March 3, 2011
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Mizzou track and field team will continue the championship portion of its schedule this weekend at a pair of Last Chance Meets at Iowa State and Notre Dame. The meets gives student-athletes one last chance to post marks that will qualify them for next weekend's NCAA National Indoor Championships. Competing for the Tigers at Iowa State this weekend will be Aaron Dixon (Lee's Summit, Mo.), Lana Mims (Tulsa, Okla.) and Kearsten Peoples (Ottawa, Kan.) while Laura Roxberg (Overland Park, Kan.) and Bailey Belvis (Prosper, Texas) will run at Notre Dame.
Roxberg is in search of a new personal-best and NCAA qualifying time in the mile run this weekend. She already owns the Tigers' fastest time in the event this season at 4:47.49 and it will likely take about a five-second improvement from that time to qualify her for the NCAA Championships. Roxberg is fresh off of a runner-up nod in the 1,000m run at the Big 12 Championships where she came within just more than a second from matching the school record in the event. She will need another impressive performance like that in the mile this weekend as she looks to punch a ticket to the Championships.
Dixon, an NCAA National Qualifier during the 2010 outdoor season in the 800m run, has posted a top time of 1:50.22 in the event this season. In order to feel good about a spot to the NCAA Championships, Dixon will need to shave about two or three seconds off of that time this weekend. His personal-best in the event is 1:47.39, a time that would rank him in the top six nationally at this point of the season, so he is certainly capable of posting a fast time this weekend.
Belvis has already set a new personal-best in the 3,000m run this season at 9:39.55 and will need to drop that time closer to 9:30 this weekend in order to qualify for the Championships. Belvis has seen her time in the event drop significantly during her training, so the Tigers are hoping for another reduced time on what is a very good distance track at Notre Dame.
Mims set her indoor personal-best in the long jump at the Big 12 Indoor Championships, earning All-Big 12 honors with a mark of 6.00m (19-8 ¼), putting her in the hunt for an NCAA berth. The fifth-year senior will likely need to add a little bit of distance to that mark this weekend, but she has seen her marks improve all season long and she boasts and outdoor personal-best of 6.27m (20-7) in the event, a mark that would likely advance her to the NCAA Championships.
Peoples has had a sensational freshman season in 2011 as she has reset the Mizzou freshman records in both the shot put and the weight throw. She currently ranks 31st nationally in the shot put with her season-best toss of 15.86m (52-0 ½) and with a very talented field of shot putters at the Division I level this season, she will need to improve that mark this weekend in order to earn a spot to the NCAA Championships.
For a complete recap of the NCAA Last Chance Meet, stay tuned to MUTigers.com. Be sure to follow the Mizzou track and field team on twitter @MIZ_TrackField as well.