Missouri
SEC Indoor Championships
Schweizer Named Cliff Harper Trophy Winner after Second SEC Title
2/25/2017 8:31:00 PM | Track & Field
NASHVILLE – Mizzou Track and Field junior Karissa Schweizer (Urbandale, Iowa) won the mile run conference title on Saturday at the SEC Indoor Track and Field Championships in Nashville, Tenn., her second conference title in as many days. With first place finishes in the 3,000m run on Friday and mile run on Saturday, Schweizer amassed 20 team points and was named the Cliff Harper Trophy winner for being the top female scorer of the meet. Schweizer is the first Mizzou athlete, male or female, to winner the award.
In the team race, the Mizzou women's team finished 10th with 30 team points, its second highest point total since joining the SEC in 2013, while the men's team finished 13th with three points.
Schweizer captured her second track and field conference title and third conference title overall this season by fending off LSU's Morgan Schuetz in the mile run. The Tiger junior once again used her signature "kick" to secure the victory as she sat in fourth place through 1,000 meters before running 49.17 and 47.80 splits over the final 600 meters to finish first at 4:37.44.
In the women's 5,000m run, redshirt sophomore Jamie Kempfer (Festus, Mo.) earned a podium finish by finishing third at 16:10.15 to earn All-SEC honors. Finishing behind Kempfer in the race for Mizzou with personal records was redshirt junior Nicole Mello (Columbia, Mo.) and redshirt freshman Jordyn Kleve (Urbandale, Iowa), who finished 11th and 18th, respectively. Mello finished at 16:31.56, the third-fastest time in program history, while Kleve finished at 17:00.77.
All four of Mizzou's men's 5,000m run entries recorded personal records, with the top two finishers, redshirt senior Drew White (Crystal City, Mo.) and redshirt senior Ollie Lockley (Colby, Isle of Man) posting top-10 program marks. White finished sixth in the race to score for the Tigers with the third-fastest time in program history at 14:12.12, while Lockley finished 11th with the ninth-fastest time at 14:26.47. Redshirt junior Marc Dubrick (DeKalb, Ill.) and senior Sheldon Keence (St. Charles, Mo.) also posted personal best marks, finishing 14th at 14:35.96 and 23rd at 15:01.75, respectively.
The Tiger 4x400m relay women's team posted a sixth place finish with a time 3:37.49, a mark which now ranks second in program history. The squad finished first in the first heat as sophomore Maya Cody (St. Louis, Mo.) and senior LaQuisha Jackson (Chattanooga, Tenn.) built a strong lead in the opening legs before senior Sydney Wells (Fort Smith, Ark.) and redshirt junior Valerie Thames (Milwaukee, Wis.) finished the race for Mizzou. The mark was fast enough to withstand two more heats and rank sixth among some of the nation's fastest sprinters.
Junior Rauno Liitmae (Estonia) finished off his impressive heptathlon debut by finishing 10th, recording the seventh-highest heptathlon score in program history in the process with 5,296 points. Liitmae began the day by setting a personal record in the 60m hurdles at 8.61, and finished the day by crossing the finish line first in the 1,000m run with a time of 2:43.41.
In the field events, two personal records were set and two top-10 marks in program history were posted. In the triple jump, redshirt senior Mollie Gribbin (Montpelier, Vt.) just narrowly missed her personal record with a jump of 12.51m (41-0.5), finishing 15th and posting the second-best mark in program history. Gribbin had a jump of 12.54m (41-1.75) while a member of the Nebraska Track and Field team. Junior Shammai Ilis (Houston, Texas) posted the sixth-best triple jump mark in program history by finishing 20th with a personal record jump of 12.12m (39-9.25). In the shot put, redshirt sophomore Avery Carter (Lee's Summit, Mo.) finished 10th with a personal record throw of 17.85m (58-6.75).
Next for Mizzou is the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships, March 11-12 in College Station, Texas. At the national meet, the top-16 marks in the nation in each event make up the field, which will be formally announced within the next week.
For all the latest on Mizzou Track & Field, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MIZ_TrackField).
Track Results
Mile Run, Women – 1. Karissa Schweizer, 4:37.44 (10 pts)
5,000mRun, Women – 3. Jamie Kempfer, 16:10.15 (6 pts) // 11. Nicole Mello, 16:31.56 PR, #3 // 18. Jordyn Kleve, 17:00.77 PR // 30. Kaitlyn Fischer, 17:43.13
5,000m Run, Men – 6. Drew White, 14:14.12 PR, #3 (3 pts) // 11. Ollie Lockley, 14:26.47 PR, #9 // 14. Marc Dubrick, 14:35.96 PR // 23. Sheldon Keence, 15:01.75 PR
4,000m DMR, Women – 10. (Valeska Halamicek, Emma Vickers, Karina Liz, Teylar Adelsberger), 11:46.93
4,000m DMR, Men – 9. (Mark Sheridan, Robert Kuhlmann, Cain Winebrenner, Luca Russo), 9:52.17
4x400m Relay, Women – 6. (LaQuisha Jackson, Valerie Thames, Maya Cody, Sydney Wells), 3:37.49 #2 (3pts)
4x400m Relay, Men – 9. (Kahmari Montgomery, Jerrad Mason, Niager Mathis, Jonathan Holder), 3:14.01
Field Results
High Jump, Women – 11. Karissa Roman, 1.69m (5-6.5)
Triple Jump, Women – 15. Mollie Gribbin, 12.51m (41-0.5), #2 // 20. Shammai Ilis, 12.12m (39-9.25) PR, #6
Shot Put, Men – 10. Avery Carter, 17.85m (58-6.75) PR
Heptathlon Results
60m Hurdles – 13. Rauno Liitmae, 8.61 PR
Pole Vault – 11. Rauno Liitmae, 4.30m (14-1.25)
1,000m – 1. Rauno Liitmae, 2:43.41 PR
Heptathlon Overall – 10. Rauno Liitmae, 5,296 points PR, #7
Players Mentioned
