Jan. 17, 2014
MADISON, Wis. - The Tigers kicked off their two-meet weekend on Friday with a Missouri School Record performance from Kearsten Peoples at the Badger Open in Madison, Wi. This is the fourth school record for the junior, who also holds the records for the indoor shot put, outdoor shot put, and discus.
"When I was warming up, I felt really good," Peoples said. "I know I have a lot more in the tank, and I am excited for tomorrow. Since it was a PR (personal record), I am looking forward to see what happens. Hopefully nationals is in the future."
Peoples threw 21.01m (68-11.25) in her final attempt of the weight throw competition to clinch the win and surpass the previous Missouri School Record of 20.79m (68-2.5), held by Elisha Hunt. Her performance also launches her into the No. 3 spot in the national rankings, as released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
"A terrific personal best for her, which is indicative of her investment throughout the off-season," said Head Coach Brett Halter. "The weight throw record is something she has had her eye on for a couple of years. Now she can put it behind her and focus on chasing her technique."
The Tigers saw ten other PR performances and six individual event wins throughout Friday's events. Included among those was another win on the part of sophomore Chandler Dye, who opened up his first indoor season as a Tiger last weekend with a first-place finish in the mile. He crossed the line first once again this weekend, finishing the 3,000-meter run in 8:37.90.
Other individual wins include freshman Alex Pierce in the mile, sophomore Chelsie Stevens in the 60-meter dash, sophomore Jacqueline Obi in the 200-meter dash, freshman Emma Vickers in the 400-meter dash, and junior Morgan Whitson in the long jump. Obi and Vickers also earned new PR's in their respective events, with Obi crossing in 25:58 for 200m and Vickers finishing the 400m in 59.75.
A crew of freshmen walked away from the afternoon's events with a slew of PR performances, including Bailey Hession in the mile, Brian Hernan in the mile, Shannon Hall in the 3,000-meter run, Tim Johnson in the 3,000-meter run, Tom Rotondi in the 3,000-meter run, and Ahren Bohanan in the weight throw. Junior Drake Stuedemann also improved on his 800-meter time from last weekend, finishing seventh overall.
The Tigers will look to continue building those numbers during tomorrow's dual against Wisconsin. Field events will begin at 10:30 a.m., and the first gun will follow at 11 a.m. at the Camp Randall Memorial Sports Center.
"This is an exciting opportunity for both our men's and women's teams. We have a great deal of respect for what Wisconsin has accomplished over the years, both recent and historically," Halter said. "On our end, we will need our younger athletes to play a significant role tomorrow for our team's success. Our athletes have been focused throughout the fall, and have shown terrific effort daily in their training.
Our staff's expectation of the team is that they leave everything on the track - that is our only offense in track and field. If we give our very best effort in every event, we will have had a successful day and will have improved as a program."
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