COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Track & Field redshirt senior Gabi Jacobs (Bloomington, Ill.) and freshman Roberto Vilches (Mexico City, Mexico) each earned SEC Field Athlete of the Week honors, as announced by the league Tuesday. Jacobs reset her own facility record in the discus, while Vilches posted the nation's leading mark in the high jump on Saturday at the Mizzou Spring Open.
It is the first time in Jacobs' career she has earned an SEC weekly honor, and the second honor this season for Vilches after he was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on Jan. 22.
Jacobs reset her own facility record on Saturday at the Mizzou Spring Open, as she finished first in the discus with a mark of 59.69m (195-10). The mark is the top discus mark produced at Audrey J. Walton Stadium, surpassing her own mark of 58.11m (190-8) which she set at the 2018 Tom Botts Invitational. Jacobs' mark was the best discus mark of the week produced by an SEC athlete, and the second-best in the nation overall. Her season-best mark of 60.25m (197-8) set at the Herm Wilson Invitational (March 21) is the best mark by an SEC athlete, and the third-best mark overall in the NCAA this season.
Vilches cleared 2.27m (7-5.25) in the high jump to finish first at the Mizzou Spring Open and move to second all-time in program history, surpassing Ben Lucero, who previously held the No. 2 spot with a mark of 2.25m (7-4.50) in 1982. The jump is the nation's best mark this season, as it ranks ahead of LSU's JuVaughn Harrison, who posed a mark of 2.22m (7-3.25) at the Texas Relays (March 27).
The weekly honor continues an impressive debut season in the Black & Gold for Vilches, who finished fifth at the SEC Indoor Championships (Feb. 22) and earned NCAA All-American Second Team honors with a 15th-place finish at the NCAA Indoor Championships (March 9). Vilches is the indoor school record holder in the high jump, as he produced a mark of 2.26m (7-5) at the Missouri Intercollegiate (Jan. 11).
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