COLUMBIA, Mo. – For the second time this season and fifth time since the beginning of the 2016 season, Mizzou Cross Country senior Karissa Schweizer (Urbandale, Iowa) was named the Southeastern Conference Women's Runner of the Week, announced by the league Tuesday. Schweizer clocked the fastest 6k time by an SEC runner this season in a runner-up performance at the Pre-National Invitational in Louisville, Ky., Saturday.

Schweizer won the same award and was named the USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week following a meet win at the Commodore Classic (Sept. 16), where she set the course record with a time of 16:25.4 in the 5k. She also won the SEC weekly honor three times last season en route to an SEC title, NCAA Midwest Regional title and NCAA Championship title.

The Tiger senior led for a majority of the Pre-National meet on Saturday before New Hampshire's Elinor Purrier pulled ahead at the very end. Schweizer clocked a 6k personal record time in the race with a time of 19:29.7, besting her previous time of 19:41.6, which she set in a national championship performance at the 2016 NCAA Cross Country Championships. The time is the fastest recorded 6k time in the SEC this season.

The Tiger senior is looking to build off a fantastic junior campaign which saw her become the fourth female in NCAA history to win the distance triple crown (cross country, indoor 500m and outdoor 5000m NCAA titles). She also became the first female in Mizzou Athletics history two win multiple NCAA titles and second overall to win three (Wrestling's J'den Cox). Schweizer also won four SEC titles throughout the year, in addition to numerous conference, regional and national awards.

Schweizer and the Mizzou Cross Country team will now head into postseason competition, beginning with the SEC Championships on Oct. 27, in Athens, Ga.

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