Thursday, May 24
Sacramento, Calif.
2 PM CT
University of Missouri
vs
NCAA Outdoor Championships - West Preliminary
@MIZ_TrackField Heads to Sacramento for NCAA West Preliminary Championships
5/23/2018 1:53:00 PM | Track & Field
13 student-athletes will be in competition Thursday-Saturday
| NCAA WEST PRELIMINARY CHAMPIONSHIPS | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEET | LOCATION | DAY | SCHEDULE | MEDIA |
| NCAA West Preliminary Championships | Sacramento, Calif. | May 24-26 | Meet Schedule | |
| NOTES: Meet Notes | ||||
MIZZOU TO HAVE 13 IN ACTION IN SACRAMENTO SEEKING TRIPS TO EUGENE
- Mizzou Track & Field continues with postseason competition as 13 student-athletes qualified for the NCAA West Preliminary Championships, which will be held May 24-26 in Sacramento, Calif. FloTrack will be on-site to provide a live stream of the entire meet for a subscription fee.
- Mizzou is coming off the SEC Outdoor Championships, where the women's team crowned three conference champions and scored the second-most points at an SEC Outdoor meet since joining the conference in 2013. Winning conference titles for Mizzou was senior Karissa Schweizer in the 5000m run, redshirt senior Megan Cunningham in the 10,000m run and redshirt junior Gabi Jacobs in the discus. Schweizer and Jacobs both repeated as conference champions in their respective events, while Cunningham won her first SEC Outdoor conference title.
- Schweizer will be attempting to do something she has not done before in her career, run in two races at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore. Schweizer, who finished third in the 2016 NCAA Outdoor 5000m Run and won the National Title in the 5000m Run at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor meet, will run in the 5000m run and 10,000m run in Sacramento. The five-time NCAA Champion already holds the school record in both the 5000m (15:18.69) and 10,000m (32:00.55), and her season-best times of 15:23.21 in the 5000m and 32:00.55 in the 10,000m rank fourth and first in the NCAA, respectively. At the SEC Outdoor Championships, Schweizer won the 5000m run for the second consecutive season with a time of 15:58.14, her eighth career conference title.
- Cunningham will be seeking her first trip to Eugene after winning the 10K at the SEC Outdoor meet. Cunningham returned to competition full-time this season following a horrific car crash in July 2015 that left her neck broken and skull fractured in four places. She proved to be resilient as can be in her return, as she earned NCAA All-Midwest Regional honors in cross country in the fall, then followed up that performance by winning the 5000m run conference title at the SEC Indoor Championships at the 10K at the SEC Outdoor Championships. Cunningham will run in the 10,000m run in Sacramento, a race which she currently owns the 17th-best time in the nation in after winning the Drakes Relays 10K with a time of 33:19.25.
- Jacobs will lead the Mizzou women in field events, as she is set to compete in the discus and shot put in Sacramento. Jacobs scored in both events at the SEC Outdoor Championships, as she won the SEC discus title for a second straight season and placed seventh in the shot put. Prior to finishing fifth in the discus at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor Championships, Jacobs set the school record in the discus at the 2017 NCAA West Preliminary meet with a mark of 58.23m (191-0). This season, Jacobs owns the ninth-best discus mark in the nation with a throw of 58.11m (190-8).
- For the men, junior Landon Cuskelly and freshman Chris Conrad will lead the way as they compete in the high jump and 800m run, respectively. Cuskelly owns the 10th-best mark in the NCAA West Region this season following a jump of 2.18m (7-1.75) at the Tom Botts Invitational that netted him Most Outstanding Performer honors. Conrad saved his best performance of the outdoor season for his final race at the SEC Outdoor Championships, as he finished fifth in the 800m run with a time of 1:48.68, which ranks 21st in the NCAA West Region. Conrad's fifth-place finish was the highest freshman finish in the 800m run.
SCHWEIZER'S CASE FOR THE BOWERMAN
- Mizzou senior Karissa Schweizer's senior campaign has put herself among the nation's best, as she has become a mainstay on The Bowerman Watch List, an annual award given to the nation's top male and female collegiate track & field student-athlete. Each time Schweizer has taken the track in 2018 has been a memorable one, as she has wracked up two national titles, three conference titles, two meet records, four collegiate top-10 marks, six school records and seven first-place finishes... so far.
- Schweizer began her indoor season at the BU Season Opener (Dec. 2), just under a month before the calendar changed over to 2018, and just two weeks after an All-American performance at the 2017 NCAA Cross Country Championships. Schweizer was determined to avenge what some called a disappointing performance at the NCAA Cross Country meet, as she reset her own school record in a first-place performance in the 5000m run. Schweizer crossed the finish line at 15:17.31, a time which reset her own school record currently ranks fifth all-time in NCAA history. Schweizer was named the USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week following the performance.
- The Tiger senior then returned to the track at the Arkansas Invitational (Jan. 12), where she finished first and clocked a time of 2:44.12 in the 1000m run. The event, which isn't ran often at the NCAA-level, was a school record.
- In the first of back-to-back weekends in the Big Apple, Schweizer finished third in the mile run invitational at the Columbia Challenge (Jan. 27), as she crossed the finish line at 4:27.54. Schweizer's time surpassed Laura Roxberg's 2013 time of 4:34.59 as the top-mark recorded in program history, and is the fifth-fastest time recorded all-time in NCAA history. For her performance in NYC, Schweizer was named the SEC Runner of the Week and the USTFCCCA National Athlete of the Week.
- Schweizer returned to the Big Apple a week later, as she was invited to the Millrose Games (Feb. 3), a meet reserved mostly for professional runners. The Tiger senior helped steal the show, as she set the 3000m collegiate record in a fourth-place finish filled with professionals, crossing the finish line at 8:41.60. Schweizer's time surpassed Jenny (Barringer) Simpson's 2009 mark of 8:42.03 ran by a collegian, and Sabrina Dornhoefer's 1984 mark of 9:06.39 as the top time in program history.
- Competition turned to postseason in the indoor season, as Schweizer captured her sixth and seventh conference titles at the SEC Indoor Championships (Feb. 24-25). She started the meet off by setting the SEC meet record in the 3000m run, as she finished at 9:00.56 and smashed the previous record by almost 10 seconds, surpassing Cory McGee's (Florida) 2014 mark of 9:10.48. Schweizer passed up on a chance at another individual conference title the next day, as she chose to anchor Mizzou's DMR team. Schweizer took the baton 11 seconds behind first-place, but made up ground quickly, snagging the lead in the final 1000 meters of her 1600-meter leg. The clock stood at 11:08.18 as Schweizer 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 as captured her seventh conference title, matching Sabrina Dornhoefer for the most conference titles by a female in program history.
- Schweizer became the most decorated student-athlete in terms of national titles in Mizzou history at the NCAA Indoor Championships (March 9-10), as she won national titles in the 3000m run and 5000m run. She started it off with a wire-to-wire performance in the 5K, as she pulled away from 2017 NCAA Cross Country Champion Ednah Kurgat (New Mexico) with two laps remaining to finish at 15:43.23 and secure her fourth national title. With the win, the Tiger senior became the fifth female in NCAA history to win back-to-back indoor 5000m run national championships (event began in 1989), and the first since Dartmouth's Abbey D'Agostino did so in 2013 and 2014. Schweizer followed her performance up with a similar performance in the 3K the next night, as she led for a vast majority of the race and never looked back. Boise State's Allie Ostrander stayed near Schweizer for much of the race before the Tiger senior pulled away in the final lap to take the victory at 8:53.36, the third-fastest 3000m time at the NCAA Indoor meet. With the win, Schweizer became the fifth female in NCAA history to win the 3000m and 5000m national titles in the same NCAA Indoor meet, as she joined Notre Dame's Molly Seidel (2016), Dartmouth's Abbey D'Agostino (2013 & 2014), Texas Tech's Sally Kipyego (2007) and Providence's Kim Smith (2004).
- For all her accomplishments over the 2018 indoor season, Schweizer was named the SEC Runner of the Year, USTFCCCA Midwest Regional Track Athlete of the Year, and the USTFCCCA National Track Athlete of the Year.
- Schweizer began in the outdoor season by doing something she had not done in her collegiate career up to that point - run a 10,000m run. Schweizer made her 10K collegiate debut at the Stanford Invitational (March 30), and she did not disappoint, as she set the school record with a third-place finish at 32:00.55 in a heat filled with professionals. Schweizer's time ranked eighth all-time in NCAA history, her fourth all-time collegiate top-10 mark.
- Next, Schweizer chose to run at Mizzou's annual home meet, the Tom Botts Invitational (April 20), as she set her sixth school record (seventh counting indoor 1000m) in the 1500m run, as she crossed the finish line first at 4:12.83. Schweizer was challenged by professional runner Megan Mansy in the race, and just narrowly edged Laura Roxberg's 2013 time of 4:13.53 to claim the school record.
- Schweizer then returned to her home state of Iowa for the Drake Relays (April 26-28), as the Tiger senior put on a show once again. It began with the distance carnival on Thursday, as Schweizer won her first-ever white flag by setting the 5000m run meet record with a time of 15:23.21. Schweizer surpassed the previous record of 15:31.18, which was set by Wisconsin's Cathy Branta in 1985. Schweizer returned to the track on Saturday, as she chose once again to anchor Mizzou' DMR team. In a race reminiscent of Mizzou's SEC Indoor title, Schweizer grabbed the baton with the Tigers in fourth-place as she passed Indiana State, Iowa State and South Dakota State's anchor legs to clinch the title as she crossed the finish line at 11:07.59. For her two white flags, Schweizer was chosen as the Women's Most Outstanding Performer of the 2018 Drake Relays.
- Schweizer became an eight-time conference champion at the SEC Outdoor Championships (May 13), as she won the 5000m run for the second-straight season with a time of 15:58.14. Schweizer's eight conference titles rank second in women's program history behind only Sabrina Dornhoefer's nine. She also finished runner-up in the 1500m run, as she crossed the finish line at 4:19.98.
| THE BOWERMAN WATCH LIST - MAY 16 | ||
| NAME (YR.) | SCHOOL | EVENTS |
| Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (Jr.) | Kentucky | Hurdles/Sprints |
| Kendall Ellis (Sr.) | USC | Sprints |
| Maggie Ewen (R-Sr.) | Arizona State | Throws |
| Aleia Hobbs (Sr.) | LSU | Sprints |
| Lynna Irby (Fr.) | Georgia | Sprints |
| Lexi Jacobus (Jr.) | Arkansas | Pole Vault |
| Sydney McLaughlin (Fr.) | Kentucky | Hurdles/Sprints |
| Keturah Orji (Sr.) | Georgia | Jumps |
| Karissa Schweizer (Sr.) | Mizzou | Distance |
| Gabby Thomas (Jr.) | Harvard | Sprints/Jumps |
RISING TO THE TOP OF THE RECORD BOOK
- Mizzou senior Karissa Schweizer will go down as one of the most accomplished athletes ever at the University of Missouri, regardless of sport. Below is a breakdown of Schweizer's career accomplishments.
| MOST NATIONAL TITLES IN MIZZOU HISTORY | ||
| NAME | SPORT | # of NATIONAL TITLES |
| Karissa Schweizer | Track & Field/Cross Country | 5 |
| J'den Cox | Wrestling | 3 |
| Ben Askren | Wrestling | 2 |
| Derrick Peterson | Track & Field | 2 |
| Dick Cochran | Track & Field | 2 |
| Bill Bangert | Track & Field | 2 |
| MOST ALL-AMERICA HONORS IN PROGRAM HISTORY (AMONG FEMALES) | ||||
| NAME | XC | INDOOR | OUTDOOR | TOTAL |
| Kearsten Peoples | -- | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| Sabrina Dornhoefer | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| Karissa Schweizer | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| Rosalyn Dunlap | -- | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Natasha (Kaiser) Brown | -- | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| Ashley Wysong | -- | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| MOST CONFERENCE TITLES IN PROGRAM HISTORY (AMONG FEMALES) | ||||
| NAME | XC | INDOOR | OUTDOOR | TOTAL |
| Sabrina Dornhoefer | 2 | 3 | 4 | 9 |
| Karissa Schweizer | 2 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| Teri LeBlanc | -- | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Lorinda Richardson | -- | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Natasha (Kaiser) Brown | -- | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Kearsten Peoples | -- | 2 | 3 | 5 |
CUNNINGHAM'S COMEBACK
- After nearly being paralyzed following a horrific car crash in July 2015, Mizzou redshirt senior Megan Cunningham has made a remarkable return to the athletic field and has her sights set on finishing her career as an All-American. As she embarked on a family vacation to Montana, Cunningham and her family were involved in a terrible wreck that left Megan with a broken neck and her skull fractured in four places. Her dad is still confined to a wheel chair.
- Cunningham remained determined after the crash, and proved doctors wrong, who thought she may never walk again. She returned occasionally during the 2017 track season, but really made her presence known during the 2017 cross country season, as Megan vaulted to Mizzou's No. 2 runner. Cunningham set a 5K PR at the Commodore Classic (Sept. 16), then closed her season at the NCAA Midwest Regional meet, as she finished 12th at with a 6K personal record of 20:29.8, earning NCAA All-Midwest Regional honors.
- Cunningham was just getting started, however, as personal records continued to fall in the indoor season. She began by setting a personal record in the 3000m run at the Vanderbilt Invitational (Jan. 20), as she finished third at 9:19.07, the fifth-fastest time in program history. Cunningham then set a PR, meet record and facility record in the 5000m run at the Music City Challenge (Feb. 9), as she set the second-fastest time in program history at 15:53.20. The best was yet to come, though, as Cunningham won her first conference title at the SEC Indoor Championships (Feb. 25), as she finished at first in the 5000m run at 15:56.76.
- Success has followed Cunningham in the outdoor season, as she has posted program top-10 marks in both the 5000m run and 10,000m run. First, she won the 5000m at the Gorilla Classic (April 14) with the fourth-fastest time in program history at 16:03.20. Then, Cunningham won a white flag in the 10,000m run at the Drake Relays (April 26), crossing the finish line at 33:19.25, also the fourth-fastest time in program history.
THROWERS MAKING THEIR MARK
- Seven Mizzou throwers have etched their names in the Mizzou record book this outdoor season by posting program top-10 marks.
- Most recently, senior Rauno Liitmae posted the seventh-best javelin throw in program history at the SEC Outdoor Championships (May 11-12). Liitmae crushed the competition in the javelin portion of the decathlon, as he posted a mark of 67.00m/219-9.
- Redshirt junior Avery Carter set his first program top-10 mark with an event win in the hammer throw at the Tom Botts Invitational (April 20). Carter provided the best hammer throw of his career, as he posted the third-best throw in program history at 64.18m (210-7),
- At the Ole Miss Classic (March 31), sophomore Allie Webb checked in at No. 8 all-time in the javelin with a mark of 44.11m (144-9).
- At the Arkansas Spring Invitational (March 23-24), redshirt junior Will Fife joined the top-10 list at No. 7 in the shot put at 18.58m (60-11.5), while freshman Megan Haley set a top-10 mark in the javelin, checking in at No. 9 with a throw of 43.40 (142-5).
- Mizzou's other two top-10 marks came at the CMU Open (March 17), as junior Becky Keating posted the second-best mark in program history in the hammer throw at 63.87m (209-6) and redshirt sophomore Patrick Kunza posted the eighth-best mark in the men's hammer throw at 62.70m (205-8).
SCHWEIZER, CUNNINGHAM & JACOBS WIN SEC TITLES
- Mizzou crowned three conference champions at the SEC Outdoor Championships, as senior Karissa Schweizer won the 5000m run, redshirt senior Megan Cunningham won the 10,000m run and redshirt junior Gabi Jacobs captured the discus title.
- Schweizer dominated the 5000m run, as she was the only runner who finished under 16 minutes at 15:58.14. Schweizer will end her career with eight conference titles, as she previously won the 2016 Cross Country, 2017 Indoor Mile Run, 2017 Indoor 3000m Run, 2017 Outdoor 5000m Run, 2017 Cross Country, 2018 Indoor 3000m Run and 2018 Indoor Distance Medley Relay. Schweizer's eight conference titles rank second in women's program history behind only Sabrina Dornhoefer's nine conference titles.
- In the 10K, 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.
- Jacobs repeated as discus champion in exciting fashion, as she clinched the title in her final throw with a toss of 55.92m (183-5). Jacobs led the pack after the preliminary three throws with a mark of 54.75m (179-7), but sat in third place before her final throw, which netted her a second consecutive discus title. Coupled with yesterday's seventh-place finish in the shot put, Jacobs scored 12 points overall at the meet.
- With Schweizer's win in the 5000m run and Cunningham's win in the 10K, Mizzou swept the 5K and 10K SEC titles in back-to-back seasons, after redshirt junior Jamie Kempfer won the 2017 SEC 10K Mizzou is the first team to sweep the women's 5K/10K in consecutive seasons since Arkansas did so in 2014 and 2015.
Players Mentioned
Throws
/ Men's Track and Field
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
/ Wrestling
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Jumps
/ Men's Track and Field
Throws
/ Men's Track and Field
Throws
/ Men's Track and Field
Throws
/ Men's Track and Field
Throws
/ Men's Track and Field
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Throws
/ Men's Track and Field
Decathlon
/ Men's Track and Field
Distance
/ Men's Track and Field
Javelin
/ Men's Track and FieldNational Champions Are Made at Mizzou: Jonathan Seremes
Friday, March 21
Behind the Scenes: Megan Cunningham Accepts Inspiration Award
Wednesday, June 27
HIGHLIGHTS: Schweizer Wins 5th NCAA Title
Saturday, March 10
HIGHLIGHTS: Schweizer Wins NCAA Indoor 5K
Friday, March 09
