FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - A string of personal record performances kicked off day one of the Tyson Invitational on Friday, as the Tigers joined one of the most elite fields of the season at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Ark. Boasting 16 of the current top 25-ranked men's teams, 14 on the women's side, in the country, the Tyson Invitational has has been known for producing NCAA-qualifying marks. This weekend looks to be no different, as the Tigers took on a field that saw a number of nation-leading marks and, within their own ranks, 11 personal records and six new All-Time Top Ten marks.
MID-DISTANCE // DISTANCE
Walking away with the lone event win of the day was junior Will Crocker, who not only demolished his previous PR, but blew his way into the Mizzou Record Books with a final time of 4:01.32. Crocker, whose previous best was 4:13.71, was not in the All-Time Top Ten entering the weekend. He now sits at No. 2 in school history, less than two-tenths of a second off the school record, and falls in the top 25 in the current national rankings.
"The mile's been a work in progress. I was an 800m guy in high school, so was pretty inexperienced in this event and I'm just happy that it's all pulling together," Crocker said. "I didn't even think about the school record until after I finished. I saw 3:01 through 1200m and was just trying to get as close to sub-4 as I could. That's the main goal, getting under four minutes. But I have a few more races here to shoot for that record."
"For a guy to take the lead at 800m and keep the lead for almost the entire rest of the way, and run a 12-second PR, I don't even have words for it," Coach Marc Burns said. "I've been coaching for 20 years, and there have been some performances that have staggered me a little bit, but that one just blew me away. We knew he was strong, really fit, and the workouts have been going great. He's just been engaged in the process the whole way, he's been patient, been doing the work, and we finally saw that big breakthough that we've been waiting for."
Also moving up the All-Time Top Ten list was freshman Karissa Schweizer, who now lands at No. 5 in school history for the mile after her second-place finish in 4:45.02.
"Karissa's just doing so well. Her training is going great, and she's racing at a high level," Burns said. "And the great thing about her is that she runs a PR, but is still ticked off because she got beat. That's what makes the good athletes great, that desire to be a firey competitor no matter what. They like winning."
SPRINTS
Another highlight for the day by the Tigers was sophomore LaQuisha Jackson, who took to the track for her second 400m dash of the season and not only clocked a new PR, but also hit the second-fastest time in school history with a 54.50. Sitting ahead of her on the record board is Natasha Kaiser-Brown, whose 200m dash record Jackson broke two weeks ago at the Armory Track Invitational. Jackson will be back on the track on Saturday in the 200m dash.
On the men's side, freshman Jerrad Mason continued cutting his 400m dash PR down. He clocked through in 47.98 on Friday to move into the No. 7 spot on the All-Time Top Ten list.
Another big PR came out of the men's 60m hurdles, where multi-event specialist junior Ser Whitaker just missed a semi-final qualification with his career-best 8.15. Whitaker will retain his No. 3 spot on the All-Time Top Ten list behind teammate Kyle Smith, who currently holds the second-fastest time in school history (8.06).
THROWS
It was a show-down in the weight throw ring on Friday, starting with the women's competition where senior Kearsten went head-to-head against the defending national champion, Texas A&M's Brea Garrett. Peoples led the competition all the way up until the final throw, when Garrett just nudged her out of the win. Peoples closed her day with a top throw of 21.77m (71-5.25), once again breaking through the 70-foot barrier for the second consecutive competition. She will be back in the ring on Saturday for the shot put competition, where she'll be joined by fellow-senior Jill Rushin, who currently holds the fifth-best mark in the nation (17.07m / 56-0).
Senior Brian Duncan closed the day out for the Tigers with a big break-through performance in the weight throw. He entered the weekend with a PR of 19.46m (63-10.25) from the Rod McCravy Memorial Meet earlier this season, and marked in over that best in all but two of his six attempts. He ended the evening in sixth with a new PR, of 19.92m (65-4.25), and lands himself in the No. 10 slot on one of the most prestigious All-Time Top Ten lists for the throws events in the country.
Events will resume at noon on Saturday with the men's triple jump, women's high jump, and women's 3000m run. Live results of the meet can be found on FlashResults.com, and the SEC+ Network will be broadcasting events live beginning at noon.
For the latest on your Tigers, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter @MIZ_TrackField.
FRIDAY RESULTS
Pole Vault, Women - 12. Maggie Givens, 3.79m (12-5.25) | 13. Alyssa Applebee, 3.79m (12-5.25)
Weight Throw, Women - 2. Kearsten Peoples, 21.77m (71-5.25) | 31. Camille Hackamack, 16.56m (54-4)
Weight Throw, Men - 6. Brian Duncan, 19.92m (65-4.25) #10
60m Dash, Men - 12. Markesh Woodson, 6.73
60m Hurdles, Men - 26. Ser Whitaker, 8.15 #3
400m Dash, Women - 28. LaQuisha Jackson, 54.50 #2 | 41. Sandrae Farquharson, 55.88
400m Dash, Men - 37. Jerrad Mason, 47.98 #7
800m Run, Women - 30. Valeska Halamicek, 2:14.80
800m Run, Men - 23. Ben Goodman, 1:51.76 | 28. Cain Winebrenner, 1:52.36
Mile Run, Women - 2. Karissa Schweizer, 4:45.02 #5 | 24. Madison Waymire, 5:03.30
Mile Run, Men - 1. Will Crocker, 4:01.34 #2 | 16. Chandler Dye, 4:16.92
5000m Run, Women - 5. Courtney Brown, 17:28.32 | 13. Sam Garrett, 18:38.76
5000m Run, Men - 3. Jordan Cook, 14:47.64 | 9. Tyler Schneider, 15:15.96 | 13. Drew White, 15:31.59
SATURDAY SCHEDULE
12:00 p.m - Triple Jump, Men (Tony Carodine | Jonathan Ilori | John Warren)
12:00 p.m - High Jump, Women (Morgan Whitson)
12:00 p.m - 3000m Run, Women (Teylar Adelsberger | Courtney Wood)
12:50 p.m - 200m Dash, Women (LaQuisha Jackson)
1:30 p.m - 200m Dash, Men (Kwadarrius Smith | Markesh Woodson)
2:05 p.m - 3000m Run, Women (Kaitlyn Fischer | Liz Reida)
2:20 p.m - 3000m Run, Men (Sam Dickerson | Marc Dubrick | Dan Roe)
3:05 p.m - 5000m Run, Women (Megan Cunningham)
4:00 p.m - Invitational Shot Put, Women (Kearsten Peoples | Jill Rushin)