-Region honors in cross country in 2004. Davis' PR is right behind that of Hall's on the 10k chart. Davis, also a two-time conference scorer will continue to look at that distance along with 5000 meters as primary races.
Another name for the Tigers has emerged in the past years, and that is senior Neville Miller (St. Louis, Mo.). Miller has improved his PR in the 800-meter run from 1:57 entering college to a 1:48.64 which he achieved at the end of his junior year. The Tiger walk-on has been a pillar of strength of the Tiger middle-distance and distance core.
Back to the women for big contributors to the ladies' cross country success in 2004 - Valerie Lauver and Kristin Hansen. Lauver (Allen, Texas) is a three-time All-Midwest Region performer as a Tiger harrier and a five-time All-Big 12 performer overall. Her best 10,000-meter time on the track of 34:55.64 is one of the five best all-time at Mizzou. She has been named Big 12 Runner of the Week twice in her career for her exploits and she will look to become a force in the conference.
Hansen (Milford, Iowa), like Matt Noonan, came on strong during the cross country season, helping the Tigers with her All-Region performance to the NCAA Regional Championship title. Hansen took 18th overall, improving over 20 spots in a year. Time will tell if Hansen's and Noonan's successes on the cross country course will transfer to breakthrough track performances.
Katy Bundy, Kate Greer, Rachel Stollings, and Allison Werner will add additional support to the system. Werner, a sophomore, is definitely a Tiger to watch. Running the 800-meter leg of the Big 12 Champion Distance Medley Relay team at the indoor championships, Werner will look to establish herself as an individual threat as well. As a freshman, Werner took eighth at the Big 12 Indoor in the 1000-meters.
Additional newcomers Anne Case-Halferty, Ashley Guy, Nicole Johnson, Kasey Kimball, Becca Miller, Summer Owens, and Carolyn Rauen will all add another huge piece to the Tiger women's distance landscape that continues to grow and grow in prominence and stature.
On the men's side veterans Colten Green, David Mertens, Tipper O'Brien, Nate Smith, and Phillip Watson will be another group to look at for even more breakthrough performances, particularly in close races and at the conference level.
The Tiger men's newcomers of Michael Barrows, Billy Bell, Brian Graybill, Wade Souza, and Carl Specking III will continue to add to more of Tiger Track and Field's long-standing tradition of high-quality of student-athletes.