Aug. 13, 2014
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Senior Kearsten Peoples is trading in the black and gold for the red, white, and blue this weekend, as she joins Team USA for the Pan-American Sports Festival in Mexico City. This will be Peoples' debut representing the United States. She will take to the ring Friday at 5 p.m. CT in Jesus Martinez "Palillo" Stadium for the shot put.
"I am thrilled for Kearsten," Head Coach Brett Halter said. "In my book, one of the greatest honors one could have bestowed upon them is representing their country - particularly wearing the colors of the United States. This is a terrific opportunity for Kearsten to compete on the international stage, and is something she hopes to do many more times in the near future as she eyes a professional career in track and field upon graduation in the spring."
ROUNDING OFF THE SEASON
For Peoples, this meet caps an exciting year, which included three new Missouri School Records, three NCAA All-American finishes, an All-SEC performance, and her second SEC title.
Wasting no time, Peoples laid down a pair of Record performances during her first meet weekend in January, hitting back-to-back PR's in the weight throw at the Badger Indoor Open and Wisconsin v. Missouri Dual in Madison, Wisc. She topped her own top mark in the record books with a best toss of 21.18m (69-6).
She closed the season with another Record mark, this time in the shot put, winning the SEC Championships with a top throw of 17.81m (58-5.25), putting her in the top slot of the NCAA rankings for the event. She went on to claim a pair of NCAA Indoor All-American honors in the shot put (third) and weight throw (seventh).
Her streak of nation-leading marks continued into outdoor with her season's best shot put performance of 17.90m (58-8.75). Before that, though, was her third School Record mark, this time in the discus. She out-threw her own Record mark with a toss of 57.31m (188-0) at the ESU Mid-Week Open. She closed the season with a second-place finish in the shot put at the SEC Championships, and a third-place finish in the event at the NCAA Championships for her seventh All-American honor.
THE MEET
Meet Website | USATF Meet Page
This is the debut of the multi-event Pan-American Sports Festival, which began in July and will go through September and boasts 23 events, 41 countries, and roughly 3,200 athletes. Organized by the Pan-American Sports Organization (PASO), the three-month event was designed to serve as a precursor for the larger Pan-American Games, which will take place next year.
While the Festival is held throughout Mexico, the track & field portion will take place in Mexico City at the Jesus Martinez "Palillo" Stadium. Events will begin Friday (Aug. 15) and go through Saturday (Aug. 16).
For the latest on your Tigers, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter @MIZ_TrackField.