Burns and Schweizer Win USTFCCCA Midwest Regional Awards
11/15/2016 4:40:00 PM | Cross Country
Burns named Midwest Women’s Coach of the Year, Schweizer Midwest Women’s Athlete of the Year
COLUMBIA, Mo. – A historic season for the Mizzou Cross Country program garnered regional recognition on Tuesday, as the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced its cross country regional awards. In the Midwest region, Head Coach Marc Burns was named Women's Coach of the Year, while junior Karissa Schweizer (Urbandale, Iowa) was named Women's Athlete of the Year.
Burns is the first Mizzou Cross Country coach to win the award since Rebecca Wilmes in 2004, while Schweizer is the first Tiger to receive the Midwest Athlete of the Year award since Amanda Bales in 2003.
In his third year at the helm of Mizzou Cross Country, Burns has elevated the Tigers to national prominence, as the women's team entered the USTFCCCA National Coaches' Poll at No. 13 on Monday, its first time in the poll since 2005. The top-15 ranking came largely as a result from the Tigers winning the NCAA Midwest Regional Meet on Nov. 11, their first regional title since 2004. With the win, Mizzou earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships, the first time the Tigers will race as a team at the meet since 2004.
In arguably the best season in Mizzou Cross Country history, Schweizer has won four meets including the SEC Conference Championship and NCAA Midwest Regional Championship, placed in the top-five at the PreNational Invitational and was named the SEC Women's Runner of Year. She became the first conference champion since 1997, the first regional champion since 2003 and looks to become Mizzou's first All-American since 2003.
The Tigers travel to Terre Haute, Ind., on Saturday to race in the NCAA Cross Country Championships. The women's 6,000m race is set to begin at 10 a.m. (CT).
For all the latest on Mizzou Track & Field, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MIZ_TrackField).
NEWS: @mburnsMizzou & @KarissaSchweiz4 Win @USTFCCCA Midwest Regional Awards
— Mizzou Track & Field (@MIZ_TrackField) November 15, 2016
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