LINCOLN, Neb. – Mizzou Track & Field junior Kieran Wood (Cambridge, U.K.) became the first-ever Mizzou student-athlete to run a sub-four minute mile on Saturday, as the Tigers finished up competition at the Husker Invitational in Lincoln, Neb., on Saturday. Wood was one of seven Tigers to post program top-10 marks on the day, including three who joined Mizzou's top-10 for the first time in their careers.
NOTABLE FINISHES
Wood finished second in the mile run with a time of 3:59.64, as he finished just behind Nebraska's George Kusche, who set the meet record with a time of 3:59.61. Wood overtook Ray Hughes' 1998 time of 4:01.16 to set the new school record, and now currently ranks 10th in the nation with his time. Joining Wood in Mizzou's top-10 list for the mile run is freshman Martin Prodanov (Plovdiv, Bulgaria), who finished fifth with a time 4:03.76, the ninth-fastest time in program history.
Also setting a program top-10 mark on the track for Mizzou was redshirt freshman Jayson Ashford (Fairview Heights, Ill.), who finished eighth in the 200m dash at 21.40. Ashford moved from eighth to fourth on Mizzou's all-time top-10 list, as he improved from his previous best time of 21.58.
In the women's shot put, redshirt Gabi Jacobs (Bloomington, Ill.) and redshirt sophomore Sophia Rivera (Brentwood, Mo.) each posted personal record marks, as they finished third and fourth, respectively. Jacobs, who already held the seventh-best mark in program history, improved her mark to 15.86m (52-0.5), while Rivera, making her Tiger debut, posted a throw of 15.77m (51-9), which ranks eighth all-time at Mizzou.
For the men, redshirt senior Will Fife (Jefferson City, Mo.) improved his personal record in the shot put and remained at No. 10 on Mizzou's all-time list with a throw of 18.35m (60-2.5), while sophomore Jason Edwards (Eldon, Mo.) checked in at No. 10 in the heptathlon with 5,043 points and a sixth-place finish. Over the two-day event, Edwards set personal bests in six of the seven events, including recording an 8.79 in the 60m hurdles and a 3:02.86 in the mile 1000m run today.
QUOTABLES
Mizzou Head Coach Brett Halter
"We are hard pressed as a staff to recall a more complete competitive team effort. These teams really know how to compete. The journey continues as we get back to the process and our preparation for championships. Really proud of Kieran on becoming the first Mizzou student-athlete to eclipse the magical four-minute barrier in the mile."
UP NEXT
Mizzou will split for its next meets, as the team will be competing at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark., and the Music City Challenge in Nashville, Tenn., on Feb. 8-9.
For all the latest on Mizzou Track & Field, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MIZ_TrackField).
MIZZOU RESULTS - TRACK EVENTS
60m Dash, Women – 4. Maya Cody, 7.51
200m Dash, Men – 8. Jayson Ashford, 21.40 PR, #4 // 23. Nylo Clarke, 21.97 PR // 37. Eduardo Favela, 22.97 PR
200m Dash, Women – 6. Maya Cody, 24.54 // 32. Jazmyn Shumaker, 25.77 // 38. Morgan O'Neal, 26.16
800m Run, Men – 7. Robert Kuhlmann, 1:52.34 PR // 19. Dylan Quisenberry, 1:55.51 PR
800m Run, Women – 9. Karina Liz, 2:15.21 // 19. Michaela Hackbarth, 2:19.05 PR // 20. Emma Roth, 2:19.12 PR
Mile Run, Men – 2. Kieran Wood, 3:59.64 PR, SR // 5. Martin Prodanov, 4:03.76 PR, #9 // 7. Dustan Davidson, 4:05.17 PR // 17. Zach Cook, 4:16.65
Mile Run, Women – 2. Melissa Menghini, 4:52.05 // 4. Tori Findley, 4:53.96 // 6. Mikayla Reed, 4:55.93 PR // 10. Hannah Thomas, 5:02.61 // 21. Jenna Lutzow, 5:09.85
3000m Run, Women – 11. Jordyn Kleve, 10:11.33
MIZZOU RESULTS - FIELD EVENTS
High Jump, Men – 1. Roberto Vilches, 2.22m (7-3.25) // Landon Cuskelly, NH
High Jump, Women – 7. Valeria Kostiuk, 1.65m (5-5)
Shot Put, Men – 5. Will Fife, 18.35m (60-2.5) PR, #10
Shot Put, Women – 3. Gabi Jacobs, 15.86m (52-0.5) PR, #7 // 4. Sophia Rivera, 15.77m (51-9) PR, #8 // 6. Emily Stauffer, 15.19m (49-10)
MIZZOU RESULTS - MULTI-EVENTS
60m Hurdles, Heptathlon – 8. Jason Edwards, 8.79 PR (793 points)
Pole Vault, Heptathlon – 6. Jason Edwards, 4.42m (14-6) (737 points)
1000m Run, Heptathlon – 12. Jason Edwards, 3:02.86 PR (636 points)
Overall, Heptathlon – 6. Jason Edwards, 5,043 points PR, #10