Schweizer Named USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Year
3/13/2018 4:49:00 PM | Track & Field
Schweizer won national titles in the 3K & 5K at the NCAA Indoor Championships
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Track & Field senior Karissa Schweizer (Urbandale, Iowa) was named the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Women's Track National Athlete of the Year, announced Tuesday. Schweizer closed the her indoor senior campaign this past weekend as the Urbandale, Iowa, native won her fourth and fifth national titles, the most of any student-athlete in program history.
At the 2018 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, Schweizer became the fifth female in NCAA history to win the 3000m run and 5000m national titles at the same meet, as she joined Notre Dame's Molly Seidel (2016), Dartmouth's Abbey D'Agostino (2013 & 2014), Texas Tech's Sally Kipyego (2007) and Providence's Kim Smith (2004). Schweizer clocked the third-fastest indoor 5000m run time in the history of the NCAA Indoor Meet, as she crossed the finish line at 15:43.23, while her time of 8:53.36 held off Boise State's Allie Ostrander in the 3000m run.
The two national titles cap a dominant 2018 indoor campaign in distance running for Schweizer, who set collegiate top-five times in the mile run, 3000m run and 5000m run in 2018. Schweizer set the collegiate record in the 3000m run at the Millrose Games (Feb. 3), winning USTFCCCA Division I Women's National Athlete of the Week and the Southeastern Conference Women's Runner of the Week honors in the process. Schweizer was the top collegiate finisher in the race, as she crossed the finish line fourth at 8:41.60. Schweizer's time surpassed the previous collegiate record from 2009 by Colorado's Jenny (Barringer) Simpson (8:42.03), as well as the Mizzou school record mark of 9:06.39, which was set by Sabrina Dornhoefer in 1984. She also clocked a time of 4:27.54 in the mile run at the Columbia Challenge (Jan. 27), the fifth-fastest time in NCAA history, and a 15:17.31 in the 5000m run at the BU Season Opener (Dec. 2, 2017), the fifth-fastest time in NCAA history.
At the 2018 SEC Indoor Championships, Schweizer captured her sixth and seventh conference titles in the 3000m run and distance medley relay. Schweizer set a conference meet record in the 3000m run, clocking a time of 9:00.56, while her 4:25.56 anchor leg split gave the Tigers the DMR title. The Tiger senior's seven career conference titles match Dornhoefer's seven for the most conference championships by a female in program history.
In addition to owning the most national titles, Schweizer's eight overall All-America honors match Dornhoefer for the second-most in program history, regardless of gender, and only trails Kearsten Peoples' 10 All-America honors.
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