Missouri
NCAA Outdoor Championships - Finals
Kempfer Finishes Ninth in 10K at NCAA Championships for All-America Recognition
6/8/2017 10:18:00 PM | Track & Field
Kempfer records the second All-America honor of her career
EUGENE, Ore. – Mizzou Track & Field redshirt sophomore Jamie Kempfer (Festus, Mo.) earned NCAA Second-Team All-America honors by finishing ninth in the 10,000m run at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Championships on Thursday. Kempfer is the second Tiger to earn All-America honors in as many days after redshirt junior Alex Pascal (Cayman Islands) finished fourth in the men's javelin on Wednesday.
Kempfer stayed near the front of the pack for the duration of the race before the top three runners separated themselves with four laps remaining. The Tiger sophomore crossed the finish line at 33:10.41, just under a second slower than her school record time of 33:09.67. The ninth-place finish matches teammate senior Kaitlyn Fischer's (Pevely, Mo.) placing from 2014 as the second-highest women's 10,000m run finish in program history, trailing only Serena Ramsey's sixth-place finish in 2006.
The All-America honor is the second of Kempfer's career after she finished 27th in the NCAA Cross Country National Championships in November. During the indoor season, Kempfer earned All-SEC honors after finishing third at the SEC meet with a time of 16:10.15. The Tiger sophomore kicked off her outdoor season by setting the 10,000m school record at the Stanford Invitational (March 31), crossing the finish line with a time of 33:09.67. Kempfer would then clock the fifth-fastest time in program history in the 5,000m run at the Drake Relays (April 27) with a time of 16:09.59, then she captured the 10,000m run SEC outdoor title on May 11 with a time of 33:52.19.
Senior Valerie Thames (Milwaukee, Wis.) finished 22nd in the 400m hurdles, crossing the finish line with a time of 1:01.60. Thames finishes her Tiger career with one All-America honor after finishing 16th in the 100m hurdles in 2016, and five school records. The Tiger senior holds the fastest times in school history two indoor events, the 60m hurdles (8.45) and 4x400m relay (3:34.42), and three outdoor events, the 100m hurdles (13.18), 400m hurdles (57.16) and 4x400m relay (3:34.18).
In the women's 4x100m relay, Mizzou's team of sophomore Maya Cody (St. Louis, Mo.), senior LaQuisha Jackson (Chattanooga, Tenn.), redshirt sophomore Tsai-Anne Joseph (St. Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago) and senior Sandrae Farquharson (St. Elizabeth, Jamaica) finished 18th overall with a time of 45.09. The squad clocked their best time of the season at the NCAA West Preliminary, checking in at 44.59, the third fastest time in program history.
After a day off on Friday, Mizzou will wrap up competition from the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday with two student-athletes in action. Redshirt sophomore Gabi Jacobs (Bloomington, Ill.) will throw in the discus at 3:05 p.m. PT, followed by junior Karissa Schweizer's (Urbandale, Iowa) pursuit of a third NCAA title in the 5,000m run at 5:25 p.m. PT.
For all the latest on Mizzou Track & Field, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MIZ_TrackField).
Track Results
10,000m Run, Women – 9. Jamie Kempfer, 33:10.41
400m Hurdles, Women – 22. Valerie Thames, 1:01.60
4x100m Relay, Women – 18. Maya Cody, LaQuisha Jackson, Tsai-Anne Joseph, Sandrae Farquharson, 45.09
Players Mentioned
