Mizzou Cross Country to Split for Bradley Classic and Pre-National Invitational
10/12/2017 8:52:00 AM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country, Cross Country
NCAA All-American Kempfer and Nine-Time Missouri State Champion Hindman to make season debuts
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou will run for the final time this weekend before beginning postseason competition, as the team send runners to both the Bradley Classic on Friday and the Pre-National Invitational on Saturday. Friday's race will take place in Peoria, Ill., while the annual Pre-National meet will be held in Louisville, Ky., the site of this year's NCAA meet.
Three races will take place on Friday in Peoria, as 10 Tigers will take the line in a men's 8k/women's 6k open mixed race at 2:30 p.m. CT. After that, the remaining Tigers will run in the men's 8k at 3:15 p.m. CT, or the women's 6k at 4 p.m. CT.
On Saturday, the men will kick off the day for the Tigers in an 8k race at 9 a.m. CT, followed by the women in a 6k race at 9:45 a.m. CT. Saturday's competition in Louisville will be a good litmus test for Mizzou, as 11 teams ranked in the top-30, and four in the top-10 will toe the line in each race. FloTrack will provide coverage of the meet for a fee.
The focus of the women's race will be on returning NCAA National Champion senior Karissa Schweizer (Urbandale, Iowa), as Saturday's field will be the toughest to-date this season for the Tiger senior, but just as important will be the season debut of NCAA All-American senior Jamie Kempfer (Festus, Mo.). Kempfer finished 27th at the NCAA Championships in 2016, and went on to place ninth in the 10,000m at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Redshirt senior Megan Cunningham (Eureka, Mo.) and freshman Jenna Lutzow (Belvidere, Ill.), who both finished in the top-25 at the Cowboy Jamboree on Sept. 30, will toe the line as Mizzou looks to improve on its 12th-place finish at the 2016 Pre-National Invitational.
Redshirt sophomore Thomas George (Gloucester, England) will lead the way for the men once again on Saturday. George has paced the Tigers in each of their last two meets, and recorded an 8k personal record at the Cowboy Jamboree, finishing with a time of 25:03.6. Making his Mizzou debut in the race will be freshman Austin Hindman (Wildwood, Mo.), who returns after he finished competing in the triathlon at the ITU World Championships last month. Hindman won nine Missouri State Titles while at Lafayette High School, and is the current Missouri state record holder in the 3200m run (8:43.40) and 5k (15:04.40).
Saturday's race will be the final regular season meet for Mizzou before entering postseason competition. The Tigers will head south to Athens, Ga., for the SEC Championships on Oct. 27, then north to Ames, Iowa, for the NCAA Midwest Regional on Nov. 10, and finally east to Louisville, Ky., for the NCAA Championships on Nov. 18.
For all the latest on Mizzou Track & Field, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MIZ_TrackField).
Bradley Classic
Mizzou Starting Line – Men
Chris Conrad (Fr.) // Ben Goodman (R-Sr.) // Sheldon Keence (R-Sr.) // Alfred Kimaiyo (Fr.) // Robert Kuhlmann (R-Fr.) // Stephen Mugeche (R-So.) // Dylan Quisenberry (R-Fr.) // Jacob Schweiss (R-Fr.) // Eric Scott (Fr.) // Taylor Stephen (R-Jr.) // Cain Winebrenner (R-Sr.)
Mizzou Starting Line – Women
Richelle Bain (Fr.) // Kaelyn Balch (R-Sr.) // Kiley Deain (So.) // Elly DeTurris (R-So.) // Susan Forbis (R-Fr.) // Kayla Funkenbusch (R-So.) // Kayla Glowacki (Fr.) // Valeska Halamicek (R-Jr.) // Emmie Hahn (Jr.) // Vivien Jepkemoi (Fr.) // Karina Liz (R-Fr.) // Lexi Maddox (Fr.) // Melissa Menghini (Fr.) // Sophia Racette (R-So.) // Faramola Shonekan (So.) // Hannah Thomas (Jr.)
Pre-National Invitational
Mizzou Starting Line – Men
Zach Cook (R-Jr.) // Marc Dubrick (R-Sr.) // Thomas George (R-So.) // Austin Hindman (Fr.) // Justin Loquercio (R-Fr.) // Evan Schulte (R-Jr.) // Michael Widmann (R-So.)
Mizzou Starting Line – Women
Ellyn Atkinson (R-Sr.) // Megan Cunningham (R-Sr.) // Samantha Farmer (R-So.) // Jamie Kempfer (Sr.) // Jordyn Kleve (R-So.) // Jenna Lutzow (Fr.) // Karissa Schweizer (Sr.)
Ranked Teams in the Field – Pre-National Invitational (Men's National Ranking/Women's National Ranking)
Arkansas (5/9) // BYU (2/16) // Colorado (7/1) // Georgetown (19/22) // Georgia (--/25) // Iona (13/--) // Michigan (T-25/4) // Mizzou (--/24) // Ole Miss (24/12) // Oregon (8/2) // Portland (T-25/--) // Utah State (27/19) // Virginia Tech (12/--) // Yale (--/27)
Players Mentioned
