April 28, 2005
DES MOINES, Iowa - Day two of the 96th Annual Drake Relays for the Missouri Track & Field team included Tigers competing at the long-distance level, five- to ten-thousand meters. Juniors Tim Ross and Valerie Lauver in separate races captured times good for entry into late-May's NCAA Mideast Regional Championship in the 5000-meter run.
Ross (Alto, Mich.) clocked at 14:14.00 in the race that spans just over three miles, placing fifth overall. Ross came out strong to start the race, keeping with the lead pack for half of the race. Ross then fell back to as far as eighth, climbing with each of the final three laps. Earlier in the season, Ross gained an NCAA Championship provisional qualifying mark in the 10,000-meter run.
Lauver (Allen, Texas) took seven seconds off her personal best in the women's 5k, running in 16:49.43, placing 10th. Lauver, earlier in the year, broke the school record at 10,000 meters, automatically qualifying for the NCAA National Championships in Sacramento in that event.
Ross and Lauver make 20 Missouri athletes qualified for the NCAA Mideast Regional in 22 events. The regional will be held May 27-28 in Bloomington, Ind.
Tiger heptathletes Liz Young and Kaela Rorvig finished 17th and 18th, respectively, completing competition today. Rorvig gained a personal best in the 100-meter hurdles, clocking 14.82. Young fought with a hamstring strain over the two days, and competed just two weeks after competing in the first women's decathlon ever attempted by a Tiger.
Competition continues tomorrow with the women's distance medley relay and the men's 4x800-meter relay, among others.
For more information, visit drakerelays.org or mutigers.com.
Former Track & Field Assistant Brian Brown Named New Drake Relays Director
Former Missouri Track & Field Assistant Coach and current Drake Assistant Coach Brian Brown was named as the new Drake Relays Director earlier this season. Brown, a Tiger coach from 1993-1998, will take over as the 11th director of the Relays for next year, replacing newly-named Associate Director of Athletics Mark Kostek.
Brown received his master's degree from the University of Missouri and just recently completed his doctoral degree, partially under the direction of Missouri Head Coach, Dr. Rick McGuire.
Brown owns a personal best in the high jump of 7 feet, 8 inches (2.32m) from his days of collegiate competition at Northwestern (La.). While a Tiger coach, Brown set the Drake Relays high jump meet record with a winning jump of 7-7 (2.31m), placed third at the 1998 USATF Outdoor Championships, and won the bronze medal at the 1998 Goodwill Games.
Brian is married to former Tiger and two-time Olympic medalist Natasha Kaiser-Brown, who is currently the head track and field coach at Drake.