COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Mizzou track and field program is headed to the Big 12 Championships this weekend in Norman, Okla., at John Jacobs Track and Field Complex. The meet, which currently features eight top 25 teams on the men's side and nine on the women's side, will begin on Friday (May 13) and continue on Saturday (May 14) and Sunday (May 15). The majority of the event finals will be contested on Sunday.

Heading into the championships this weekend, several Tigers look poised to make a run at a Big 12 title, beginning with senior decathlete Lars Rise (Trondheim, Norway). He is the No. 1 seeded athlete in the decathlon headed into the weekend with his season-best score of 7,770 points the Mt. SAC Combined Events. He was the Big 12 runner-up in the heptathlon during the indoor season and was the national runner up in the same event at the NCAA Championships. His career-best in the decathlon is 7,776 heading into the meet and it will take almost an identical score or better to win the event this weekend as it is a fully-loaded field.

A pair of Tiger males enter the weekend as the No. 2 seed in their respective events as well. Senior Brian Hancock (Monroe City, Mo.) is the No. 2 ranked pole vaulter heading into the Championships with his season-best vault of 5.36m (17-7) at the Tom Botts Invitational. Kansas' Jordan Scott leads the league with a top mark of 5.50m (18-0 ½) while Kyal Meyers of Texas Tech is just behind Hancock in third at 5.35m (17-6 ½), setting up what should be an exciting matchup in the men's pole vault.

Chris Holly (Topeka, Kan.) is the other Tiger male that comes into the weekend as the No. 2 overall seed in his event, ranking second in the men's hammer throw with a top mark of 63.32m (207-9), which he set at the Drake Relays. Oklahoma's KP Singh leads the Big 12 with his season-best mark of 66.70m (218-10) and he will be tough to beat at his home stadium this weekend, but Holly will likely be among the favorites to take home the title this weekend. Look for Brooks Mosier (Lee's Summit, Mo.) to have a big meet in the shot put as well this weekend. He is the fifth seed heading into the weekend.

On the track, several Tigers on the men's side will have a shot at making an impact this weekend. Aaron Dixon (Lee's Summit, Mo.) comes in as the league's No. 5 runner in the 800m run and should challenge for a Big 12 title in the event. Also, freshman sprinter Tre Chambers will look to build upon what has been a great freshman season so far. During the indoor season he was the only true freshman to score in both the 60m and 200m dashes at the Big 12 Indoor Championships and he is the first Tiger to ever do so since the inception of the Big 12. Look for him to impress in the 100m and 200m dash this weekend as well as anchor at 4x100m relay team that sits eighth in the league.

On the women's side, some Tigers to keep an eye on are Leslie Farmer (Jefferson City, Mo.) and Laura Roxberg (Overland Park, Kan.). Farmer is seventh overall in the 400m hurdles heading into the weekend with her season-best time of 59.44. She is the school record holder in the event as well. Look for Roxberg - who nearly won the 1,000m run during the indoor season - to challenge for a spot among the league's elite runners in the 1,500m run as well this weekend.

In the field events, the Tiger women should have a strong presence in the throws, highlighted by Melissa Coil (Clark, Mo.) in the hammer and Megan Collins (Lee's Summit, Mo.) in the discus. For all the latest on Mizzou track and field, including a complete recap of the Big 12 Championships, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on twitter @MIZ_TrackField.