April 9, 2009
COLUMBIA, Mo.-- After sweeping the Jefferson Cup, the Missouri Tigers track and field team will close out it's three-week home stand this weekend with the Tom Botts Invitational at 9 a.m. Saturday morning. The invitational also marks the final home meet for 11 Tiger seniors, as the remaining schedule will have the team floating between Fayetteville, Arkansas, Des Moines, Iowa and eventually Lubbock for the Big 12 Outdoor Championships.
This will be the second scored meet of the outdoor season for Mizzou, as Air Force, Indiana State and Tulsa will all compete for bragging rights this weekend. With Saturday being the only day of events, many of the races, along with the field events, will be one flight/heat.
Right before the start of the last pair of races, the 4x400-meter relays, Michael Barrows, Brian Graybill, Elisha Hunt, Dan Hedgecock, Garett Jeffries, Krishna Lee, Chris Rohr, Kaela Rorvig, Steve Shimkus, John Thies and Ben Wade will be recognized as a group for their years of service on the team.
Sitting in second place in the standings after the first day of the Jefferson Cup, the Tigers fought back and in only the second year of the meet's existence, Mizzou became the first to sweep both men and women's overall team titles. Last year the titles were split between the Virginia women and Missouri men.
The dual was also favorable to the team's status regionally and nationally, with ten Tiger athletes hitting regional qualifying marks in 13 events and the men's team being ranked 25th in this week's USTFCCA rankings.
The Tom Botts Invitational will begin with the women's hammer throw at 9 a.m., with the running events beginning at 11 a.m. with the women's 3000-meter steeplechase. The meet can be followed live online at FlashResults.com.