Mizzou’s Schweizer Earns Second Straight SEC Runner of the Year
11/8/2017 4:25:00 PM | Women's Cross Country, Cross Country
Schweizer captured second straight SEC Cross Country title last month
COLUMBIA, MO. – Mizzou Cross Country senior standout Karissa Schweizer (Urbandale, Iowa) repeated as the SEC Women's Runner of the Year, announced Wednesday (Nov. 8) by the league office. The award comes on the heels of her second consecutive SEC Cross Country Championship, as she finished with a 6K time of 19:36.3, an incredible 30 seconds ahead of the rest of the field in Athens, Ga., last month.
Her performance was a key reason why Mizzou's women finished fourth at the SEC Championships and is one of the elite teams to head to this weekend's NCAA Midwest Regional in Ames, Iowa.
On the year, Schweizer posted a season-best 5K time of 16:25.4 at the Commodore Classic and reset her 6K personal best at the Pre-National Meet with a time of 19:29.7, nearly 12 seconds ahead of PR heading into the season.
For all the latest on Mizzou Track & Field, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MIZ_TrackField).
"We are so proud of Karissa and all the she has accomplished," said Mizzou Cross Country head coach Marc Burns. "Karissa will go down in the books as one of the best distance runners ever to compete at the SEC Championships. Winning one SEC title is impressive, but to defend a title is tough to do. She won by over 30 seconds and beat multiple All Americans in the process, this is a great honor for Karissa and the program."
In addition to taking home the SEC title, Schweizer posted another banner year on the cross country circuit, piggy-backing off of a breakout junior campaign during which she claimed three national championships. This year, Schweizer was named SEC Runner of the Week twice and garnered USTFCCA National Athlete of the Week honors on Sept. 18 after setting a course record at the Commodore Classic at Vanderbilt. She also finished as the runner up at the Pre-National meet and earned meet wins at the Cowboy Jamboree, Commodore Classic and the SEC Championships.Her performance was a key reason why Mizzou's women finished fourth at the SEC Championships and is one of the elite teams to head to this weekend's NCAA Midwest Regional in Ames, Iowa.
On the year, Schweizer posted a season-best 5K time of 16:25.4 at the Commodore Classic and reset her 6K personal best at the Pre-National Meet with a time of 19:29.7, nearly 12 seconds ahead of PR heading into the season.
For all the latest on Mizzou Track & Field, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MIZ_TrackField).
?? STRAIGHT! @KarissaSchweiz4 is the @SEC Runner of the Year for the second consecutive year!#MIZ #TigerTough ?? pic.twitter.com/iHr6CtR2BH
— Mizzou Track & Field (@MIZ_TrackField) November 8, 2017
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
HIGHLIGHTS: Karissa Schweizer Takes 11th at NCAA Cross Country Championship
Sunday, November 19
