Schweizer Named SEC Runner of the Year, Eight from @MIZ_TrackField Earn All-SEC Honors
3/7/2018 9:46:00 AM | Track & Field
Five Earn All-SEC First Team honors, three earn All-SEC Freshman honors
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Track & Field garnered eight honors as the Southeastern Conference announced its SEC Indoor Awards Wednesday. Senior Karissa Schweizer (Urbandale, Iowa) earned the SEC Women's Runner of the Year following conference titles in the 3000m run and distance medley relay. This is second consecutive season she's been named the league's top female indoor runner.
?? @SEC Runner of the Year ??#Mizzou's @KarissaSchweiz4 ?????#MIZ #TigerTough ?? pic.twitter.com/HtpYpKM4oX
— Mizzou Track & Field (@MIZ_TrackField) March 7, 2018
Joining Schweizer with All-SEC first team honors was redshirt senior Megan Cunningham (Eureka, Mo.), who captured the 5000m SEC title, as well as Schweizer's DMR teammates, junior Maya Cody (St. Louis, Mo.), redshirt senior Valeska Halamicek (Weldon Spring, Mo.) and sophomore Karina Liz (Aurora, Ill.). Three Tigers, distance runner Austin Hindman (Wildwood, Mo.), jumper standout Ja'Mari Ward (Cahokia, Ill.) and thrower Emily Stauffer (Reinholds, Pa.) also earned All-SEC Freshman Team honors as the top freshman finisher in their event.
Schweizer continued her distance dominance at the 2018 SEC Indoor Championships, capturing her sixth and seventh conference titles, doing so 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 mile split gave the Tigers the DMR title. The Tiger senior's seven career conference titles match Sabrina Dornhoefer for the most conference championships by a female in program history. This indoor season, Schweizer has set top-five all-time collegiate times in the mile run, 3000m run, and 5000m run. Schweizer set the collegiate record in the 3000m run at the Millrose Games (Feb. 3), clocking a time of 8:41.60, while running the fifth-fastest collegiate times in the mile run (4:27.54) at the Columbia Challenge (Jan. 27) and the 5000m run (15:17.31) at the BU Season Opener (Dec. 2).
In the 5000m run, Cunningham captured her first career conference title as she crossed the finish line at 15:56.76, more than 25 seconds ahead of the runner-up. Cody, Halamicek and Liz all earned their first career All-SEC honors with the SEC DMR title.
??? All-@SEC First Team ??
— Mizzou Track & Field (@MIZ_TrackField) March 7, 2018
?? @VaIeska
?? @themayacody
?? @MCunningham13
?? @KarissaSchweiz4
?? @karuunna #MIZ #TigerTough ?? pic.twitter.com/4CHprNo0HZ
Mizzou's freshmen set themselves up for a successful future at SEC meets in the Black & Gold, as the Tigers' three All-SEC Freshman Team honors are tied for the second-most in the conference. Ward led the way, as he finished fifth in the long jump (7.75m/25-5.25), while Stauffer finished 11th in the weight throw (17.81m/58-5.25) and Hindman finished 16th in the 3000m run (8:21.48). Ward, the 2017 SEC Outdoor Freshman Field Athlete of the Year, set the school record and posted a NCAA Indoor-qualifying mark at the Missouri Collegiate Challenge (Feb. 16), as he jumped 7.97m (26-1.75).
?? All-@SEC Freshman Team ??
— Mizzou Track & Field (@MIZ_TrackField) March 7, 2018
?? @HindmanAustin
?? @JumpWard
?? @emilymstauffer #MIZ #TigerTough ?? pic.twitter.com/OzctH0tFMj
Schweizer and Ward conclude their indoor campaigns at NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships, held March 9-10, in College Station, Texas. Ward will compete in the long jump at 5:30 p.m. (CT) Friday, while Schweizer runs in the 5000m run at 8:25 p.m. (CT) Friday and the 3000m run at 6:25 p.m. (CT) Saturday.
For all the latest on Mizzou Track & Field, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MIZ_TrackField).
Players Mentioned
