Tigers in the National Rankings
2/21/2011 12:00:00 AM | Track & Field
Feb. 21, 2011
COLUMBIA, Mo. - In this week's look at the Tigers in the national track and field rankings, senior three-time All-American Brian Hancock (Monroe City, Mo.) highlights the Tigers in the rankings after his school-record pole vault of 5.38m (17-7 ¾) at the Collegiate Challenge last Friday. Hancock jumped from 19th last week to ninth this week and he has likely locked up the top seed in the pole vault at the Big 12 Championships. Aside from Hancock, both Lars Rise (Trondheim, Norway) and Kearsten Peoples (Ottawa, Kan.) remain ranked in the top 25 in their respective events.
Hancock, with his vault of 5.38m (17-7 ¾) bested the previous school indoor record in the pole vault, which he had originally set back in 2009 at the Last Chance Meet. His mark this season will likely qualify him for the 2011 NCAA Indoor Championships and has him ranked first on the Big 12's performance list, just ahead of Nebraska's Nate Polacek. With the Big 12 Indoor Championships being held in Nebraska this weekend, the men's pole vault will be one of the more intriguing matchups of the championships as the two rank 1-2 in the league and are separated by just a centimeter.
Although Hancock boasts the highest national ranking of all the Tigers, Rise is right behind him at 10th in the men's heptathlon. Rise scored 5,578 points in the heptathlon at the Bill Bergan Combined Events and that point total has him ranked as the Big 12's top heptathlete by more than 120 points. Rise will compete in his second heptathlon of the season this weekend at the Big 12 Championships as he looks to add a Big 12 title to his résumé while improving his national standing. Rise will enter the Big 12 Championships as the top seed in his event and should he win, it will give Mizzou back-to-back Big 12 Heptathlon Champions after Nick Adcock took home the crown last season.
Peoples checks in at 25th nationally in the women's shot put this weekend with her season-best toss of 15.86m (52-0 ½), which is a Mizzou freshman record. She is the No. 1 freshman on the Big 12 performance list and is ranked eighth in the league heading into the championships this weekend.
For all the latest on Mizzou track and field, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and be sure to follow the team on twitter @MIZ_TrackField.
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