Dec. 7, 2006
Head Coach Rick McGuire has seen a lot of track and field in his 24 years at Missouri. But, something about this 2007 squad makes him positively overjoyed. It's a cold, gloomy, nearly snowy day in November of 2006 when he talks about his current team, but yet he's ready for every bit of practice and every bit of competition.
"I'm probably more excited about the future of our team today than anytime in recent memory. I'm excited about how this team can evolve in the two or three years up the road, I'm excited about this team this year ahead, I'm excited about practice this afternoon. You know, I mean, I'm loving every bit of this team. This is fun."
And, why wouldn't McGuire be so excited? The number of athletes returning that either qualified for NCAA regional or national competition or finished in the Big 12's top four from a year ago number 20. His men's squad finished third at the super-tough Big 12 Outdoor Championships a year ago, doing so for the third time in six years, and 59 of 79 points from that squad return.
Not to mention the addition of some top-flight newcomers that will set the stage in the short- and long-term keeps the Missouri Track & Field office in a buzz.
"I feel like we have more really good track and field athletes on our team here right now than we've had here in my 24 years at Missouri," said McGuire. "We have some that are great athletes, we have some that have been really good athletes and will be even better this year, and we have several newcomers who look to me, some immediately, and some in a few years to develop will be real stars for us in the conference and nationally. I don't remember going to practice anytime in the fall feeling the presence of really good athletes that I keep commenting on over, and over again. It's a fun feeling, an exciting feeling, I really like this team."
McGuire could talk all day about this team.
McGuire is also proud to host this season's NCAA Mideast Regional Championships, a meet that will bring top-flight competition from all Division I schools in a 12-state area into Columbia. The best of the Big Ten and SEC conferences will come to Audrey J. Walton Stadium in late May for the deciding meet that sends athletes to the NCAA Championships in Sacramento.
Walton Stadium is currently undergoing a $1 million facelift that includes a track resurfacing and the construction of a new throws field on the north side of the facility. Mrs. Audrey Walton gave the additional gift to the Missouri Track & Field program in July 2006 which adds to her overall gift that started in 1996 and the construction of the original facility.
"I thought we had a really good team a year ago, and we've got a lot of them coming back for another one," said McGuire.
The makeup of the Mizzou men's track squad in 2007 has the makings of a 500-piece puzzle that has been made piece-by-piece for nearly 10 years. The last piece is almost in place to make a masterpiece.
One-by-one great athletes have come in and out of Missouri, but in the last couple years, the talent has been coming in waves, and the dividends are about ready to pay off. Big time.
The 2006 men's squad finished a surprising third-place at the Big 12 Championships and went on the place fifth, out of 73, at the NCAA Mideast Regional. While the 2007 squad will be missing a few scorers from a year ago, most notably decathlete Hans Uldal in the outdoor season, a majority will be back and will likely be better than ever.
The Tiger women finished sixth at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships in 2006.
Men's Combined Events
Hans Uldal had a breakthrough moment in April 2006. After clearing the 16 foot, 2¾ inch height in the pole vault, nearly six inches higher than he's ever soared before, Uldal and the rest of the Missouri family knew what could happen next. 8,000 points. Only 19 people in 2005 had scored more than 8,000 points in the decathlon and Hans Uldal was on his way to make history.
Uldal went on to score 8,018 points in the Audrey Walton Combined Event decathlon, winning with a new school-record performance and an `A' IAAF World Championship qualifying mark. It was one of the proudest moments in Missouri athletics history and one not many will forget.
Uldal, an Olympian in 2004, has one year of eligibility remaining for the indoor season only. After taking the 2004 indoor season off to repair an artery wrapped around his kidney, Uldal will have this 2007 season to earn a third All-American honor in the heptathlon after finishing sixth and seventh, respectively in the 2005 and 2006 NCAA Indoor Championships. Uldal finished runner-up in the event a year ago at the Big 12 Indoor Championships with his personal best of 5,639 points.
Fellow countryman Bjorn Sommerfeldt is on his senior campaign as well in 2007. An accomplished decathlete in his own right, Sommerfeldt has qualified for three NCAA Championships, twice in the decathlon in the previous two years. At the Big 12 Indoor heptathlon event, Sommerfeldt has had three top-five finishes, starting with a fifth-place finish his freshman year, progressing to fourth his sophomore year, and then third his sophomore year.
"These two guys are great athletes and great people," said McGuire. "They've conquered marvelous achievements here at Missouri. They add to our team in so many ways, not only in points, but every day in practice, they are just a presence, it's hard to gauge their impact."
Incoming freshman Nick Adcock (Kansas City, Mo. / Oak Park HS) will learn the ways of the decathlete this season. An accomplished hurdler in high school, Adcock was a six-time All-State performer in the 110- and 300-meter hurdles and has a high jump personal best of 6-7.
Men's Throws
"We've got," McGuire then looks to the ceiling in his office and starts counting. "... I've got to get the right number ... I'm going to say ... so, Bobby, Chris ... Tyler, Bill ... Nate, Jason, David ... seven? ... so, we've got seven guys that any one of them can be a star on the team on any given year, and there are seven of them. Wow. And they all of their best events and they are all pretty darn good in a lot of other events. You can't look at the Missouri track team and not think `Whew, those guys have a lot of throwers.'"
It really can't be said any better than that. Just the pure numbers alone can stand hair on the back one's neck. In 2006, nine Mizzou male throwers gained 13 NCAA-regional qualifying marks, the most of any group in the country. In addition, Mizzou had the most regional-qualifying marks (8) from freshmen and sophomores in the nation with another Big 12 squad, Texas A&M, coming next with seven.
Mizzou qualified five for the NCAA Championships a year ago, two coming from the shot put and three from the hammer throw.
In alphabetical order ...
Dave Borchardt (St. Louis, Mo. / Vianney HS) qualified for the regional for the first time in his career a year ago with the discus. At the regional, Borchardt, now a senior indoors and junior outdoors, finished ninth with a personal-best 180-1 toss, improving from his entry seed that projected him 14th in the region.
Tyler Dailey (Joplin, Mo / Joplin HS) is a three-event threat, most notably in the hammer and weight throw events, having also qualified for the regional meet with the shot put. With the hammer, Dailey, still only a junior, has a personal best of 206-4 and finished fourth in the event at the Big 12 meet a year ago. Dailey has qualified for the regionals twice with the hammer. Dailey also has a weight-throw PR of 65-11½ which helped him place fifth at the Big 12 Indoor a year ago. His shot put career-best of 55-9¾, with an added couple feet could make him a player in conference scoring as well.
Nate Englin (Shoreview, Minn.) enters his junior campaign already with a proud resume, but one that he wants to add to. Englin qualified for NCAA Championships a year ago with the shot, placing second at the NCAA Mideast Regional in Knoxville. Englin has earned three All-Big 12 honors with the shot, adding an additional scoring performance with the weight throw this past season at the Big 12 Indoor. At the UCLA Invite in 2006, Englin launched a 62-footer with the shot, placing him as a top-20 finisher nationally in the event. In addition, his 65-½ personal best with the weight is one to watch as well.
Bill Hobson (Katy, Texas) has remaining eligibility for the outdoor season. Hobson qualified for the NCAA Championships last year after placing fourth at the NCAA Mideast Regional with the shot, capturing a new outdoor personal best in the event with a 58-3¼ mark. His indoor-best mark of 60-7¼, places Hobson in striking position of the conference's top spots again. The three-time All-Big 12 performer, has finished fifth in the last two Big 12 Indoor Championships in the event and has qualified for the regional in each of last three years.
Jason Morris (St. Louis, Mo. / Priory HS) returns as Mizzou's top returnee in the hammer throw, having broken the school record in the event several times a year ago, topping the 218-11 mark at the Drake Relays in a runner-up performance. Morris, now a junior, qualified for the NCAA and USATF Championships for the first time a year ago in the event, finishing the season as the only underclassman American in the NCAA's top 20. Also, Morris finished runner-up at the NCAA Mideast Regional and Big 12 Championships in the event a year ago. In addition, Morris has thrown for 64-2½ with the weight throw.
Bobby Musil (DuBois, Neb.) is another three-event threat, substituting Dailey's shot put with the discus. Musil, a junior this season indoors and a senior outdoors, is the Tigers' top returnee with the disc, having regionally-qualified for the event in each of the last three years. With a career-best the discus toss of 184-11, Musil has earned All-Big 12 honors twice with the event as part of a four-time Big 12 scoring career. Musil is also a legitimate threat with the hammer, having placed in third in last year's Big 12 Championships and fifth in the NCAA Regional, earning a ticket to Sacramento in that event. His PR of 209-1 placed him and three other Tigers in the nation's top-30 in the event a year ago. In addition, Musil has a personal best of 65-2¾ with the weight throw and is a very close to qualifying for the NCAA Indoor in that event as well.
Chris Rohr (Lee's Summit, Mo. / Lee's Summit North HS) has a claim to fame in four events. In 2006, Rohr earned All-America honors, placing 11th, with the weight during his redshirt freshman season, having qualified for NCAA Indoor on his final throw at the Cyclone National Qualifier to secure a personal best of 68-10½ and a spot in Fayetteville. Rohr had, along with several on the team, a breakthrough season with the hammer during his sophomore-outdoor season. Rohr was one of three Tigers to qualify for the NCAA Championships in the event, having qualified with an at-large bid after a career-best mark of 209-2 at the Missouri Relays. In addition, Rohr was a regional qualifier in the shot put event a year ago, placing seventh in the regionals and carrying a personal-best of 58-6 in the event to this season. Rohr has also qualified for the regional championships with the discus, doing so in 2005.
"With these seven guys, we've been excited watching them develop the last couple of years together," said McGuire. "And now you add Oaker."
Yes, incoming freshman Andy Oaker (Steelville, Mo. / Steeleville HS) comes to Mizzou as a Track & Field News and USA Today High School All-American, having thrown the 12-pound high-school shot 66 feet, 2 inches, a mark that placed him second nationally in 2006.
"66 feet!" McGuire exclaimed. "Missouri's never had a kid come in with those credentials before. This guy is a great thrower, and I can't wait to watch this guy's career unfold."
"We've been waiting for this year, and now it's here," McGuire continued. "And there is a reason why, these guys are good, there are a lot of them, and they are really motivated, but all that stuff's fluff. But, the facts are, they've thrown far, and they've got a year or two more."
Men's Middle-Distance / Distance
It's hard to believe that Marcus Mayes (Sand Springs, Okla.) is part of this year's senior class. Throughout his career at Mizzou, Mayes has been a steady force, very dependable and one that keeps racking accolades. Last season, Mayes qualified for the USATF Championships at 800 meters for the second-consecutive year, running a 1:47.99 at the conference championships in a runner-up performance. Mayes also finished runner-up at the NCAA Mideast Regional in the event, earning an automatic ticket to Sacramento for the NCAA Championships in the event. Mayes also led the Tigers to two Drake Relays Championships in the 4x800 and DMR events.
Jimmie Jones (Detroit, Mich.) also entering his senior season is ready to turn on the jets in the half-mile area. Already an eight-time All-Big 12 performer at 800 meters and with relay performances, Jones is always a threat in relays, helping Mizzou to two Drake Relay crowns in the 4x800 and DMR a year ago, as well as to a Big 12 title and All-America status in 2005 with the DMR. Jones with a career-best finish of fifth place at last year's Big 12 Championships, has a personal best in the event of 1:49.36.
Tipper O'Brien (Kirkwood, Mo. / St. Louis Univ. HS) is also part of the mid-distance three in their senior campaigns. In 2005, O'Brien was a pleasant surprise, running a personal best at 1500 meters of 3:44.14, turning around to finish sixth at the 2005 regional in the event and qualifying for that year's NCAA Championships. Before an injury in 2006, O'Brien ran a 4:04.55 indoor Mile time at the Meyo Invitational. No more is O'Brien a sudden surprise to anyone, now the sunglasses-touting Tiger is looking to bewilder everyone by standing atop of an awards podium.
"These three are established championship-caliber runners," McGuire said.
Tim Ross (Alto, Mich.) is entering his final season as a Tiger, fresh off his second-career individual appearance in the NCAA Cross Country Championships. Ross, the indoor school record holder at 3000 and 5000 meters, has finished seventh or better in each of the last three years at 5000 meters at the Big 12 Indoor Championships, reaching fourth in 2004. Ross also finished in the Big 12's top eight at 10,000 meters on the track a year ago.
"Ross is a player," said McGuire. "We thought we were going to have him last year, but an injury sidelined him, but we've got him back this year, and that's a bonus. I'm glad we have him."
Sophomore Tim Cornell (Columbia, Mo. / Hickman HS) ran a 4:09.68 indoor Mile time a year ago in his freshman campaign, and is on the cusp of becoming a scoring threat at the distance sometime soon.
"Cornell is at a stage where he starts to establish his own prominence," said McGuire.
Dan Hedgecock (St. Louis, Mo. / Ladue HS) is coming off a fantastic cross country season in which he recorded the best regional finish for a freshman in school history, placing 16th and earning All-Region honors at this year's race in Minnesota. He redshirted during the 2006 outdoor season, but earned USATF Junior All-American honors with a fourth-place finish at the USATF Junior Championships at 5000 meters.
Garett Jeffries (Clarkston Valley, Mo. / Marquette HS) is another St. Louis product that has a bright future at Mizzou. Like Hedgecock, Jeffries is coming off a great cross country season, one in which he earned All-Region honors. On the track in 2006, Jeffries nearly earned All-Big 12 honors at 1500 meters as a freshman, running 3:51.47 last season. Jeffries also earned USATF Junior All-American honors, placing fifth at 5000 meters in the USATF Junior Championships.
"These two are the next generation about ready to have their chance," said McGuire.
Michael Barrows (Flint, Mich.) helped the Drake Relays 4x1600-meter relay team to a fifth-place finish and his 4:08.91 personal-best indoor Mile time puts him in striking distance for points in the conference indoor. Barrows, now junior indoors and sophomore outdoors, placed 10th at the conference indoor in the Mile in 2005, his freshman year.
Rem Moll (Tulsa, Okla.) returns for one more season after being granted a medical redshirt for the 2004 track and field seasons. Moll is a two-time Big 12 Championship scorer.
Blake Figgins (Detroit, Mich.) earned USATF Junior All-American honors in the 800 meters, placing eighth in the USATF Junior meet a year ago in Indianapolis. In addition, Figgins was part of the Tiger Drake Relay 4x800-meter Champion Team.
Entering his freshman season at Mizzou in distance events is Michael McDonnell (St. Charles, Ill.). McDonnell was part of a Nike Outdoor All-American 4x1600-meter relay team a year ago, and finished third in the 3200-meter run in Illinois Class AA State Championship (only two classes in Illinois). He carries a 4:16 personal best at 1600 meters and a 9:17.20 personal best at 3200 meters.
Another incoming distance runner, Larry Paul (Marthasville, Mo. / Wright City HS) will be worth watching this winter and spring as he has shown big strides in fall workouts. Paul was a MSHSAA Class 2 Champion at 3200 metes in 2004 and 2006, winning an additional 1600-meter crown in 2006. Paul is also an accomplished cross country runner, winning the state title in 2004 as a sophomore.
A key newcomer in the middle-distance events is Steven Headrick (Oakville, Mo. / Oakville HS). Headrick was a two-time runner-up at 800 meters at the MSHSAA Class 4 Championships and carries a personal best in the event of 1:53.42.
Men's Sprints
Greg Bracey (Milwaukee, Wis.) enters his senior campaign with the track and field squad as a three-time All-Big 12 performer. A speed merchant who also plays wide-receiver for the Tiger football team, Bracey finished fifth place at last year's Big 12 Championships at 100 meters, running in a personal-best time of 10.48. In addition, Bracey qualified for the NCAA Regional Championship last year in the event. In football this season, Bracey has played in eight games and caught a touchdown pass against Kansas.
Jerron Forte (Kansas City, Mo. / Center HS) is an incoming freshman who won the Class 3 MSHSAA title a year ago at 400 meters, having a personal best of 48.01 at the distance. Forte was third at 400 meters at the Golden West Invitational, a national-invitational for high schoolers. Forte has also reached the state finals at 100 and 200 meters.
Men's Jumps
Daniel Hunter (Hallsville, Mo. / Hallsville HS) enters his sophomore season, looking to rebound from a frustrating freshman season. Hunter entered last fall with a severe hamstring injury that was slow to rehab. Although Hunter cleared 6-7½ last season, he has the potential to be a 7-foot jumper for the Tigers as he cleared the height during the twilight of his senior year in high school.
Jason Miller (Stafford, Va.) earned All-Big 12 honors a year ago with a seventh-place high jump finish at the Big 12 Championships, and with a leap matching his career-best of 6-10¾, Miller could again score points for the Tigers this season.
"A healthy Daniel Hunter and Jason Miller should become very good multi-jumpers, with Hunter potentially a decathlete will have impact for us," said McGuire.
Will Drover (Camdenton, Mo. / Camdenton HS) battled with injury in the middle section of the year last season, but the pole vaulter captured a new personal best of 15-7 to end 2006 with a senior indoor season and junior outdoor season ahead.
One of the more exciting newcomers this season for the Mizzou track squad is pole vaulter Brian Hancock (Monroe City, Mo. / Monroe City HS). Hancock cleared 16-10 a year ago which placed him in nation's top 10 among high schoolers. Hancock became the first person in MSHSAA history to win four-consecutive pole vault titles, and, in doing so, broke the Class 2 record in the event eight times over the four years.
Women's Combined Events
Kaela Rorvig (Columbia, Mo. / Hickman HS) is entering her junior season as a Tiger, and it's the junior season when heptathletes really become heptathletes. With such a specialized event, it takes some time to get used to such a competition. Rorvig has taken the development time in stride, and with her fifth-place finish a year ago in the Big 12 Championships, Rorvig announced she was ready to become a heptathlete. Rorvig has so many talents that she has been used on relay teams in varying distances, and has scored in the Big 12 meets in four other events other than the heptathlon.
McGuire is excited about having four newcomers that will be the new wave of heptathlon development at Missouri.
"This group is young, but will be very good," said McGuire. "And, I am patient."
Lindsey Boldt (Mt. Pleasant, Iowa) will be one to watch right out of the gate. Boldt, approaching the heptathlon for the first time in her career, has shown great strides in fall practice, as her explosiveness has come to the forefront. Her explosiveness is also evidenced by her six Iowa High School titles, winning in the 100- and 400-meter hurdles events, as well as the high jump.
Katie Wenger (St. Joseph, Mo. / Central HS) comes to Mizzou after becoming one of the top high-school hurdlers in the state, winning the MSHSAA Class 4 title a year ago. Overall, Wenger is a 10-time All-State performer having scored additionally in the 300-meter hurdles, the 200-meter dash, and the 4x400-meter relay.
Also, Lauren Begany (Fenton, Mo. / Lindbergh HS) is part of the group of freshmen group of heptathletes, being one of few who has already competed in the event. Begany has placed in the top five of the National AAU Championship in the heptathlon and was an AAU Junior Olympic Champion in the pentathlon a year ago. In high school, Begany was an accomplished hurdler, winning the state championship in 300-meter hurdles, in the state's highest class, Class 4.
Katie Nelson (Normal, Ill.) has also already competed in heptathlons, winning the AAU Junior Olympic National Championship in the event in 2004. In high school, she was a 13-time state qualifier in events ranging from 100-meter hurdles to long jump and high jump.
Women's Throws
Elizabeth Robe (Waukesha, Wis.) enters her junior season having already qualified for the NCAA Championships a year ago with the shot. Her 50-8 career best mark set a year ago at the Arizona State Invitational helped her secure an at-large bid to the championships. Robe has qualified in both years for the regional in the event and has earned three All-Big 12 honors in either the shot or with the weight.
Elisha Hunt (Linn, Mo. / Linn HS) is ready to get back into the ring after a freak accident prevented her from having a full outdoor season. During the indoor season, Hunt, now a junior, broke the school's record with the weight with a 63-7¾ mark, and was very close to capturing a Big 12 title in the event.
Krishna Lee (Kansas City, Mo. / O'Hara HS) in just her freshman season a year ago established herself as one of the up-and-comers in the nation with the shot. Recording fourth- and fifth-place performances with the shot at the indoor and outdoor conference championships, respectively, Lee enters the season with a 49-10 personal best in the event, having already qualified for the regional in the event a year ago. Lee also earned All-Big 12 honors with the hammer last season, chalking up a personal best of 162-2 in the event on her way to eighth in the championships.
Kendra Richardson (Boonville, Mo. / Boonville HS) had a great freshman indoor season, scoring seventh-place points in both the shot put and weight throw events at the Big 12 Indoor Championships. In addition, Richardson qualified for the NCAA Regional in the shot put her first year in a Missouri uniform.
Jamie Wynn (Lee's Summit, Mo. / Lee's Summit HS) is the Tigers' top returning discus thrower, hitting the 161-0 mark at the Big 12 Championships after an indoor season injury in finishing with All-Big 12 honors. Wynn, now a senior, also has qualified for the regional in the event in 2004 and 2006.
Denise Gilmore (Manhattan, Kan.) returns as the Tigers' top hammer thrower. In 2005, Gilmore placed eighth at the Big 12 Championships in the event.
"This group is also young and already accomplished," said McGuire. "When adding Nichols, it should to a dynamite year."
Shernelle Nicholls (St. Andrew Parrish, Barbados) is a transfer from Missouri Baptist where she won two NAIA Championships. Nicholls is also the country of Barbados' national record holder in the shot put, weight throw, and discus. With personal bests of 49-7 in the shot, 57-6¼ in weight throw, and 161-7 with the discus, Nicholls impact will be felt immediately.
Women's Jumps
Pole vaulter Tommie Powers (North Richland Hills, Texas) enters her junior season as a Tiger, looking to improve on a ninth-place conference finish a year ago. In high school, Powers set a new Texas High School record in the event, clearing 12-7½.
JaNay Woolridge (Jessup, Md.) improved steadily through her freshman season, peaking in good time at the USATF Junior Championships, where she marked a career best 19-5½ in the long jump to finish sixth in the competition and earn USATF Junior All-American status. Woolridge is also a hurdler, placing 12th at last year's Big 12 Championship in the 100-meter hurdles.
"JaNay made very nice breakthroughs last year as a freshman and is looking better than ever," said McGuire.
Incoming freshman Lana Mims (Tulsa, Okla.) was a three-time Oklahoma high school champion, winning long jump titles in 2005 and 2006, as well as a high jump crown in 2006. In the long jump, Mims holds the second-longest jump in the state's history. Mims is also the daughter of Madeline Manning Mims, a four-time Olympian and 1968 Olympic Gold Medalist at 800 meters.
"Mims is a great addition," said McGuire. "I look forward to an exciting future career for Lana."
Adding to the Missouri-Norway connection will be Hedvig Glomsroed. The accomplished triple jumper transferred to Mizzou from the University of Bergen in Norway and is the country's defending indoor triple jump champion. With a personal best of 42-½ in the event already, she will most likely add a big boost to Tiger scoring table at championship meets.
"Hedvig is the latest of our long line of fantastic Norwegian athletes," said McGuire. "And, she is already by far the best triple jumper in Missouri history."
Meaghan Brougher (Highland Village, Texas) will be a Tiger newcomer in the high jump. Brougher, injured in 2006, was a multiple-time Texas high school 5A regional qualifier in the event, having cleared 5-8 at the state's championships in 2005, placing fourth.
Women's Distance
"Missouri has been strong at 800 meters through 10-k for many years," said McGuire. "They are very strong part of our team."
Trisa Nickoley (Tecumseh, Kan.) enters her junior season as one of the top returning half-milers in the Big 12. In four Big 12 Championships, indoor or outdoor, Nickoley has finished no worse than fifth in either title races, having won the 2005 indoor crown her freshman year. The nine-time Big 12 scorer has qualified for the USATF Championships in the event as well as the NCAA Mideast Regional Championships twice. The Topeka, Kan., native was named Big 12 Indoor Freshman of the Year in 2005.
"We're looking forward to a really exciting track season for Trisa," McGuire said.
Kate Greer (Marshalltown, Iowa) enters her senior season as an All-Big 12 performer, having finished eighth at last year's Big 12 Championships in the 10,000-meter run. After a solid cross country season in which she earned All-Region honors as the team's second scorer, Greer will be looking for more scoring opportunities during this track and field season.
Kristin Hansen (Milford, Iowa) enters her final season as a six-time All-Big 12 performer, placing fifth at last year's Big 12 Championships at 1500 meters with a career-best clocking of 4:26.25. Hansen has qualified for the regional championships at the distance the last two years.
Kasey Kimball (Eureka, Mo. / Eureka HS), now a junior, is coming off a solid outdoor track season, one in which she placed ninth in the regional meet and earned a new career-best 4:27.51 clocking in finishing sixth at the Big 12 Championships as one of three Tigers in that event final. Kimball was also part of the Tigers' runner-up 4x1600-meter relay squad at the Drake Relays.
Valerie Lauver (Allen, Texas) comes back for her senior season as an eight-time All-Big 12 performer in the long distance events. Lauver, the school's record holder at 10,000-meter with a 34:07.04 clocking, is also a career four-time All-Region performer in cross country.
Ellen Ries (Ryan, Iowa) is coming off of a productive freshman cross country season and hopes to carry that to the track. In her freshman track and field season, she placed 13th at the Big 12 Championships at 800 meters, running a 2:10.57. In addition she lead-off the Tigers for a third-place 4x800-meter relay finish at the Drake Relays.