Missouri
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Kansas Relays
O'Brien, Moore, Hancock, Add Qualifiers Saturday
4/20/2008 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
April 20, 2008
LAWRENCE, Kan. - The University of Missouri track and field squads completed competition Saturday in Lawrence, Kan., at the 81st Kansas Relays on Saturday as well as the Arkansas Invitational in Fayetteville. Senior Tipper O'Brien added his name to those who have qualified for the NCAA Regional Championships with a 3:45.34 run at 1500 meters at the Arkansas Invitational while freshman Layne Moore and Brian Hancock submitted their names in the women's 800 and men's pole vault at the KU Relays.
In a meet in which they ran as high schoolers, Moore (Emporia, Kan.) and senior Trisa Nickoley (Tecumseh, Kan.) turned in solid performances at the Kansas Relays in the women's 800-meter run in separate competitions.
Nickoley placed fourth in the invitational race of the women's 800 with a season's best 2:07.81, improving her NCAA-regional mark by a wide margin, notching her status to the NCAA's top 20 for the year.
Moore ran a near three-second best in the collegiate portion of the 800 to place second and earn her first NCAA-regional qualifying mark of her career.
In Arkansas, Tipper O'Brien's run of 3:45.34 in the invitational race neared his personal best of 3:44.14 set three years ago. In the previous two years, O'Brien had been battling injury and was issued a medical hardship last season to compete as a sixth-year senior this season. In the same competition, junior Garett Jeffries improved his PR to 3:48.73 while senior Brian Graybill sliced four seconds off his all-time best with a 3:48.68 run. Dan Hedgecock would win the collegiate section of the 1500 meters with a time of 3:52.92.
Also in Arkansas, freshman Rick Scheff came within 16 hundredths of a second from an NCAA regional mark with a personal-best 1:50.56 clocking in the invitational 800 meters. Former Tiger Timothy Dunne recorded a season's best in finishing second at 1:49.14.
Back in Lawrence where a beautiful day finalized what was a less-than-perfect starting three days of the Kansas Relays, freshman Ryan Blackwell placed fifth at 400 meters in clocking 47.50 to earn a new personal best.
Post-collegian Christian Cantwell won the men's invitational shot put for the second-straight year with a throw of 67 feet, 6¼ inches (20.58m).
Sophomore Brian Hancock earned his first regional-qualifying mark of the season with a clearance of 16-6¾ (5.05m).
Junior JaNay Woolridge placed fifth in the 100-meter hurdles with a season's best of 14.25 while Chris Rohr placed sixth in the men's discus with a 171-7 toss.
The Tigers will next compete in the 99th Drake Relays next weekend in Des Moines, Iowa.
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