SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Mizzou Track & Field senior Karissa Schweizer (Urbandale, Iowa) and redshirt junior Avery Carter (Lee's Summit, Mo.) each punched their tickets to Eugene for the NCAA Outdoor Championships Thursday on the first day of the NCAA West Preliminary. Schweizer, running her first of two races at the meet, finished first in the 10,000m run, while Carter finished seventh in the hammer throw.
Each will compete again in their respective events at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore., which will be held June 6-9.
NOTABLE TIGERS
Schweizer ran with six other runners in the lead pack for a large majority of the race before she accelerated the pace on the bell lap and took the top spot with a time of 32:14.36. Her final 400 meter lap (1:07.48) was nearly a full seven seconds faster than her second-fastest lap (1:14.72) which was the first lap of the race. With the win in just the second 10K of her collegiate career, Schweizer advances to the 10K final in Eugene. She looks to run in two races in Oregon, as she will run again on Saturday in the 5000m run semifinal. Redshirt senior Megan Cunningham (Eureka, Mo.), who won the 10K SEC title, was unable to finish the race and will end her career as a two-time conference champion.
In the hammer throw, Carter posted the best mark of his career to secure his first trip to Eugene as he finished seventh overall with a throw of 64.55m (211-9). The mark was an improvement on his previous personal record throw of 64.18m (210-7) at the Tom Botts Invitational (April 21). The mark remains third on the all-time top-10 list as he inches closer to Jason Morris' 2008 mark of 68.41m (224-5). Carter has made drastic improvements in the hammer throw this season, as he entered the season with a personal record of 42.85m (140-7), and has yet to record a mark under 57.57m (188-10) at any meet this season.
Redshirt senior Jerrad Mason (Bridgetown, Barbados) decreased his time in the 400m hurdles for the fourth straight race in-a-row, as he finishes 20th overall to advance to Friday's quarterfinals. Mason crossed the finish line at 51.17, a .07 second improvement from his previous personal record of 51.24, which was set at the 2017 Tom Botts Invitational. With the improvement, Mason climbs to third all-time in program history, matching Dean Fogarty's 1980 time.
UP NEXT
Mizzou will continue with action at the NCAA West Preliminary Friday, as two Tigers are set to be in competition. Redshirt junior Gabi Jacobs (Bloomington, Ill.) will start the day for Mizzou in the discus at 6:30 p.m. (CT), followed by Mason in the 400m hurdles quarterfinals at 9 p.m. (CT). Both will be looking to finish in the top-12 to advance to Eugene.
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
800m Run, Men – 37. Chris Conrad, 1:51.27800m Run, Women – 43. Valeska Halamicek, 2:12.50
10,000m Run, Women – 1. Karissa Schweizer, 32:14.36 // Megan Cunningham, DNF
400m Hurdles, Men – 20. Jerrad Mason, 51.17 q, PR, #3
RESULTS - FIELD EVENTS
High Jump, Women – 21. Karissa Roman, 1.75m (5-8.75)Shot Put, Women – 30. Gabi Jacobs, 15.24m (50-0)
Hammer Throw, Men – 7. Avery Carter, 64.55m (211-9) Q, PR, #3