COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Mizzou Track & Field closed the SEC Indoor Championships with two conference championships on Sunday, as redshirt senior Megan Cunningham (Eureka, Mo.) claimed her first career conference title in the 5000m run, while the women's distance medley relay team took first following a thrilling anchor leg from senior Karissa Schweizer (Urbandale, Iowa). The Tiger senior was joined by redshirt senior Valeska Halamicek (Weldon Spring, Mo.), junior Maya Cody (St. Louis, Mo.) and sophomore Karina Liz (Aurora, Ill.) to team-up and post the second-best women's DMR time in program history.
After Schweizer's first-place finish in the 3000m run on Saturday and the two conference titles on Sunday, the Mizzou's women's team captured three conference titles at a conference indoor meet for the first time since 2005. At the 2005 Big 12 Indoor meet, the Tigers won conference titles in the 800m run (Trisa Nickoley), 1000m run (Ashley Patton) and DMR (Kristin Hansen, Whitney Stuart, Nickoley and Amanda Bales).
TEAM SCORES
In the women's team race, Mizzou finished ninth with 35.5 points, the most points the Mizzou women has scored at an SEC Indoor meet since joining the league in 2013. The Tigers' ninth-place finish matched its best finish from its first three years in the league, as Mizzou finished ninth in 2013, 2014 and 2015. Overall, Mizzou's 35.5 points scored is the most the Mizzou women have scored at a conference indoor meet since the Tigers finished tied-for-seventh with 52 points at the 2009 Big 12 Indoor Championships. In the men's team race, Mizzou finished 13th with 13 points.
NOTABLE FINISHES
Cunningham jumped out to the front of the pack from the get-go and lead for the majority of the women's 5000m run race, as the Tiger senior claimed her first career conference title with a time of 15:56.76. The Tiger senior demolished the competition in the race, as she finished more than 25 seconds ahead of the runner-up. Kentucky's Katy Kunc (16:20.70). With the win, Cunningham records the first indoor 5000m run conference title in program history, and the fifth overall as Sabrina Dornhoefer (1983-84), Ann Marie Brooks (2001) and Schweizer (2017) captured outdoor 5000m run conference titles.
Mizzou trailed by 11 seconds when Schweizer was handed the baton in the women's DMR race, but Schweizer made up that ground quickly, snagging the lead in the last 1000 meters of her 1600 meter leg. The clock stood at 11:08.18 as the Urbandale, Iowa, native crossed the finish line a full six seconds ahead of the runner-up team from Arkansas (11:14.38). Schweizer's mile run split was 4:25.56, nearly a full two seconds faster than her mile run school record performance of 4:27.54, which she set at the Columbia Challenge (Jan. 28). Halamicek, Cody and Liz won conference titles for the first time in their careers, while Schweizer captured her seventh conference title, matching Dornhoefer for the most conference titles by a female in program history. Overall, Schweizer's seven conference titles rank tied-for-fifth in program history, male or female.
The Mizzou women also received four points from junior Valeria Kostiuk (Kiev, Ukraine) in the women's high jump, as she finished tied-for-fourth, clearing 1.80m (5-10.75).
On the men's side, Mizzou had three scoring performances, including two in the men's heptathlon. Senior Rauno Liitmae (Estonia) and freshman Jason Edwards (Eldon, Mo.) each scored, finishing fourth and seventh, respectively. Liitmae recorded the fifth-best heptathlon score in program history with 5,573 points, while Edwards finished his first career heptathlon with 4,698 points. Liitmae recorded personal-best marks in five of the seven events, including a first-place finish in the high jump, as the Tiger senior cleared 1.97m (6-5.5) for 776 points.
Mizzou's men's distance medley relay team also got on the scoreboard, as the Tiger team of redshirt senior Ben Goodman (Colorado Springs, Colo.), redshirt senior Jerrad Mason (Bridgetown, Barbados), freshman Chris Conrad (O'Fallon, Ill.) and redshirt senior Marc Dubrick (DeKalb, Ill.) finished seventh at 9:53.73.
QUOTABLES
Mizzou Head Coach Brett Halter
On the team's performance…
"I was very pleased with the team's efforts today. We are all thrilled for Megan and her journey to becoming an SEC Champion was truly an inspiration for all of us. I thought our women fought hard all weekend, and it showed in the point total. Our team is a top-20 team that fought hard for ninth-place in the ever-tough SEC, where every team that finished ahead of us was ranked in the top-30, which is always the fun challenge of the SEC.
UP NEXT
Mizzou now await its NCAA Indoor Championships selections, which will be announced the coming week. The meet will be held March 9-10 back in Gilliam Indoor Stadium in College Station. Right now, Mizzou has top-16 qualifying marks from Schweizer in the mile run, 3000m run and 5000m run, and redshirt freshman Ja'Mari Ward (Cahokia, Ill.) in the long jump.
For all the latest on Mizzou Track & Field, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MIZ_TrackField).
RESULTS - TRACK EVENTS
5000m Run, Men: 12. Thomas George, 14:39.09
5000m Run, Women: 1. Megan Cunningham, 15:56.76 (10 points) // 17. Sophia Racette, 17:20.92 // 19. Jordyn Kleve, 17:23.66 // 23. Hannah Thomas, 17:32.99 // 24. Ellyn Atkinson, 17:35.86
Distance Medley Relay, Men: 7. Ben Goodman, Jerrad Mason, Chris Conrad, Marc Dubrick, 9:53.73
Distance Medley Relay, Women: 1. Valeska Halamicek, Maya Cody, Karina Liz, Karissa Schweizer, 11:08.18 (10 points)
RESULTS - FIELD EVENTS
High Jump, Women: T-4. Valeria Kostiuk, 1.80m (5-10.75) (4.5 points) // Karissa Roman, NH
Shot Put, Men: 11. Will Fife, 17.71m (58-1.25) PR // 12. Avery Carter, 17.42m (57-2) // Ethan Hanson, FOUL
Weight Throw, Women: 9. CeCe Johnson, 18.04m (59-2.25) // 11. Emily Stauffer, 17.81m (58-5.25) PR // 13. Becky Keating, 17.36m (56-11.5)
RESULTS - HEPTATHLON
60m Hurdles: 4. Rauno Liitmae, 8.39 (886 pts) // 9. Jason Edwards, 9.20 (702 pts)
Pole Vault: 3. Rauno Liitmae, 4.55m/14-11 (775 pts) // 6. Jason Edwards, 4.45m/14-7.25 (746 pts)
1000m Run: 3. Rauno Liitmae, 2:42.14 (850 pts) // 7. Jason Edwards, 3:11.27 (558 pts)
Overall: 4. Rauno Liitmae, 5,573 points (5 points) // 7. Jason Edwards, 4,698 points (2 points)