University of Missouri
Texas A&M Invitational
Mizzou XC Places in Top Three at Texas A&M Invitational
9/26/2015 3:52:00 PM | Cross Country
Women's Results // Men's Results
COLLEGE STATION, Tx. - In their first major meet of the 2015 season, the men and women of Mizzou Cross Country offered a glimpse of the excitement in store later this season, as both teams finished in the top three at the Texas A&M Invitational. The Tigers were led by top-15 individual finishes on both sides, with junior Jordan Cook crossing in 14th for the men's first 8k of the season, and sophomore Karissa Schweizer leading with a sixth-place finish in the women's first 6k.
"Today was a great day, on both sides," Head Coach Marc Burns said. "One thing that I was really proud about on both sides was the stretch - we talk about kicking fast, no matter where you're at in the race, if you're having a good day or bad, you always try to out-race people down the stretch And this is the longest stretch I've ever seen on a cross country course. To have a 600m straightaway at the end, you have to be smart and not go too early. I think we identified a good spot for them to go, and the team really excelled there."
MEN
The pairing of junior Jordan Cook and sophomore Marc Dubrick were back leading the charge for the men, finishing side-by-side for the second consecutive meet after taking second and third during the Forest Park XC Festival two weeks ago. Once again, Cook just nudged out Dubrick, taking 14th in the field of 154 with a final time of 24:11.00. Dubrick was right alongside, crossing in 24:11.20 for 15th overall after navigating much of the course in with the lead pack.
The trio of sophomore Evan Schulte, sophomore Sheldon Keence, and junior Ian McGinn rounded out the five Mizzou scorers, taking 23rd, 27th, and 32nd, respectively. The final tally of 106 points from these five, who also served as the Tigers' scorers during the Forest Park XC Festival, was enough for third in the team competition, beating out fellow-SEC competitors Texas A&M (fourth) and LSU (12th).
"The men ran a really smart race. It was neat to see Marc Dubrick pushing up toward that lead pack during the body of the race, he'll be more prepared to finish and kick up into that top group as we continue through the season. Jordan Cook did a great job staying focused on Marc and moving up with him at the end. All those guys, Evan Schulte, Ian McGinn, Sheldon Keence, Luca Russo, I'm really excited about where we're headed," Coach Burns said. "In our top five right now, we have no one from our top four from last year, so it's really exciting to see these guys come back and run as well as they are with our five through 15 from last year leading the way. I feel like we have a lot of work to do still, but we have the makings of a top three team in the SEC, and we have the ability to get there."
MEN'S RESULTS - 14. Jordan Cook, 24:11.0 // 15. Marc Dubrick, 24:11.20 // 23. Evan Schulte, 24:23.70 // 27. Sheldon Keence, 24:31.30 // 32. Ian McGinn, 24:35.60 // 35. Luca Russo, 24:38.80 // 40. Chandler Dye, 24:45.40 // 61. Dan Roe, 25:05.70 // 85. Will Crocker, 25:32.40 // 100. Thomas George, 25:58.50
WOMEN
The women also had an exciting morning, finishing second as a team with a mere five points separating them from Texas, who currently ranks 27th in the current USTFCCCA (U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association) national polls. Back at the helm for the black and gold was sophomore Karissa Schweizer, who also led the squad two weeks ago in St. Louis. Schweizer was in with the lead pack from the start, moving back slightly as the field spread out at the 2k mark. She crossed as the sixth individual with a final time of 20:40.30.
Not far behind was sophomore Jamie Kempfer, who made her season debut with a 13th-place individual finish in the field of 146, timing through in 20:59.60 for 6k.
Freshman Kate Smith was also back in the mix this weekend after taking off the Forest Park XC Festival. She was fourth across the line for Mizzou in her first 6k ever on the cross country course, 20th overall, in 21:11.20. Also taking to the line for her first 6k was fellow-freshman Kelli Jackson, who has scored for the Tigers in her first two meets. Saturday was no different, as she timed through in 21:16.50 for 23rd in the field.
Rounding out the Tigers' top five was junior Teylar Adelsberger, whose break-out cross country season continues with a 30th-place crossing, hitting a final time of 21:32.40.
"This was a huge race for the women. For us to finish five points behind Texas without Kaitlyn is a huge step. Karissa set the tone up front, but then the group of Jamie Kempfer, Teylar Adelsberger, Kate Smith, and Kelli Jackon, racing the way they did, it was awesome," Coach Burns said. "From top to bottom, I feel like we raced really well. They were smart, patient, and they worked really hard in the middle of the race."
WOMEN'S RESULTS - 6. Karissa Schweizer, 20:40.30 // 13. Jamie Kempfer, 20:59.60 // 20. Kate Smith, 21:11.20 // 23. Kelli Jackson, 21:16.50 // 30. Teylar Adelsberger, 21:32.40 // 49. Nicole Mello, 22:01.10 // 58. Ellyn Atkinson, 22:12.30 // 60. Sam Garrett, 22:14.90 // 70. Elly DeTurris, 22:32.90 // 84. Hannah Thomas, 22:49.80
Next up for Mizzou Cross Country will be the Notre Dame Invitational on Saturday, October 2, in South Bend, Ind. For the latest on your Tigers, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter @MIZ_TrackField.
Players Mentioned
