PARKING INFORMATION | Meet Schedule | Live Results
COLUMBIA, Mo. - With only a week left before the SEC Indoor Track & Field Championships in Lexington, Ky., the Tigers prepare to close their regular season at home with the seventh running of the Missouri Collegiate Challenge. Events in the Hearnes Center Fieldhouse will kick off at 1 p.m on Friday with the field events, followed by the running events at 3 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
The Tigers are coming off yet another elite field showing, as they traveled down to Fayetteville, Ark., last weekend to compete in the Tyson Invitational. Big performances across the board offered exciting glimpses into what's in store for the teams as they head into Championship season, as the Tigers collected 17 personal records and eight new All-Time Top Ten performances, including a new 200m dash School Record by sophomore LaQuisha Jackson.
NCAA QUALIFYING
Qualification for the NCAA Indoor Championships, scheduled for March 13 and 14 in Fayetteville, Ark., is based on the national rankings after the conclusion of the conference championships next weekend. The top 16 individuals in each event will earn spots at the season's final meet at the Randal Tyson Track Center.
SPRINTS // HURDLES
Jackson, who is entered in the 60m dash on Friday, has knocked off School Records in both the 60m (7.31) and 200m dashes (23.58), and also holds the No. 2 time in school history for the 400m (54.50). She currently sits on the bubble for an NCAA Championships qualification, ranking at No. 16 in the nation for the 60m dash.
Joining her on the line for the 60m dash is junior Alyssa Felton, who sits at No. 5 All-Time in the event after her PR of 7.71 at the Tiger Invitational. Felton will double-up on Friday, pairing the dash with the 60m hurdles, where she will look to continue her climb up the record board. She currently holds the fifth-fastest time in school history after timing across in 8.63 at the Armory Track Invitational in New York City.
Another Tiger sitting on the edge of qualification is junior Markesh Woodson, whose season's best 6.65 in the 60m dash has him at No. 16 in the NCAA. Woodson, who currently holds the Missouri School Record in both the 60m dash (6.60) and 200m dash (21.13), already has an All-American honor to his name after he finished fifth in the 60m at the 2013 Indoor Championship.
Joining Woodson on the line for the 60m dash are two other members of the All-Time Top Ten list - freshmen Kwadarrius Smith and Jerrad Mason. Smith opened his season with the eighth-fastest dash time in school history, hitting 6.86 at the Border Battle in Iowa City, Ia. Mason is the newest addition to the record books after he timed through in 6.99 at the Tiger Invitational two weeks ago. Smith also holds the No. 3 time in school history for the 200m dash (21.44), and Mason currently sits at No. 7 for the 400m dash (47.98).
In the men's 60m hurdles, juniors Kyle Smith and Ser Whitaker will continue chasing down the five-year-old school record (7.92). Smith currently sits at No. 2 All-Time (8.06) and Whitaker, who earned his latest PR in the event at last weekend's Tyson Invitational, holds the No. 3 spot (8.15).
MID-DISTANCE // DISTANCE
The mid-distance and distance events will see a number of athletes competing in off-events, as they make their final preparations for next week's conference championship. Included on this list is freshman Karissa Schweizer and junior Liz Reida, who will move down from the mile and 3000m runs to step on the line for their first 800m run in the black and gold. Sophomore Kaitlyn Fischer will also move down from her 5000m and 3000m specialty, lining up for the mile for the second time this season.
FIELD EVENTS
Friday has a pretty full line-up for the field events, starting with seniors Kearsten Peoples and Jill Rushin in the shot put. Rushin, who sits at No. 5 in the NCAA for the shot put, is already secure in her qualification for the Championships, while Peoples will look to move up from her current spot at No. 16.
Peoples will return to the ring after the shot put for the weight throw competition, joined by fellow-senior Camille Hackamack. Peoples led the nation in the event with her PR mark of 22.15m (72-8) until last weekend, when she was overtaken by the reigning NCAA Champion, Brea Garrett (Texas A&M). Peoples holds the Missouri School Record in both the shot put and weight throw.
Also returning to the weight throw ring is senior Brian Duncan, who had a break-through competition last weekend at the Tyson Invitational. He bested his previous PR in the event by over two feet, landing at 19.92m (65-4.25), the tenth-best throw in Mizzou history.
In the women's pole vault, the trio of All-Time Top Five performers will return to the runway with sophomore Alyssa Applebee (No. 3), and seniors Maggie Givens (No. 3) and Katrine Haarklau (No. 2). Rounding out the All-Time Top Ten performers in the field are triple jumpers junior Tony Carodine (No. 4), junior Jonathan Ilori (No. 3), and freshman John Warren (No. 5).
For the latest on your Tigers, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter @MIZ_TrackField.