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Sports Shorts

By Mike Bushnell
May 6, 2008

Picks for next Truman and cheer squad unveiled

Cheerleading coach Suzy Thompson announced Monday the 49 men and women who will make up the cheerleading squads for the fall semester, as well as the four men who will share the honor of being Truman the Tiger at MU sporting events.

The four are rising senior Jacob Kunce of Grandview in Jackson County, and rising juniors Alex Scott of Marshall, Tom McDermott of Kansas City and Brian Mallioux of St. Louis.

The cheerleading squad will have 39 people on the sidelines at football games, 20 at men’s basketball, 19 at women’s games and six more at volleyball games.

Softball regular season ends with record-breaking players

Sunday’s 9-4 regular-season-ending win for the softball team at Nebraska was a special one. Freshman outfielder Rhea Taylor set the Big 12 stolen base record in the game, logging her 52nd in the first inning. She is also the conference leader in runs scored with 60.

Senior infielder Amanda Renth hit a solo home run in the top of the third inning, setting MU’s single season record at 18. She added her 19th of the season, a two-run home run to left field in the top of the sixth inning. Micaela Minner set the previous mark at 17 in 2005.

Missouri (44-14, 11-6 Big 12) took a 3-0 lead after the top of the first inning, giving junior pitcher Stacy Delaney room to work with. She pitched four innings, allowing four runs to move her record this season to 18-3. Senior Jen Bruck pitched the final two innings to earn her second save of the season.

Taylor also hit her first career home run in the top of the fourth inning to put the Tigers ahead, 7-0. The Cornhuskers (22-27, 4-14) rallied in the bottom of the fifth, scoring three runs thanks to two errors.

Nebraska won on Saturday, beating the Tigers 7-3. Bruck started the game and was handed the loss, dropping her record to 16-8. MU only had five hits in the game.

The Tigers will play Texas Tech in the Big 12 tournament on Saturday in Oklahoma City.

Englin dazzles in Arkansas

Senior Nate Englin won the Arkansas Twilight’s shotput competition with a toss of 62 feet, 5 and 3/4 inches. The toss, his career best, puts him the top 10 nationally.

Also shining in Fayetteville, Ark., was sophomore Andy Oaker, who threw 57 feet, 1 inch.

In the pole vault, sophomore Brian Hancock had the best clearance of his career at 17 feet, 5 inches.

In the 1500-meter run, senior Tipper O’Brien was barely clipped at the finish line in a photo-finish, coming in second at 3:44.30. The winning time went to Iowa State freshman Hillary Bor, who recorded the exact same time.

Former Tiger runner Neville Miller, also a weatherman at KMIZ, came in third with a time of 3:44.36.