March 28, 2008
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The ninth-annual Missouri Relays started well Friday at Audrey J. Walton Stadium in Columbia. Three meet records fell while Missouri's track teams had a good early-season day in the throws. Over 1,600 high school, collegiate, and professional athletes were to meet in Mid-Missouri on the weekend. Day two begins Saturday morning at 8 a.m.
The Tiger squad dominated the Elite portion of the men's hammer throw, with senior Jason Morris, junior Chris Rohr, and senior Tyler Dailey finishing first, second, and third, respectively. Morris, winning the event for the third year in a row, put together an all-around great series, as each of his six throws impressively came in at over 200 feet. His top throw of 211-11 (64.60m) easily qualified him for the NCAA Regional competition later in the season. Rohr, who also qualified for Regional action, recorded a throw of 208-1 (63.43m). In the University portion of the event, sophomore Andy Oaker came in first with a top throw of 167-11 (51.18m).
Two Tiger throwers claimed the first and second place spots in the Elite category of the women's hammer throw, and also qualified for the NCAA Regional competition. With a toss of 184-7 (56.27m), Krishna Lee took top honors in the event, beating out junior teammate Elisha Hunt by just two inches. Hunt registered a throw of 184-5 (56.21m) in the event. Both easily qualified for the NCAA Regional competition in May, beating out the required throw distance by over two meters.
In just her second collegiate meet, Tiger freshman Hope Harris became the lone competitor to qualify for Regionals and took home first place in the women's javelin throw after her throw of 149-8 (45.63m). The performance put Harris in fourth-place all-time in school's record books.
Senior Sarah Burbee claimed first-place honors in the University portion of the women's hammer throw competition, out-throwing the second-place finisher by almost 16 feet. Her top throw of 166-3 (50.68m) is a new outdoor personal record for Burbee, besting her previous career high of from last year's Kansas Relays by nearly seven feet.
In the University portion of the men's long jump, sophomore Nick Adcock used a new personal best in the event to help him earn a second-place finish, finishing just 3½ inches shy of the first place spot. Adcock's jump of 22-1½ (6.74m) shattered his previous career best of 20-11½ (6.39m), set at the 2007 Big 12 Championships.
In the open portion of the men's javelin throw, the Tigers were able to take three of the top six spots in the competition, with Adcock's second-place finish leading the way for the Tigers following his throw of 184-2 (56.13m). Junior John Thies used a toss of 183-3 (55.85m) to come in fourth-place in just his second career collegiate meet, while freshman Lars Rise finished in sixth behind a throw of 179-5 (54.68m).
In the 200-meter dash finals, sophomore Keyonna Smith took second place, finishing with a time of 25.20. In the men's portion of the competition, Tiger sophomore Jerron Forte registered a time of 22.23, putting him in fifth-place in the event. Running in the same event, sophomore John Lenhart finished in 19th place after collecting a new personal best at 22.91.
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