Jan. 24, 2008
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Big 12-Mountain West Conference Challenge Lincoln, Neb. Quick Info and Links
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COLUMBIA, Mo.—Imagine Gary Pinkel, Ron Prince and Bo Pelini combining their stars together to form one football team. Let's call this team the Big 12 team. Wouldn't this team be one heckuva an All-Star team? Well, transfer that thought to track and field. That's exactly what will be presented Saturday in Lincoln for the second Big 12-Mountain West Challenge. Missouri, Kansas State, and Nebraska will pool their talents against Air Force, Colorado State, and BYU in what is sure to be a meet filled with high-class performances.
The Tigers helped the Big 12 to a 223-114 combined-gender victory last year. Among several good performances last year, Trisa Nickoley won the women's 600-yard run last year, leading wire-to-wire for a personal best time of 1:23.83. Tyler Dailey won the men's shot with a 56-6 throw and former Tiger Jimmie Jones won the men's 600 in 1:10.58.
In the USTFCCCA's preseason rankings, the No. 23 Tiger men are joined in the top 25 with No. 12 Nebraska. On the women's side, BYU is listed 23rd on the charts.
Among those with nationally-significant marks heading into the weekend include men pole vaulters, Brian Hancock of Missouri and Matt Weirich of BYU – both are on the national list with marks over 17 feet this season.
The story remains the same in the men's weight throw, three Tigers have national marks with junior Chris Rohr leading the frey at fourth on the national board after his season's best throw at last weekend's Kansas Invitational of 67-10½ (20.69m). Colorado State's Jason Schutz marked over 66 feet back in December to be among Mizzou's Tyler Dailey in the national top 10 entering the weekend.
Missouri senior Shernelle Nicholls is now in the national top 10 in the women's shot put with a 51-8¾ (15.77m) showing last weekend. Tiger Krishna Lee is in the nation's top 15 in both the shot and weight throw events. Speaking of the women's weight throw, K-State and Mizzou will have a virtual dual in the event. Familiar Wildcats Loren Groves and Laci Heller will face Lee and Tiger All-American Elisha Hunt in what will be a clash between three of the nation's top 10. Groves has a three-and-a-half foot advantage (69-11¼) over everyone else in season's bests, ranking second in the country, while Hunt is No. 6 and Heller is No. 8.
In the men's high jump, the Big 12's 1-2 duo of K-State's Scott Sellers and Nebraska frosh Paul Hamilton will make for an interesting battle. Hamilton cleared 7-2 (2.19m) last week for the nation's third-best mark while Sellers advanced his season best last week with a 7-4½ (2.25m) national-leading mark.
The weekend will likely also feature some great, early middle-distance races. Starting lineups have yet to be announced.
The teams will also compete in the Nebraska Wesleyan Invitational immediately following the conference challenge.
This weekend's meet will be the first of two scored meets in a row for the Tiger tracksters. Next weekend's
Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup at Penn State is scheduled to feature Mizzou (No. 23 men), Penn State (No. 12 women), Appalachian State, Buffalo, Cornell, East Carolina, George Mason, Georgetown, Kent State, Liberty, Penn, Pittsburgh, Princeton, and Tulane.