Women's Results || Men's Results
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The Tigers took on one of the most prestigious meets during the collegiate season on Saturday, closing out their regular season at the Pre-National Invitational in Terre Haute, Ind. Lining up against 14 of the top-ranked teams in the current NCAA rankings, both teams emerged with a lot of positives as they head into the Championship portion of the season.
WOMEN
The Tiger ladies kicked off the morning's events with their 6000-meter race on the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course, with sophomore Kaitlyn Fischer pacing through with some of the top women in the NCAA. She navigated through the soggy conditions with a final time of 21:01.60, good for ninth in the field of 293.
"Really excited for Kaitlyn, that was a big race," Head Coach Marc Burns said. "Griak was a good start for her, but this was more of 'okay, I'm running with the best in the country'. That type of race, in five weeks, will put her in the top 25 or 30 in the nation, and that is certainly one of her goals. It was exciting to see her establish herself early in the race, trust in her strength, and finish strong."
Coming through in second for the Tigers was freshman Karissa Schweizer, who has had an exciting first year thus far after finishing in the top three for the black and gold in every meet, including a top finish at the Greater Louisville Classic two weeks ago. She crossed in 85th overall with a final time of 21:56.20. Rounding out the Tigers' top five was sophomore Nicole Mello (153rd), sophomore Kayla Wolf (175th), and junior Sam Garrett (206th).
The women placed 23rd overall in the field of 43, beating out fellow-SEC programs Kentucky and Ole Miss, and fellow-Midwest Regional programs Northwestern and Kansas.
"We just didn't attack the race today. We're a better team then that, and we'll bounce back in two weeks," Burns said. "The challenge is laid out in front of these ladies. We need to have a good solid two weeks of work and go into the SEC meet with the mindset that we're going to race and make the most of the opportunity. Because I believe that this team is a top four team at the SEC meet."
MEN
Next up on the line was the top seven squad for the men, whose 14th-place overall finish in the field of 46 put them ahead of current No. 21 ranked Southern Utah, and fellow-Midwest Regional competitors Kansas, Iowa, and Bradley. The field stayed tight through the first half of the race, with the pack of sophomore T.J. Carey, sophomore Dan Roe, junior Tyler Schneider, and senior Sam Dickerson all keeping pace just off the leaders.
"Looking at those front four guys, and that's the way it should be working. That first half of the race was poetry in motion - they were poised, in great position, comfortable, just perfect," Burns said. "T.J. and Tyler were able to carry that rhythm through the second half of the race, Dan and Sam struggled during the second half. I know we're a good team, but we have to prove it. Once they do that, they're going to be really dangerous."
The foursome stayed tight until just after the halfway point when Schneider and Carey began to break away. In the end, it was Schneider who crossed first for the black and gold in 21st (24:43.70), followed by Carey in 22nd (24:44.50), Dickerson in 122nd, Roe in 126th, and sophomore Drew White in 166th.
The teams are back on a two-week training block before jetting down to Alabama for the SEC Championships on October 31. For the latest on your Tigers, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter @MIZ_TrackField.
WOMEN'S RESULTS
9. Kaitlyn Fischer, 21:01.60
85. Karissa Schweizer, 21:56.20
153. Nicole Mello, 22:24.20
175. Kayla Wolf, 22:34.50
206. Sam Garrett, 22:48.0
281. Courtney Wood, 24:00.90
Team: 23rd | 628 points
MEN'S RESULTS
21. Tyler Schneider, 24:43.70
22. T.J. Carey, 24:44.50
122. Sam Dickerson, 25:36.80
126. Dan Roe, 25:39.70
166. Drew White, 25:54.70
215. Chandler Dye, 26:15.90
231. Jordan Cook, 26:23.20
Team: 14th | 457 points