University of Missouri
NCAA Indoor Championships
Schweizer Crowned NCAA Indoor Track & Field 5K National Champion
3/10/2017 9:43:00 PM | Track & Field
Schweizer becomes the first two-time female NCAA Champion in Mizzou Athletics history
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Mizzou Track and Field junior Karissa Schweizer (Urbandale, Iowa) captured her second NCAA National Championship of the 2016-17 athletic season on Friday with a first place finish in the 5,000m run at the 2017 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in College Station, Texas. The National title is her second of the year after she won the NCAA Cross Country National Championship in November, and the third NCAA All-American honor of her career after the cross country national title and a third place finish in the 5,000m run at the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
Schweizer ran the proto-typical smart 5,000m race, staying near the front of the pack before using her signature kick to separate herself from the rest of the field over the final 400 meters. She finished the race with a personal record and school record time of 15:19.14, resetting the school record which she set on Dec. 3, 2016 at the Boston University Season Opener, where she finished at 15:37.40. Schweizer finished eight seconds ahead of the second place finisher, as her time of 15:19.14 now ranks fifth all-time in indoor collegiate history.
"This feels unbelievable. It feels like a dream come true," said Schweizer moments after the race. "My strategy throughout the race was to stay relaxed, because I knew the other girls in the race were going to make it an honest race. I was just going to hang in there and see what I can do since I haven't ran a 5K in a while. With 400 meters to go, I knew I was going to make a move, whether I felt good or not."
With the win, Schweizer becomes the fourth female individual National Champion and 16th overall in program history. The Tigers also had relay teams win distance medley relay national championships in 1974 (men) and 2001 (women). Among women's track and field individual national champions, she is preceded by Sabrina Dornhoefer (1985 outdoor 5,000m run), Natasha (Kasier) Brown (1989 Indoor 400m Dash) and Kearsten Peoples (2015 Indoor Weight Throw).
Schweizer joins an exclusive list of two-time NCAA Champions in Mizzou Athletics history, becoming just the fifth student-athlete and the first ever female student-athlete to accomplish the feat. She joins Mizzou Track & Field two-time National Champions Dick Cochran (1959 and 1960 Outdoor Discus) and Derrick Peterson (1999 Indoor and Outdoor 800m Run), as well as Mizzou Wrestling's Ben Askren (2006 and 2007) and J'den Cox (2014 and 2016).
Schweizer will be back in action tomorrow at the 2017 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships. The Tiger junior will look to become the first ever three-time National Champion in Mizzou Athletics history when she toes the line in the 3,000m run at 6 p.m. CT. A live stream of the event will begin at 5 p.m. CT, available through ESPN3.com and the WatchESPN app.
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
5,000m Run, Women – 1. Karissa Schweizer, 15:19.14
Players Mentioned
