Missouri
SEC Championships
@MIZ_TrackField’s Cunningham Wins 10K at SEC Outdoor Championships
5/11/2018 8:43:00 PM | Track & Field
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Mizzou Track & Field redshirt senior Megan Cunningham (Eureka, Mo.) won her second career conference title Friday, as she won the 10,000m run on the first day of the SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Knoxville, Tenn. Cunningham, who won the 5000m SEC title at the 2018 SEC Indoor meet, was one of two scorers on the day for Mizzou, as she was joined by junior Becky Keating (Reading, England), who finished fourth in the hammer throw.
TEAM SCORES
After just two events scored in the women's race, the Mizzou women currently sit in a tie for first place with Ole Miss with 15 points, thanks to Cunningham's 10 points and Keating's five points. In the men's race, three events have been scored, and the Mizzou men have yet to score.
NOTABLE TIGERS
Cunningham took the lead around two miles into the race, and never looked back, as she finished crossed the finish line at 33:47.05, more than a minute ahead of the runner-up Mckenzie Yanek (Alabama), who finished at 35:03.33. Her time was just nine seconds off the SEC Outdoor meet record of 33:38.35, which was set by Kentucky's Chelsea Oswald in 2013. Cunningham becomes the fourth 10K conference champion in program history, as she is joined by Brenda Saunders (1980 Big 8, 1981 Big 8) and teammate redshirt junior Jamie Kempfer (Festus, Mo.), who won the SEC title last year in Columbia, S.C. With the win, Cunningham becomes the 15th female SEC Champion in program history, and 19th overall since Mizzou joined the conference in 2012-13.
Keating got the day started off on the right foot for the Tigers, as she notched a fourth-place finish in the hammer throw with a mark of 60.55m (198-8). The throw was Keating's third-best mark on the season, and marks the first time in her career she has scored at an SEC meet.
Mizzou had three runners advance to finals after qualifying with top-eight times in preliminary races. Freshman Chris Conrad (O'Fallon, lll.) and redshirt senior Valeska Halamicek (Weldon Spring, Mo.) each advanced in the 800m run, while redshirt senior Jerrad Mason (Bridgetown, Barbados) advanced in the 400m hurdles. Conrad won his heat and finished fourth overall with a time of 1:50.46, while Halamicek snagged the final spot with a season-best time of 2:08.68. Mason recorded his best time of the season in the 400m hurdles, as he checked in at sixth overall with a time of 51.33, which currently ranks 26th in the NCAA West Region this season. All three will return for finals heats on Sunday, as the women's 800m run is scheduled for 7:40 p.m. (ET), the men's 800m run is slated for 7:50 p.m. (ET) and the men's 400m hurdles at 8:10 p.m. (ET).
QUOTABLES
Mizzou redshirt senior Megan Cunningham
On becoming an SEC Champion again…
"It was a new experience, a different event. I would say it was just exciting as the first time. I knew my parents were watching back home, so I was happy they were able to see it."
On executing her game plan…
"I felt that I would sit through 5K and then go, so I ended up going a little earlier than I thought. It didn't go exactly as I thought, but I planned on making a move and not looking back, which is what I did."
UP NEXT
Mizzou will continue with the second day of competition at the SEC Outdoor Championships, as the multi-events will start day two at 10:15 a.m. (ET). Mizzou first competitors will be senior Rauno Liitmae (Estonia) and freshman Jason Edwards (Eldon, Mo.) in the decathlon 110m hurdles at 12 p.m. (ET). Field events are scheduled to start at 2 p.m. (ET), and track events at 6:30 p.m. (ET).
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
200m Dash Prelims, Women – 31. Tsai-Anne Joseph, 24.98 PR (W: 1.9) // 33. Jazmyn Shumaker, 25.35 (W: 3.1)
800m Run Prelims, Men – 4. Chris Conrad, 1:50.46 Q // 21. Cain Winebrenner, 1:55.15 // 24. Mark Sheridan, 1:57.63 // 26. Robert Kuhlmann, 1:58.56
800m Run Prelims, Women – 8. Valeska Halamicek, 2:08.68 q // 11. Karina Liz, 2:10.97 // 19. Faramola Shonekan, 2:20.47
10,000m Run, Women – 1. Megan Cunningham, 33:47.05
400m Hurdles Prelims, Men – 6. Jerrad Mason, 51.31 Q
RESULTS - FIELD EVENTS
Hammer Throw, Men – 13. Avery Carter, 62.85m (206-2) // 17. Patrick Kunza, 57.81m (189-8)
Hammer Throw, Women – 4. Becky Keating, 60.55m (198-8) (5 points)
RESULTS - MULTI-EVENTS
100m Dash, Decathlon – 6. Rauno Liitmae, 11.33 PR (W: 1.1) (789 points) // 7. Jason Edwards, 11.36 (W: 1.1) (782 points)
Long Jump, Decathlon – 5. Rauno Liitmae, 6.80m/22-3.75 PR (W: 1.1) (767 points) // 7. Jason Edwards, 6.54m/21-5.5 (W: 3.0) (707 points)
Shot Put, Decathlon – 2. Rauno Liitmae, 14.27m/46-10 PR (745 points) // 6. Jason Edwards, 12.22m/40-1.25 (620 points)
High Jump, Decathlon – T-1. Rauno Liitmae, 1.97m/6-5.5 (776 points) // 6. Jason Edwards, 1.88m/6-2 (696 points)
400m Dash, Decathlon – 5. Rauno Liitmae, 51.60 (742 points) // 7. Jason Edwards, 52.35 (709 points)
Overall (after 5 events) – 5. Rauno Liitmae, 3,819 points // 7. Jason Edwards, 3,514 points
Players Mentioned
