May 4, 2008

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- (PALO ALTO, Calif.) The Missouri track & field team's roster of those qualified for this month's NCAA Mideast Regional Championships expanded by two names on Sunday as junior Garett Jeffries (Clarkson Valley, Mo.) and redshirt sophomore Dan Hedgecock (St. Louis, Mo.) made the regional standard in the 5,000 meters run near identical personal-best runs at Stanford's Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational in Palo Alto, Calif. Both times move the duo in Mizzou's all-time top five in the event.

 

Running in the first of tonight's three competitions of the 5,000 meters, Jeffries took second place in the race with a 14:09.41 clocking, coming in right behind Tulsa's John Beattie who marked the winning time of 14:09.07. Hedgecock was not too far behind the first two with a 14:09.58 for third.

 

With their times today, Jeffries shaved more than 14 seconds off his personal best to move to third all-time in Mizzou history in the event while Hedgecock's effort was 23 seconds better than any previous to move him to fourth all-time at Mizzou, moving Tim Ross to fifth. The duo was just under four seconds from Ryan Hampton's school record run set in the same location in March 2005.

 

Yesterday at the Ward Haylett Invitational in Manhattan, Kan., Tiger senior Trisa Nickoley won the women's 800-meter run by over seven seconds with a 2:08.38 clocking.

 

The Missouri track & field teams are scheduled to take next weekend off in preparation of the Big 12 Championships that run May 16-18 in Boulder, Colo.

 

WARD HAYLETT INVITATIONAL RESULTS (Saturday)

 

WOMEN

 

800m Run

1. Trisa Nickoley®, 2:08.38

 

PAYTON JORDAN CARDINAL INVITATIONAL (Sunday)

 

5000m Run

2. Garett Jeffries, 14:09.41, REGL, PR, MU-T5

3. Dan Hedgecock, 14:09.58, REGL, PR, MU-T5

 

KEY:

REGL - New NCAA-regional qualifying mark

REGL+ - Improvement on existing NCAA-regional qualifying mark

® - Already a regional qualifier, not marking a better qualifying mark

 

MU-SR - Missouri school record

MU-T5 - Becomes an MU all-time top five performer

 

PR - Personal Best

SB - Season's Best

 

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