Jan. 30, 2008
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COLUMBIA, Mo.--The University of Missouri track and field squads will travel to Happy Valley, State College, Pa., this weekend for the Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup hosted by Penn State. The Friday-Saturday, team-scored event features 14 teams, including Penn State, Appalachian State, Buffalo, Cornell, East Carolina, George Mason, Georgetown, Kent State, Liberty, Penn, Pittsburgh, Princeton, and Tulane.
Six of the nation's top 40 teams on the men's side in the latest USTFCCCA's NCAA Division I rankings will be competing. No. 7 Liberty leads the pack behind the strength of 2007 NCAA Cross-Country Individual Champion Josh McDougal. Nearly two months after running a 13 minute, 43.26 second 5000-meters and 7:56.60 3000-meters in the same weekend, McDougal still holds the nation's best and third best marks in those respective events. The Flames also feature senior Clendon Henderson, who currently has the nation's fourth best shot put mark at 61-10½ (18.86m).
Also checking in among the top 25 are the No. 17 Princeton Tigers. The Ivy Group school features the nation's current leader in the heptathlon, Duane Hynes. The sophomore tallied 5,572 points last weekend on his way to victory in the Princeton Relays. (A showdown between Hynes and Missouri's sophomore heptathlete-extraordinaire Nick Adcock will have to wait; no heptathlon is scheduled at the Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup.) Two Princeton sophomores--Ian Fox and Justin Frick--cleared 7-¼ (2.14m) in the high jump and are each ranked 11th in the NCAA.
Behind the strength of three weight throwers and pole vaulter Brian Hancock, the Missouri men are ranked 27th as they head to Pennsylvania. Junior Chris Rohr (Lee's Summit, Mo.) posted the nation's fifth longest weight throw last weekend, winning the Big 12-Mountain West Challenge with a hurl of 67-10½ (20.69m). Seniors Tyler Dailey (Joplin, Mo.) and Jason Morris (St. Louis, Mo.) are 12th and 16th respectively on the performance list. The three Tigers, who hold the top three spots in the conference, will face competition from Liberty's Jon Hart (13th) and Cornell's Erik Roneker (18th). Hancock finds himself in tenth on the performance list after a school-record vault of 17-1 (5.21m) three weeks ago.
Coming off a 1-2 finish last weekend in the 1000-meter run, Tiger freshmen Rick Scheff (Atlanta, Ga.) and Kyle Rood (St. Peters, Mo.), who rank 3-4 on the Big 12 list at 1000 meters, will run together in this weekend 800-meter run. Another Tiger freshman, Chris Davis (Riverdale, Ga.), was victorious in last weekend's 600-meter run. The Riverdale, Ga., native will look to lower his time of 1:11.29 as he competes in the 600-meters again. With no heptathlon scheduled, Adcock will be busy in Happy Valley. The Oak Park, Mo., native will get work in the 60-meter hurdles, 4x400-meter relay, long jump and high hump events.
The Tiger women also find themselves just outside the top 25. Led by three veteran throwers, Mizzou is 28th in the USTFCCCA rankings. Senior Shernelle Nicholls (St. Andrew's Parrish, Barbados) cracked the nation's top five with her winning shot put toss of 53-8 (16.36m) last weekend and stands as the conference leader and over two-and-half feet from the remaining field. In the weight throw, Elisha Hunt's (Linn, Mo.) 66-4½ (20.23m) hurl three weekends ago still puts her sixth on the performance list. Hunt is joined on the performance list by junior Krishna Lee (16th), who threw 62-0 (18.90m) way back in early December; Lee earned the 18th spot on the shot put performance list last weekend.
Sophomore Emily Baker and junior JaNay Woolridge will look to continue their winning ways as they compete in the mile and long jump, respectively, for the second consecutive week. Baker's win, coming from behind last weekend in running 4:54.60 in Lincoln, was a personal best for the Eureka, Mo., native.
Based on the national rankings, the Tiger women appear to be among the main competition for host Penn State. The No. 9 Nittany Lions have five performances among the nation's top 11--pentathlete Gayle Hunter (first), 400-meter runner Dominique Blake (sixth), miler Bridget Franek (seventh), hurdler Aleesha Barber (11th) and their 4x400-meter squad (fifth).
-- McClain Thompson