University of Missouri
Pre-National Invitational
Schweizer Finishes Runner-up at Pre-National Invitational
10/14/2017 1:29:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country, Cross Country
Schweizer leads Mizzou women to 24th-place finish, men finish 27th
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Mizzou Cross Country concluded the regular season portion of its schedule on Saturday at the Pre-National Invitational, as the women's team finished 24th and the men's team 27th. Senior Karissa Schweizer (Urbandale, Iowa) provided the marquee moment of the meet for the Tigers, as the returning NCAA National Champion finished second in the women's 6k race.
TEAM RESULTS
Schweizer's finished led Mizzou to the 24th place finish with 666 points. Oregon took the top spot at the meet with 63 points, while Colorado finished second with 91 points and Arkansas third with 148 points.
Redshirt sophomore Thomas George (Gloucester, England) paced the men's team for the third consecutive meet as the men placed 27th with 705 points. BYU won the men's team race with 41 points, while Colorado finished second with 118 points and Oregon third with 129 points.
NOTABLE FINISHES
Mizzou's top-three finishers on the women's side all set personal records in the 6k, starting with Schweizer, who clocked a time of 19:29.7, besting her National Championship performance of 19:41.6 in Terre Haute, Ind., last November. Her second-place finish marked the first time she has not finished first in a cross country race since the 2016 Pre-National Invitational. Redshirt senior Megan Cunningham (Eureka, Mo.) and redshirt sophomore Samantha Farmer (Columbia, Mo.) also posted personal records, finishing at 20:50.9 and 22:07.8, respectively.
On the men's side, three Tigers; George, redshirt junior Zach Cook (Columbia, Mo.) and redshirt freshman Justin Loquercio (Mt. Prospect, Ill.) recorded personal records in the 8k. George improved his time by almost a minute to 24:12.4 from 25:03.6 at the Cowboy Jamboree (Sept. 30). Cook clocked a time of 25:02.7, while Loquercio crossed the finish line at 25:10.6.
QUOTABLES
Mizzou Head Coach Marc Burns
"Karissa ran a strong race up front today," said head coach Marc Burns. "She led the entire race until the last 50 meters, and it was good experience for her to race in the front with everyone else keying off of her. She was able to drop everyone except for Purrier from New Hampshire, and we have to give her all the credit on a great finishing kick today. Thomas ran a solid race to lead our men's team. He got out in good position and managed to move up a bit throughout the race. We struggled as a team on both sides today, but we will figure it out and be ready to compete at the SEC Championships in two weeks. The best way to move on from a rough day is to recover and get back to work. We will meet for long run tomorrow and begin that process, and you can count on this group to bounce back with a big effort in two weeks."
UP NEXT
Mizzou will now transition to postseason competition, as the Tigers head south to Athens, Ga., for the SEC Championships on Oct. 27, then north to Ames, Iowa, for the NCAA Midwest Regional on Nov. 10, and east to Louisville, Ky., for the NCAA Championships on Nov. 18.
For all the latest on Mizzou Track & Field, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MIZ_TrackField).
Men's 8k Results – 27th Place (705 points)
64. Thomas George, 24:12.4 // 152. Marc Dubrick, 24:53.8 // 163. Evan Schulte, 24:59.2 // 172. Zach Cook, 25:02.7 // 183. Justin Loquercio, 25:10.6 // 200. Austin Hindman, 25:15.5 // 251. Michael Widmann, 25:51.2
Women's 6k Results – 24th Place (666 points)
2. Karissa Schweizer, 19:29.7 // 62. Megan Cunningham, 20:50.9 // 197. Samantha Farmer, 22:07.8 // 206. Ellyn Atkinson, 22:12.8 // 211. Jordyn Kleve, 22:16.8 // 212. Jenna Lutzow, 22:17.0
Players Mentioned
