COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Cross Country opened the Gans Creek Cross Country Course with an incredible performance on Friday evening in Columbia, Mo. The Tigers had both the men and women claim team victories, sweeping the second of two home meets this season. Mizzou senior Jordyn Kleve (Urbandale, Iowa) and junior Sarah Chapman (Maidenhead, England) led the women's side with third- and fourth-place finishes, respectively. Meanwhile, redshirt senior Thomas George (Gloucester, England) was victorious in the men's 8K race, posting a winning time of 24:49.9. To back up George's winning effort, a number of Tigers followed him with strong performances to edge Texas A&M by a total of only two team points.
The grand opening festivities of the Gans Creek course included a dedication ceremony prior to the meet. With a large crowd dispersed across the rolling terrain, the course kicked off under great conditions and showed off the unique aspects of the Tigers' brand new cross country facility. Spectators were able to move across the course to see different portions of the race while a number of fans also utilized the elevated berm area that showed off multiple vantage points of the racing surface.
NOTABLE TIGERS
On the Men's side, George stuck with the lead pack for the entirety of the race before pulling ahead over the last 3,000m to cruise to a commanding victory. While George cruised to the win, Mizzou had a number of impact performers that drove Mizzou to a first-place team finish. The Mizzou men placed an additional four runners in the top-25. Sophomore Martin Prodanov (Plovdiv, Bulgaria) finished eighth, redshirt freshman Victor Mugeche (Blue Springs, Mo.) placed tenth, sophomore Oaklee Hauschild (Blue Springs, Mo.) posted a 13th-place finish and redshirt senior Michael Widmann (Naperville, Ill.) finished 23rd overall.
The Mizzou women posted a dominating performance, placing six Tigers in the top 13. The women were led by Chapman and Kleve who finished third and fourth while freshman Jenna Schwartz (Waterloo, Ill.) and senior Melissa Menghini (Fenton, Mo.) also found the top ten. As a team, the Tigers had three freshman finish in the top 13 including Schwartz, Ginger Murnieks (Lee's Summit, Mo.) and Isabelle Christiansen (Oswego, Ill.). Murnieks and Schwartz have made an impact for the Tigers through three races as both have earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors.
QUOTABLES
"What an amazing day for Mizzou and our program," said head coach Marc Burns. "We are thrilled to win both races today and make history on a world class facility. It was a special day with the dedication before the race. What an honor to have all of the key people speak that played huge roles in making this all happen. This has been in incredible team effort between Mizzou and Columbia Parks and Rec. The reviews have been phenomenal and we are so excited for the future of this course and our program."
UP NEXT
After sweeping two of the first three meets so far this season, the Tigers now head to the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational and the Bradley Pink Classic on Friday, October 18 before postseason competition begins on Friday, November 1 with the SEC Championships.
For all the latest on Mizzou Track & Field, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MizzouTFXC).
MEN'S 8K RESULTS – 1st Place (55 points, 1-8-10-13-23)
1. Thomas George, 24:49.9 // 8. Martin Prodanov, 25:24.7 // 10. Victor Mugeche, 25:38.9 // 13. Oaklee Hauschild, 25:42.4 // 23. Michael Widmann, 26:19.1 // 44. Marquette Wilhite, 27:18.2 // 56. Dylan Quisenberry, 27:51.8
WOMEN'S 6K RESULTS – 1st Place (28 points 3-4-6-8-12)
3. Sarah Chapman, 21:27.4 // 4. Jordyn Kleve, 21:29.2 // 6. Jenna Schwartz, 21:45.6 // 8. Melissa Menghini, 21:55.0 // 12. Ginger Murnieks, 22:11.0 // 13. Isabelle Christiansen, 22:16.0 // 21. Hannah Thomas, 22:52.9 // 24. Jenna Lutzow, 22:57.6 // 26. Sophia Racette, 23:02.6 // 35. Samantha Farmer, 23:14.1 // 54. Emma Roth, 24:01.9 // 56. Andi Bowman, 24:07.7 // 75. Abby Hake, 24:51.5 // 82. Claire Hill, 25:25.9 // 92. Faramola Shonekan, 26:07.4 // 94. Kelsey Schweizer, 26:11.3 // 95. Kayla Funkenbusch, 26:13.9 // 97. Shannon Browning, 26:46.4 // 99. Lilly Hamilton, 26:54.6 // DNF Karina Liz // DNF Michaela Hackbarth // DNF Mikayla Reed // DNF Kiley Deain