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18, 2004 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Release by Mike Marzolf Photo available upon request |
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Moore
officially part of women’s 200m; 5 ex Cougars to run in race For Moore it has been a wait and see stretch since she finished 4th at the Olympic Trials in Sacramento, Calif. back on July 18 – exactly one month ago. It was learned immediately after the Trials that Edwards had tested positive and faced a ban. But after Edwards hearing and appeal there was no ruling on her fate until Aug. 11 when she was banned for two years. However, she appealed once again to the CAS where the final verdict came down Tuesday. Now Moore can join a pair of former teammates at Barton in Campbell and Jones as well as Bailey and McDonald as ex Cougars in the 200m. Campbell, Bailey, and Jones will also compete in the 100m, which gets started Friday. In the 100m, Campbell and Bailey both will have Top 10 times in the world this year among those competing. Moore has spent a lot of time in the shadows of one of the top sprinters in the world – Campbell – during her college days. But she has quietly put together a stellar collegiate career that has now turned international. As a freshman at Barton, Campbell and Moore went 1-2 in the NJCAA National Outdoor 200m. The combo went 1-3 in the 100m. It was the same case indoors as Campbell and Moore went 1-3 in both the 60m and 200m. Ironically, during those same meets in 2002, Jones – a sophomore on that team – was running the 400m for the Cougars, taking 6th at the Outdoor meet and 3rd at the Indoor meet.
This past season Moore again stepped up in Campbell’s absence. Both runners moved on to Arkansas after their time at Barton County to run for former Barton County Coach Lance Brauman. Moore struggled during the indoor season, taking 19th at the NCAA National Indoor meet in the 200m. Muna Lee of LSU won the 100m while Campbell won the 200m. She didn’t run in the 60m. But at the NCAA National Outdoor meet, Moore caught everyone’s eye. Campbell didn’t run due to an injury and Moore took advantage. She took 4th in the 100m dash finals at 11.31 then struck gold again as she won the 200m finals in a wind-aided 22.37. Her star continued to rise at the Trials. In the qualifying round, Moore coasted to a 3rd place effort in her heat to automatically qualify for the semifinals. In the semis, Moore stepped it up. Moore ran the 2nd fastest time – a 22.63 – into a 1.1 headwind as she blew away the remainder of the 3rd heat. In the finals Moore found herself back in the pack as the runners came around the curve but in the final 100m she closed hard, passing 3 sprinters to move into the 4th spot right behind Edwards. That final 100m proved to be vital in putting Moore in the Olympics in the 200m. There she will join the former Cougars to make a good portion of the 200m field. Once again Moore will be in the shadows of Campbell, who has run the fastest 200m time in the world this year when she ran a 22.18 at the Jamaican Nationals. Moore’s best wind legal time of 22.63 will be near the Top 10 this year among those competing at Athens. She is just behind Bailey, who has run a 22.62. Jones will bring in a time just outside the Top 20 among those competing. Barton
County Olympians Jamaica Bahamas Trinidad
& Tobago Virgin
Islands -30- Check
out Barton County Track Online at www.bartonccc.edu/sports
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It’s
now official. LaShauntea Moore’s wait is over. The Barton
County Community College graduate knows she will indeed be a part
of the women’s 200m dash in just less than a week at the 2004
Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. Moore, who was already in Athens
as part of the USA’s 4x100m relay pool, had been waiting word
on Torri Edwards’ appeal. Edwards, who took 3rd in the US
Olympic Trials to Moore’s 4th place, had been banned for 2
years for testing positive for the stimulant nikethamide in April.
She appealed that ban but on Tuesday the international Court of
Arbitration for Sport came down with its ruling, denying Edwards
her spot on the team and making way for Moore to join some familiar
faces in the women’s 200m. In fact, 5 former Barton County
track stars will now compete in the race. In addition to Moore,
Barton will have Veronica Campbell, Aleen Bailey, Beverly McDonald
– all from Jamaica – and Laverne Jones (Virgin Islands)
in the event that begins Monday.
As
a sophomore, Moore found her gold. Campbell missed both NJCAA National
meets with an injury and Moore stepped up and captured the 200m
title Indoors, taking 2nd in the 60m. Moore came away with a pair
of silver medals outdoors, taking 2nd in the 100m and 200m. Fana
Ashby of KCK won all 3 NJCAA National titles in the events Moore
took 2nd. Ashby is in Athens as well as a member of the Trinidad
and Tobago team.