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March 26, 2008
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Columbia, Mo.
Audrey J. Walton Stadium
Quick Info and Links
Shades of the Season
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COLUMBIA, Mo.—The Tigers will host the ninth Missouri Relays beginning Friday morning in Columbia to officially kickoff the 2008 outdoor track & field season. Over 1,600 athletes from the high school, collegiate, and professional ranks will be in Mid-Missouri for the two-day festival of athletics. Schools from NCAA Division I scheduled to be in attendance include: Kansas, Iowa State, UMKC, Northern Iowa, Marquette, South Dakota State, Drake, and Missouri State. Kansas has both their men’s and women’s teams in the national top-25 preseason rankings while Northern Iowa’s men is ranked 15th.
Spanning the Field
- HIGH SCHOOL RELAY STREAKS: On the boys side, Jefferson City still holds a meet-high five-year winning streak in the shuttle hurdle relay (the event was cancelled last year) and looks to make it six-straight, but, Perryville and North Callaway are looking to spoil the party … the Jays have also won five-of-the-last-six in the 4x400 … Potosi has won three-straight in the 4x800-meter relay, but are not back to defend … for the girls, Spring-breakers Waukesha West of Wisconsin have won three-straight in the 4x800 and the distance medley relay, in addition to two-straight titles in the 4x100 … Waukesha West is also the defending champs of the 4x400, having won a field-best four relays last year.
- THERE WILL BE A NEW ONE: Thomas Brown of Fulton won the boys’ 100-meter dash in each of the last four years, becoming the first to ever sweep a high-school event … obviously, there will be a new champ, but who will it be? … prelims of the boys’ 100 is Friday at 3:00 p.m., with the finals slated for Saturday at 3:05 p.m.
- COPYCAT: If Brown was the first to sweep an event in all four years as a high schooler, Jefferson City’s Ben Licklider would like to become the second … Licklider has won the pole vault event in each of the last three years, taking the title last year by tying the meet record with a 13-6 clearance ... the boys’ pole vault is scheduled to begin Friday at 2 p.m.
- SEEING DOUBLE?: Josh Thebeau of Potosi took the 800-, 1600-meter run double in 2006 and 2007 as the first boy to pull of the half-mile-ish, mile-ish combo at the Missouri Relays … Rock Bridge senior Lauren Borduin could become the first girl to pull off the combo …. as one of the top seeds in both events, Borduin is also the defending champ in the 1600 and won in 2006 at 800 meters … the high school 1600 is slated for Saturday at 1:30 while the 800 is set for 3:25 on the same day.
- COLLEGIATE WINNING STREAKS: Missouri’s Jason Morris returns to defend his two-year crown as the relays’ hammer throw king … last year, Morris won with a meet record toss of 214-6 (65.39m) … (REVISED) the elite men's hammer begins Friday at 11:15 a.m! … on the women’s side Northern Iowa’s Rachel Jansen has a two-year streak going in the women’s discus, having set the meet record in 2006 with a 177-10 (54.20m) measure … Jansen will be in the ELITE women’s discus competition Saturday at 2:45 … Lincoln University holds the meet-high six-year winning streak of titles in a single event with the women’s 100 meters … last year, Nandelle Cameron won for the Blue Tigers in the short sprint with a meet record 11.58.
- JAYHAWKS THAT ACTUALLY FLY: All joking aside, Kansas’ pole vaulters will be on display on Saturday, and they really can fly … in the men’s competition (3:30 p.m.), KU sophomore Jordan Scott, already a three-time Big 12 Champ, will go up against, among others, Mizzou’s Brian Hancock, a three-time All-Big 12 performer … Scott has the tied-NCAA best returning vault from a year ago with a PR of 18-2½ (5.55m) … on the women’s side (1:00 p.m.) Big 12 Champ Kate Sultanova will take to the air … Sultanova was third at the NCAA Indoor Championships two weeks ago in Fayetteville.
Tigers to Watch
- Senior Nate Englin, newly anointed Big 12 Indoor Champ, takes on a good field in the ELITE men’s shot put which is slated for Saturday at 2:45.
- Senior Shernelle Nicholls (outdoor school record holder) and junior Krishna Lee (indoor school record holder) will be among a stacked field in the women’s ELITE shot … Nicholls has the fourth-best returning mark among the NCAA crowd with her school record set at last year’s Big 12 meet (56-2¾, 17.14m) … the third-best returning NCAA mark is that of UNI’s Rachel Jansen (56-8½, 17.29m) who is back in the field to defend her title … competition starts Saturday at 1:45.
Last Week in Tulsa
A small handful of Tigers trekked to Tulsa, Okla., for the Tulsa Duals. Newcomer John Thies, in his first-ever competition, finished third in the men’s javelin with a throw of 188-7 (57.50m). Senior Dave Borchardt was third in the discus with a 149-2 (45.49m) toss.
On the women’s side, frosh Hope Harris was in her first meet as a Tiger, placing fourth in both the discus (159-10, 48.72m) and javelin (140-1, 42.96m). Senior Tommie Powers was fifth in the pole vault.
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