Feb. 1, 2008

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - It would have to take more than a 28-hour weather-woed trip to Penn State to bring down the Mizzou track and field teams Friday. After spending Thursday night in Chicago as a result of delays and diversions because of a Midwest snowstorm, the Tigers stormed to State College to face host Penn State and 12 other teams in the first of two dates at the Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup. After day one, the Tiger men are in second place with 39 team points, trailing only the Nittany Lions by two. The Tiger women with 52 points also are in second place, behind only PSU's 63.

"Wow, I thought our teams were absolutely outstanding tonight," said Head Coach Dr. Rick McGuire. "Considering our two days of hectic travel, I couldn't have been happier with the outcome to this point. The guys had a built-in excuse to not do well, but they didn't play that card today, and that gives me the best thrill."

With the intentions of arriving in State College last night, the team left Columbia early Thursday morning. The flight plan included a scheduled layover at Chicago's Midway Airport; however, heavy snow and low visibilities caused Mizzou's flight to eventually be diverted to Indianapolis. After hours of delay, the original flight landed in Chicago, but the anticipated connection to Pittsburgh left without the Tigers (and with their baggage) causing the teams to sleepover in the Windy City. The team's 6:30 a.m., flight out of Midway landed in Pittsburgh around 10 a.m., eastern. The three-hour bus ride to Happy Valley was no cakewalk. Heavy rain mixing with freezing precipitation, combined with 40 mile-per-hour winds through the high hills of Pennsylvania made travel treacherous, but possible. The teams finally arrived at their hotel at 2 p.m., this afternoon in preps for a 5:30 p.m., meet start.

Stellar all-around performances in the men's weight throw added 25 points to the Tiger cause early. The three Tigers that entered the weekend in the national top 20, swept the top three spots with three season's bests, topping two others from No. 7 Liberty and Cornell that were in the nation's top 15. Junior Chris Rohr (Lee's Summit, Mo.) won the event after sitting in fifth after the preliminary round. Rohr, who entered the weekend in the national top five, advanced his spot on the NCAA list with a mark of 67 feet, 11 inches (20.70m). Junior Jason Morris (St. Louis, Mo.) had a breakthrough meet in finishing second with a near two-foot lifetime best mark of 66-8 (20.32m). Senior Tyler Dailey (Joplin, Mo.) also improved his national standing with a third-place performance of 66-¼ (20.12m). In addition, Senior Nate Englin (Shoreview, Minn.) added a point to the Tiger tally with an eighth-place showing with a season's best 61-7½ (18.78m). Englin entered the prelims in ninth.

No surprise, but the story was the same in the women's weight throw as Mizzou picked up 26 points for the female side of the ledger. Junior Elisha Hunt (Linn, Mo.) grabbed another title in the event, topping the field with a 64-7¼ (19.69m) mark. Junior Krishna Lee (Kansas City, Mo.) became the second best performer in Tiger history, passing Holly Scherder, with a 17-inch addition to her personal best in marking a second-place toss of 63-5 (19.33m). Lee's mark will advance her on the national-qualifying list, a place where she also resides in the shot put - that event is tomorrow. Senior Shernelle Nicholls added to her throwing prowess, entering Mizzou's all-time top five with a fourth-place showing in the event in throwing an 18-inch betterment at 59-9½ (18.22m). Senior Elizabeth Robe (Wakeusha, Wisc.) placed sixth at 58-7¼ (17.86m). Having to exhibition because the Tigers could only score four in the event, senior Sarah Burbee added five feet to her all-time best with a 52-10 (16.10m) throw.

Sophomore Nick Adcock (Kansas City, Mo.) continues to impress, scoring seven points on the day with a fifth-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles (8.21) and a surprising seventh-place showing in the long jump. Another decathlete, frosh Lars Rise finished sixth in the long jump, qualifying for the final from the first of three sections.

Junior JaNay Woolridge (Jessup, Md.) was the Tiger hurdle-jump star on the women's side. Woolridge placed fifth in marking 18-2¼ (5.54m) in the long jump quickly after running a personal best 8.72 in the 60-meter hurdle finals to place fourth. Woolridge's time now places her fourth all-time in Mizzou history in the event. Junior Kaela Rorvig placed eighth in the hurdle finals, but ran a great 8.75 time in the prelims to reach into that Mizzou all-time top five.

Freshman Kinsey Farren reeled in a fourth-place finish in the women's 5000, running 17:33.97. Carolyn Rauen shaved 15 seconds off her previous best with a 17:50.50 time to place eighth.

The Tiger men's distance medley relay was credited with five points after finishing fourth place. The team, led off by three freshmen, Kyle Rood, Chris Davis, and Rick Scheff, and anchored by junior Tim Cornell, clocked 10:03.34.

The women's DMR squad placed second, running 11:31.70 with junior Ellen Ries, sophomore Blossom Nwaneri, senior Trisa Nickoley, and senior Kasey Kimball.

Senior Tommie Powers took seventh in the women's pole vault with a clearance at 11-5¾ (3.50m).

The final day of the Sykes-Sabock Challenge Cup begins Saturday at 11 a.m., eastern. Follow the action, event-by-event, by visiting the meet's live results page at http://gopsusports.cstv.com/livestats/c-track/08relays/index.htm. The Penn State women are ranked ninth in the USTFCCCA Team Rankings entering the weekend, while six teams on the men's side are in the top 40 in the national standings. ###