March 5, 2009
Columbia, Mo. -
After some stellar efforts in the Big 12 Indoor Championships last week, members of the Missouri track and field squad will hit the road to three different locations this weekend, to not only stay fresh for next week's NCAA Indoor Championships, but to also improve on their numbers in the hopes of getting in during these "last chance" meets. Here's a look at who's going where, and what they're up against.
Iowa State NCAA Last Chance Qualifier (Iowa State)
Senior Krishna Lee would take home two third place finishes in both throwing events in the conference championships in Texas, and has had a provisional qualifying throw in every competition she's competed in during the indoor season. Lee, Andy Oaker and Rick Scheff will all face stiff competition in Ames this weekend.
Lee, one of the top throwers in the Big 12, and in the country, will look to break the 16 meter mark in the shot put this weekend. Her best throw of the year is at 15.92 meters, well above the provisional qualifying mark of 15.20 meters and just three feet from the automatic plateau. The same can be said in the weight throw, as Lee is in the top third in the conference with a mark of 19.69 meters, and a throw of close to 20 meters would make a huge statement.
Oaker is fifth among Big 12 competitors, and that was where he would place himself in the championships last weekend with a toss of 56-07.25 (17.25 meters). The mark is .75 inches away from his personal best of 52-08 this season, and will need that same kind of effort this weekend to make at least a provisional mark that could be within reach.
Scheff will be looking to shave off about a second in the 800-meter run to have a chance at qualifying for the national meet. His time in the conference championships of 1:51.77 got him to the finals, and if he can get to 1:50 or below, he'll be right there with the best in the Big 12.
Some Key Schools Competing: Oregon, LSU, Florida State, Texas Tech, Texas A&M
The Alex Wilson Invitational (Notre Dame)
South Bend and the Alex Wilson Invitational is where Shannon Leinert, the women's 4x400 team, and men's distance medley relay will expect to improve their status nationally, and stay hungry to finish the indoor season as one of the best in the nation.
Leinert, the champion in the Big 12 in the 800-meter run used a dramatic comeback in the finals last Saturday, finishing in a time of 2:07.95. Although it wasn't her best time of the year, a provisional-qualifying time of 2:05.99, another run in Indiana would certainly make the junior transfer a viable threat, returning to the track where she was just crowned a champion.
Tim Cornell, Brian Graybill, Chris Davis, Aaron Dixon and Blake Irwin will all be participating in multiple events during the weekend, and four will make up the men's DMR that finished third in the Big 12 Championships. The time of 9:48.06 is fifth best in the conference this year, and will need to shave about three seconds off that time to make the provisional list.
The Women's 4x400 team had the second best time in Missouri indoor history finishing in a time of 3:41.38 in College Station, and will need a time of 3:40 or under to make the provisional line. With Leinert, Leslie Farmer, Kaela Rorvig and Lana Mims all rested for this race, a clean race by the group could be enough to make another run at Texas A&M.
Arkansas Last Chance (Univ. of Arkansas)
Coming off a fourth place finish in the pole vault during the Big 12 Championships, Brian Hancock will be the only Tiger representative in Fayetteville on Friday. Hancock already has a provisional-mark, and a Mizzou indoor record, in the event with his jump of 5.22 meters in the Collegiate Challenge two weeks ago, and with the automatic mark at 5.50 meters, he could improve his standings with a good showing in Arkansas.
Some Key Schools Competing: Arkansas, Texas, Memphis, Portland State, Southern Illinois