@MIZ_TrackField Set for SEC Outdoor Championships in South Carolina

Thursday, May 11

Columbia, S.C.

University of Missouri

SEC Outdoor Championships

@MIZ_TrackField Set for SEC Outdoor Championships in South Carolina

5/9/2017 6:18:00 PM | Track & Field

Mizzou looks to improve its potential NCAA West Qualifying Marks

SEC OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
MEET	LOCATION	DAY	TIME	MEDIA
SEC Championships Meet Notes	Columbia, S.C.	May 11-13	Meet Schedule	WATCH (Friday) WATCH (Saturday) Live Results

Mizzou Set for SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships

Mizzou Track & Field begins postseason competition with the Southeastern Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships, which will be held May 11-13 at Cregger Track in Columbia, S.C. Action from the campus of SOuth Carolina begins on Thursday with the multi-events and five finals (men's and women's 10,000m run, men's and women's hammer throw and men's javelin). Competition resumes Friday with a majority of the track prelims as well as six finals in the field events as well as the final for the men's and women's 3000m steeplechase. The conference meet will conclude on Saturday with all remaining events finishing up. The SEC Network will provide a stream of the meet for portions of Friday and Saturday through ESPN3.com and the WatchESPN app.
Mizzou is coming off one of its more successful trips to the Drake Relays in recent history as three Tigers - redshirt senior Drew White (10,000m run), senior Reinhard Van Zyl (javelin) and senior LaQuisha Jackson (100m dash) - were crowned champions and took home the coveted white flags. The three champions were the most for Mizzou since 2003. Mizzou had three champions in 2006, but one was from Mizzou alum Christian Cantwell, who was competing as a professional.
Returning to her homestate of Iowa, junior Karissa Schweizer was elevated to the professional "Rio Rematch" heat of the 1500m run at the Drake Relays. In the heat, Schweizer competed alongside 11 professionals and six Olympians, including 2016 bronze medalist in the 1500m, Jenny Simpson. Schweizer held her own in the race, finishing eighth with a time of 4:18.16.
The SEC meet will serve as the last chance to post top-48 qualifying marks for the first round of the NCAA Championships, which will be held May 25-27 in Austin, Texas. Mizzou currently has had 24 individuals (11 men, 13 women) and two relay teams post qualifying marks in 30 events. Among the 30 top-48 marks, five rank in the top-10, including three marks which rank third in the region. Tigers with top-10 marks include Schweizer in the 5000m run (third - 15:39.75), redshirt sophomore Jamie Kempfer in the 10,000m run (third - 33:09.67), Van Zyl in the javelin (third - 73.13m/239-11), redshirt sophomore Gabi Jacobs in the discus (fifth - 56.35m/184-10) and freshman Ja'Mari Ward in the long jump (sixth - 7.88m/25-10). Last season, Mizzou had a program record 32 athletes (13 men, 19 women) qualify for 42 entries for the first round of the NCAA Championships.

Mizzou Records Most Drake Relays Champions Since 2003

At the 108th Drake Relays, Mizzou recorded three champions, its most champions at the famous meet since 2003 (Mizzou had three champions in 2006 with Chrisitan Cantwell winning as a professional). Claiming white flags for the Tigers was redshirt senior Drew White in the 10,000m run, senior Reinhard Van Zyl in the javelin and senior LaQuisha Jackson in the 100m dash.
On the same day as his 23rd birthday, White delivered perhaps his biggest birthday present himself by winning the 10,000m run on April 27. With the win, White became the first Mizzou athlete to win the 10,000m run at the Drake Relays. White, who led the pack for a majority of the race, crossed the finish line with a personal record time of 29:41.10, a time which ranks eighth all-time in Mizzou history and is currently in the top-48 of the NCAA West regional. The Tiger senior held off a late rally from South Dakota State's Trevor Capra to preserve the victory, improving his personal best mark by more than a minute from his previous best time of 30:48.44.
With the javelin victory on the second day of competition, Van Zyl recorded his second event win of the season and fourth top-three finish. The Tiger senior used his second throw to record a mark of 66.57m (218-5) and secure the white flag.
Jackson captured the third white flag for Mizzou by winning the 100m dash on the final day of competition. After clocking in the sixth-fastest 100m dash time in the preliminary round, Jackson blazed past the competition in the finals, winning the event with a season-best time of 11.65.

Schweizer Gets a Glimpse of Professional Life

After originally being slated to compete in collegiate 1500m run, junior Karissa Schweizer was elevated to the 1500m run "Rio Rematch" heat on at the Drake Relays, joining a field 11 professional runners and six Olympians. Among the notables in the field included Jenny Simpson, who captured the bronze medal in the 1500m this past summer in Rio.
The 2016 NCAA Cross Country and 2017 NCAA Indoor Track & Field 5000m run National Champion held her own against some tough competition, placing eighth with a time of 4:18.16. Schweizer ran near the back of the pack for a majority of the race before using her signature kick to pace several competitors over the final 200 meters.

Kempfer and Mello Set Top-10 Marks in 5000m Run at Drake Relays

In the women's 5000m race at the Drake Relays, redshirt sophomore Jamie Kempfer and redshirt junior Nicole Mello each finished in the top-10, placing third and ninth, respectively.
Kempfer, who is the current school record holder in the 10,000m run, finished with a personal record time of 16:09.59, moving to No. 5 on the all-time top-10 list in the 5000m run.
Mello crossed the finish line at 16:22.17, improving her personal record time by nearly 30 seconds to add her name to the all-time top-10 list at No. 7.

Jacobs Wins Discus & Shot Put at John McDonnell Invitational

Redshirt sophomore Gabi Jacobs was victorious twice on at the John McDonnell Invitational, winning the discus and shot put events.
Jacobs began the day by throwing 56.35m (184-10) in the discus to record her first event win of the day. The throw was an improvement from her previous personal best of 55.69m (182-8), set on March 30 at the Bobcat Invitational, and now puts her under a meter away from the school record mark of 57.31m (188-0), set by Kearsten Peoples in 2014. The Tiger sophomore followed up the discus performance by winning the shot put with a personal best mark of 15.03m (49-3.75).
The women's 4x400m relay team also had a solid showing at the meet, finishing at 3:40.08, the fourth-fastest time in program history. The 4x400m squad consisted of senior Sandrae Farquharson, senior LaQuisha Jackson, senior Sydney Wells and senior Valerie Thames.

Ward Records Another NCAA Regional Qualifying Mark

At the John McDonnell Invitational, freshman Ja'Mari Ward, posted the eighth-longest triple jump in program history at 15.44m (50-8). Ward's jump currently ranks 29th in the NCAA West Region.
Two weeks prior, Ward posted a long jump of 7.88m (25-10) at the Tom Botts Invitational, a mark which currently ranks seventh in the NCAA West Region.

Cody Leads Mizzou Women to Victory at Tom Botts Invitational

Behind first place finishes in seven women's events Mizzou finished first in the women's standings at the Tom Botts Invitational. Mizzou was led by sophomore Maya Cody, who was named the female Most Outstanding Performer of the meet following first place finishes in the 200m dash and 4x100m relay, as well as a second place finish in the 100m dash.
The women's team finished atop the team race with 153 points, finishing ahead of Nebraska (125 points) and Northern Iowa (121 points).
Cody's banner day began in the 4x100m relay, where she ran the opening leg for Mizzou, who finished first with a time of 45.61.
The Tiger sophomore then transitioned to individual events, starting with the 100m dash where Cody finished at 11.56.to earn the second place finish.
Not yet done for the day, Cody returned to the start line for the 200m dash. This time, she came out on top, finishing first with a time of 23.71.
Both of Cody's times in the 100m and 200m dash were recorded with a wind exceeding 2.0 m/s, making them ineligible for school records, but eligible for NCAA Championships round one qualifying.

Ward Shines in First Home Meet

Making his home debut at Audrey J. Walton Stadium, freshman Ja'Mari Ward provided a glimpse of the potential that made him one of the most sought-after jumping recruits in the nation.
Ward finished first in the long jump with a mark of 7.88m (25-10.25), nearly a full meter ahead of runner-up Charles Brown's mark of 6.95m.
Ward's jump currently ranks seventh in the west regional and will most likely hold up as a qualifying mark for the first round of the NCAA Championship, which is scheduled to take place May 25-27 in Austin, Texas.
Since the jump was recorded with a wind measurement of 3.2 m/s, the jump doesn't count for records, but counts towards NCAA qualifying.

Mizzou Entries (all times are ET, all events are finals unless noted)

THURSDAY
10:15 am	Decathlon - 100m Dash	Rauno Liitmae
11 am	Decathlon - Long Jump	Rauno Liitmae
12:30 pm	Decathlon - Shot Put	Rauno Liitmae
1 pm	Hammer Throw, Men	Ahren Bohanan // Patrick Kunza
2 pm	Decathlon - High Jump	Rauno Liitmae
3:45 pm	Decathlon - 400m Dash	Rauno Liitmae
4 pm	Hammer Throw, Women	Rebecca Keating
5:30 pm	Javelin, Men	Alex Pascal // Reinhard Van Zyl
6 pm	800m Run, Men (prelims)	Ben Goodman // Mark Sheridan // Cain Winebrenner
6:20 pm	800m Run, Women (prelims)	Valeska Halamicek
6:40 pm	200m Dash, Men (prelims)	Jonathan Holder // Niager Mathis // Kahmari Montgomery
7:05 pm	200m Dash, Women (prelims)	Maya Cody // LaQuisha Jackson
7:30 pm	400m Hurdles, Men (prelims)	Jerrad Mason
7:50 pm	400m Hurdles, Women (prelims)	Valerie Thames
8:30 pm	10,000m Run, Men	Ollie Lockley
9:10 pm	10,000m Run, Women	Ellyn Atkinson // Kaitlyn Fischer // Jamie Kempfer
FRIDAY
11 am	Decathlon - 110m Hurdles	Rauno Liitmae
11:45 am	Decathlon - Discus	Rauno Liitmae
1:45 pm	Decathlon - Pole Vault	Rauno Liitmae
2:30 pm	Long Jump, Men	Ja'Mari Ward
4 pm	Discus, Men	Tanner Buschmann // Will Fife
4:15 pm	Decathlon - Javelin	Rauno Liitmae
6:20 pm	Decathlon - 1500m Run	Rauno Liitmae
6:45 pm	Long Jump, Women	Lynnsey Brim
6:50 pm	100m Hurdles, Women (prelims)	Valerie Thames
7 pm	Shot Put, Women	Gabi Jacobs // Emily Stauffer
7:10 pm	1500m Run, Men (prelims)	Zach Cook // Marc Dubrick // Ben Goodman // Luca Russo // Mark Sheridan
7:30 pm	1500m Run, Women (prelims)	Valeska Halamicek // Karissa Schweizer
7:55 pm	400m Dash, Men (prelims)	Jerrad Mason // Niager Mathis // Kahmari Montgomery
8:20 pm	400m Dash, Women (prelims)	LaQuisha Jackson // Sydney Wells
8:45 pm	100m Dash, Men (prelims)	Jonathan Holder
9:10 pm	100m Dash, Women (prelims)	Maya Cody // Tsai-Anne Joseph
9:35 pm	3000m Steeplechase, Men	Sheldon Keence
9:55 pm	3000m Steeplechase, Women	Teylar Adelsberger
SATURDAY
11 am	Javelin, Women	Jennifer Berilla
1 pm	Triple Jump, Men	Ja'Mari Ward
1:30 pm	Discus, Women	Gabi Jacobs
2:30 pm	High Jump, Women	Karissa Roman
3:25 pm	4x100m Relay, Women	LaQuisha Jackson // Maya Cody // Tsai-Anne Joseph // Valerie Thames // Sandrae Farquharson
4:10 pm	Triple Jump, Women	Mollie Gribbin // Shammai Ilis
4:30 pm	Shot Put, Men	Will Fife
5:55 pm	5000m Run, Men	Jordan Cook // Zach Cook // Marc Dubrick // Sheldon Keence // Ollie Lockley // Luca Russo // Drew White
6:15 pm	5000m Run, Women	Teylar Adelsberger // Ellyn Atkinson // Megan Cunningham // Kaitlyn Fischer // Jordyn Kleve // Nicole Mello // Karissa Schweizer // Hannah Thomas
6:40 pm	4x400m Relay, Men	Jerrad Mason // Niager Mathis // Kahmari Montgomery // Jonathan Holder
6:50 pm	4x400m Relay, Women	LaQuisha Jackson // Maya Cody // Sydney Wells // Valerie Thames // Sandrae Farquharson