University of Missouri
SEC Championships
Mizzou XC Heads to Texas A&M for the SEC Championships
10/28/2015 9:20:00 AM | Cross Country
Championship Central (SEC) // Championship Central (Texas A&M) // Live Results
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Less than two months after their season debut in Illinois, the men and women of Mizzou Cross Country are ready to take on the post-season, as they head to College Station, Tx., for the first meet of the championship portion of the season - the SEC Championships. Set for Friday morning at the Dale Watts Cross Country Course, both teams are looking forward to facing the deepest conference field in recent history, with a team on both sides ranked in the top ten in the national polls, and another two women's teams landing in the top 30. The men will be up first with their 8k race at 10 a.m. CT, followed by the women's 6k at 11 a.m. CT.
THE TIGER MEN
The men will look to an exciting mix of returners to lead them into the championship season, starting with junior Jordan Cook and sophomore Marc Dubrick, who have led the charge for the team in three of their four meets this season. Cook is coming off a personal record (PR) performance on the 8k cross country course after he led the team at the Pre-National Invitational two weeks ago, timing through in 24:04.90. Dubrick has also improved upon his 8k best this season, hitting 24:11.20 at the Texas A&M Invitational.
Also taking to the line for the men is a returning All-SEC finisher in junior Dan Roe, who earned a Second Team All-SEC honor last year after taking 14th in the conference. Roe has also had his time at the front of the pack this year, after he led the Tigers during the Notre Dame Invitational earlier this month.
Sophomore Evan Schulte, sophomore Sheldon Keence, junior Luca Russo, and junior Ian McGinn will also take the line on Friday. All four have scored for the Tigers throughout the season, giving a glimpse of the team's depth as they boast seven athletes who have the potential to finish in the five scoring positions for the team.
Rounding out the conference roster for the black and gold are juniors Drew White and Will Crocker, who led the group during the Bradley Pink Classic two weeks ago with a pair of personal bests for the 8k course. Junior Ollie Lockley rounds out the line-up, taking the line for the second time this season after he debuted two weeks ago at Bradley as the third finisher for the Tigers.
THE TIGER WOMEN
Looking to take the reins for the Mizzou women is returning SEC Freshman of the Year, Karissa Schweizer, who has been the team's front runner in every meet this season. She returns to the line after notching an impressive 30th-place finish at the Pre-National Invitational two weeks ago, pacing through with some of the top women in collegiate cross country.
Like the men, the women have several candidates for the remainder of the five scoring positions, including junior Teylar Adelsberger, who has stepped up in a big way this season, finishing second for the black and gold at both the Notre Dame Invitational and Pre-National Invitational. Freshman Kelli Jackson has also been in the mix, making an impact early on in her Tiger career as the third or fourth finisher in four of her five meets this season.
Other potential scorers for the women include sophomore Ellyn Atkinson, who has also stepped into an impactful role this season, and junior Nicole Mello, who has consistently been a scorer for the Tigers throughout her career. Sophomore Jamie Kempfer has also tallied points for the team this year, including as the team's second finisher at Texas A&M last month. Also making the trip this week is freshman Hannah Thomas, who has led the Tigers in her own right, finishing first for the black and gold in the open race at the Notre Dame Invitational and the Bradley Pink Classic two weeks ago.
Rounding out the Tigers' roster is the lone senior of the group, Sam Garrett, and freshmen Elly DeTurris and Emmie Hahn.
HEAR FROM COACH BURNS...
"It is Championship week, and we are pumped to get things rolling on Friday. Our women have a strong front runner in Karissa Schweizer, and we will need her up in the top 10-15 in the field to set the tone for the rest of the team. The key to our success will be the willingness of our next group to get out fast enough to break up that front group of four or five teams. There are four nationally-ranked teams in the SEC this year, so the depth is better than it has been in a long time. Teylar Adelsberger, Nicole Mello, Jamie Kempfer, and Kelli Jackson have been running in our top five consistently this fall, and they need to believe in the fitness and get things going early on in the race. We believe that we can finish in the top half of the field, but it's going to be a really tight group of teams fighting for those fourth to eighth spots."
"On the men's side, we have ten guys that can factor into our five scoring positions. Jordan Cook, Marc Dubrick, and Dan Roe have done a great job all year of leading the way for us. Now it is time to put the championship touches on our fitness by getting some guys in the All-SEC range of top 14 overall. If we can make that happen, we will finish in the top five overall as a team. The men's team reace will be very tight from third to sixth, and most likely will be separated by only a few points. The finishing straightaway is 600 meters long, and could be the key to winning those tight battles in each race. The fact that we raced on this course in September will help us gauge our finishing kicks. We will be ready on both sides to battle and present the black and gold with pride!"
For the latest on your Tigers, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter @MIZ_TrackField.
Players Mentioned
