Kostiuk and Roman Shine for @MIZ_TrackField at Vanderbilt Invitational

Friday, January 19

Nashville, Tenn.

4 PM CT

Missouri

Vanderbilt Invitational

Kostiuk and Roman Shine for @MIZ_TrackField at Vanderbilt Invitational

1/19/2018 10:46:00 PM | Track & Field

Photos

Kostiuk and Roman finish second and third, respectively, in the high jump

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Mizzou Track & Field opened the first day of competition at the Vanderbilt Invitational with six top-10 performances, including two top-three finishes in the women's high jump from junior Valeria Kostiuk (Kiev, Urkraine) and junior Karissa Roman (Kewanee, Ill.).

NOTABLE FINISHES

Kosituk and Roman shined for the Tigers on day one in the Music City, finishing second and third, respectively. Kosituk, the 2017 NJCAA Indoor National Champion in the high jump, cleared 1.75m (5-8.75) with her first attempt to match her season-best jump, while Roman cleared 1.70m (5-7). The pair continues their pursuit of clearing 1.80m (5-10.75), a mark which would rank third in program history.

In the men's weight throw, redshirt sophomore Patrick Kunza (Wentzville, Mo.) placed sixth with a throw of 17.70m (58-1) in his first competition of the 2018 indoor season. Rounding out the top-10 finishes in field events was junior Landon Cuskelly (El Dorado, Kan.), who posted a ninth-place finish in the men's high jump with a mark of 2.00m (6-6.75).

On the track, junior Maya Cody (St. Louis, Mo.) and redshirt senior Ellyn Atkinson (Springfield, Mo.) each posted eighth-place finishes in their respective events. Cody clocked a time of 24.45 in the 200m dash, while Atkinson finished the 5000m run at 17:28.19 in her first race of the season.

QUOTABLES

Mizzou Head Coach Brett Halter

"I was pleased with our efforts today. Everyone that lined up competed well as we settle into our second week back in our training post-holiday. I was especially excited for our high jumpers: their marks will not reflect the shape their technical proficiency showed. The weeks ahead will be exciting for them. I expect we will have some exciting things to share tomorrow when the remainder of the team lines up."

UP NEXT

Mizzou continues with the second day of competition at the Vanerbilt Invitational tomorrow, as the bulk of track events will take place. The unseeded sections of the women's 3000m run will kick things off at 10 a.m. (CT), while field events will begin at 10:30 a.m. (CT).

For all the latest on Mizzou Track & Field, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MIZ_TrackField).

RESULTS - FIELD EVENTS

High Jump, Men – 9. Landon Cuskelly, 2.00m (6-6.75)
High Jump, Women – 2. Valeria Kostiuk, 1.75m (5-8.75) // 3. Karissa Roman, 1.70m (5-7)
Long Jump, Men – 19. Rauno Liitmae, 6.20m (20-4.25)
Long Jump, Women – 37. Keyoni Mbroh, 4.83m (15-10.25)
Weight Throw, Men – 6. Patrick Kunza, 17.70m (58-1) // 11. Avery Carter, 16.80m (55-1.75) // 17. Sean Harrell, 15.87m (52-1) // 22. Ethan Hanson, 13.51m (44-4.25)
Weight Throw, Women – 15. CeCe Johnson, 17.42m (57-2) // 23. Becky Keating, 16.14m (52-11.75) // 24. Emily Stauffer, 16.04m (52-7.75)