@MIZ_TrackField Set for NCAA Outdoor Championships

Wednesday, June 6

Eugene, Ore.

2:30 PM CT

University of Missouri

NCAA Outdoor Championships

6/4/2018 7:35:00 PM | Track & Field

Schweizer to finish collegiate career in 5000m & 10,000m

NCAA OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS
MEET	LOCATION	DAY	SCHEDULE	MEDIA
NCAA Championships	Eugene, Ore.	June 6-9	Meet Schedule	Live Results Watch
NOTES: Meet Notes

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6
12:30 pm PT/2:30 pm CT	Decathlon, 100m Dash	Rauno Liitmae
1:10 pm PT/3:10 pm CT	Decathlon, Long Jump	Rauno Liitmae
2:00 pm PT/4 pm CT	Hammer Throw, Men	Avery Carter
2:25 pm PT/4:25 pm CT	Decathlon, Shot Put	Rauno Liitmae
3:40 pm PT/5:40 pm CT	Decathlon, High Jump	Rauno Liitmae
6:56 pm PT/8:56 pm CT	Decathlon, 400m Dash	Rauno Liitmae
THURSDAY
10 am PT/12 pm CT	Decathlon, 110m Hurdles	Rauno Liitmae
10:50 am PT/12:50 pm CT	Decathlon, Discus	Rauno Liitmae
12:20 pm PT/2:20 pm CT	Decathlon, Pole Vault	Rauno Liitmae
2:30 pm PT/4:30 pm CT	Decathlon, Javelin	Rauno Liitmae
6:26 pm PT/8:26 pm CT	Decathlon, 1500m Run	Rauno Liitmae
6:38 pm PT/8:38 pm CT	10,000m Run, Women	Karissa Schweizer
SATURDAY
3:05 pm PT/5:05 pm CT	Discus, Women	Gabi Jacobs
5:25 pm PT/7:25 pm CT	5000m Run, Women	Karissa Schweizer

MIZZOU SET TO HAVE FOUR COMPETE IN EUGENE AT NCAA OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Mizzou Track & Field will conclude its 2018 season at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, June 6-9 in Eugene, Ore. Four Mizzou student-athletes will compete in five events over the four-day meet. A live stream of the entire meet will be available on ESPN3.com through WatchESPN app. A live broadcast of finals events on Friday and Saturday will be available on ESPN and ESPN2, respectively.
Senior Karissa Schweizer will close her historic collegiate career at the NCAA meet, where she looks to capture national titles No. 6 and 7 in the 5000m run and 10,000m run. Schweizer has yet to run two races at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in her career. She finished third in the 2016 NCAA Outdoor 5000m Run and won the National Title in the 5000m Run at the 2017 NCAA Outdoor meet. 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 15:19.6 in the 5000m and 32:00.55 in the 10,000m rank first in the NCAA this season. 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. The eight-time All-American will run in the 10,000m run Thursday at 8:38 p.m. CT and the 5000m run Saturday at 7:25 p.m. CT. If Schweizer were to win both national titles, she would become the sixth women in NCAA history to complete the 5K/10K double, following Betty Jo Springs (NC State, 1983), Stephanie Herbst (Wisconsin, 1986), Amy Skieresz (Arizona, 1997 & 1998), Lisa Koll (Iowa State, 2010) and Dominique Scott (Arkansas, 2016).
Redshirt junior Gabi Jacobs is set to compete in the discus at Hayward for the second straight year, after she recorded her first career All-America honor with a fifth-place finish in 2017. Jacobs repeated as SEC Discus Champion at the SEC Outdoor Championships, as she won the SEC discus title for a second straight season with a throw of 55.92m (183-5). 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). The discus competition is slated for 5:05 p.m. CT on Saturday.
For the men, a pair of Tigers will be making their debuts at historic Hayward Field, as senior Rauno Liitmae is set to compete in the decathlon and redshirt junior Avery Carter in the hammer throw. Liitmae posted the 20th-best decathlon mark in the nation this season and the fifth-best mark in program history at the SEC Outdoor Championships, as he scored 7,524 points. The decathlon competition will be held Wednesday and Thursday. Carter is coming off a personal-best in the hammer throw at the NCAA West Preliminary, as he recorded a toss of 64.55m (211-9). The mark was an improvement from his previous-best of 64.18m (210-7), which he set at the Tom Botts Invitational and ranks third all-time in program history. Carter will compete in the hammer throw at 4:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday.

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 nine first-place finishes... so far.

INDOOR SEASON

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.
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.
Schweizer became the most decorated student-athlete in terms of national titles in school 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.

OUTDOOR SEASON

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.
At the NCAA West Preliminary meet, Schweizer qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 5K and 10K as she posted the nation's top-5k time at 15:19.65 and the fastest 10K in West Prelims history at 32:14.36.
For Schweizer's performance over the outdoor season, Schweizer was named the SEC Runner of the Year and the USTFCCCA Midwest Regional Track Athlete of the Year.

THE BOWERMAN WATCH LIST - JUNE 5
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

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, redshirt junior Avery Carter re-set his program top-10 mark in the hammer throw at the NCAA West Preliminary (May 24). Carter provided the best hammer throw of his career, as he posted the third-best throw in program history at 64.55m (211-9),
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.
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).

THREE QUALIFY FOR NCAA OUTDOOR MEET AT NCAA WEST PRELIMINARY

Mizzou had three officially punch their tickets to the NCAA Outdoor Championships at the NCAA West Preliminary (May 24-26). Senior Karissa Schweizer led the way, qualifying for the 5000m run and 10,000m run, while redshirt junior Avery Carter qualified in the hammer throw and redshirt junior Gabi Jacobs in the discus. Senior Rauno Liitmae competed in the javelin, and will compete in the decathlon in Eugene.
In the 10,000m run, 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. Schweizer continued to set records in her second appearance in the NCAA West Preliminary. With her first-place finish, Schweizer tallied two appearances and two first-place finishes, qualifying for both the 5000m and the 10,000m. She battled for front position from the get-go, maintaining a steady pace in second place. It was the back half of the last lap where Schweizer took the lead, and finished nearly six seconds ahead of the next finisher at 15:19.65, the nation's fastest time in 2018. Her previous season best time in the event was 15:23.21, which she set at the Drake Relays (April 26). Schweizer will compete for her sixth and seventh NCAA Titles in Eugene.
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.
Jacobs finished in fifth place in the shot put competition, battling for top marks against her competitors in the third flight. Her throw of 57.28m was her second highest performance of the season, just behind the season-best she set at Mizzou's home meet, the Tom Botts Invitational. Jacobs advances to Eugene for the second straight season and is coming off of a first-place finish at the SEC Championships (May 12), where she won her second straight SEC title. Last year, Jacobs place fifth in the discus at the NCAA Outdoor Championships to earn her first All-America honor.

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.