 |
 Junior Chris Rohr |
 |
Rohr Has National-Leading S-R Weight Throw, Cantwell Has World First
|
Feb. 22, 2008
WARRENSBURG, Mo. - Thank goodness it's Friday. A week after Nick Adcock broke Mizzou's school record in the heptathlon last Friday in Ames, Iowa, junior Chris Rohr (Lee's Summit, Mo.) and Tiger post-collegian Christian Cantwell put on quite a show at the Central Missouri Classic in Warrensburg, Mo., today. Rohr added nearly four feet to his personal best in the weight throw with a toss of 73 feet, ½ inches (22.26m) to break Cantwell's school record and add his name to the top of national leaderboard. Meanwhile, Cantwell, throwing to prep for Sunday's USATF Indoor Championships, threw an indoor personal best of 72-9¼ (22.18m) in the shot to and becomes the first to ever record all six throws over 70 feet in an indoor competition. It was a monumental day for Rohr, Mizzou's only two-time All-American in the event. "All-around it was just a great competition," said Rohr afterwards. "It all started with Nate [Englin]'s PR, and we all had fun with it. We were real professional about it, and we all know there is more to come for all of us." Rohr broke Christian Cantwell's 2002 school record of 72-3¾ (22.04m). Cantwell - who traveled with the Tiger group and had a huge day as well (more on that later) - was on hand and offered his congratulations. "He said, `Congrats, it's about time'. I'm looking forward to the next steps and getting after it," Rohr concluded. Rohr's mark topped that of Kansas' Egor Agafonov on the national list. Agafonov, the defending NCAA and Big 12 Champion, has a season best of 72-7¼ (22.13m) entering the weekend. The two will meet next week at the Big 12 Indoor Championships in Lincoln.
Rohr also broke Witek Busse's UCM Fieldhouse record that has stood since 1997. Junior Nate Englin (Mounds View, Minn.) got in on the party, throwing for a career best 66-9¼ (20.35m) while senior All-American Tyler Dailey (Joplin, Mo.) threw 66-7¾ (20.31m) to improve his season best. Altogether Rohr, Englin, Jason Morris, and Dailey make up four of the nation's top 16 in the event when adding national marks from before the weekend. Now to Cantwell's monumental day. Cantwell (Eldon, Mo.) may have recorded the best all-around indoor shot put competition of all-time today, becoming the first ever to record all six of his throws over 70 feet (21.34m). With his best throw of 72-9¼ (22.18m), Cantwell added to his all-time indoor personal best previously set in 2004 and becomes fifth-best all-time in the World in the event. Cantwell, two-time USA Indoor Champ and 2004 World Indoor Champ, will tangle with an amazing American contingent of putters on Sunday at the USATF Indoor Championships in Boston. Last weekend, fellow American Adam Nelson became the fourth-best all-time with the current World-leading mark of 73-6 (22.40m). ESPN2 will carry live coverage of the event Sunday beginning at 4 p.m., central. Sophomore Andy Oaker (Steelville, Mo.) also had a PR-day with the shot in finishing third with a 57-5 (17.50m) toss. The weekend isn't over for the Tigers. Several will compete tomorrow at the Missouri All-Comers in the Hearnes Fieldhouse all day Saturday.
### |
