University of Missouri
Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational
Mizzou Cross Country Ready for Nuttycombe Invitational
10/15/2019 11:38:00 AM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country, Cross Country
Mizzou travels to Madison, Wisconsin for Nuttycombe on Friday
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Mizzou Cross Country will finish out the regular season slate this weekend as they travel to Madison, Wisconsin to compete in the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational. The team will travel to Madison for the first time in more than six years - the men last competed in 2013, and the women in 2012. The Tigers will face off against more than 30 teams, including a long list of ranked opponents. The top-ranked teams on both sides will be competing, with NAU ranked first in the country for the men and Arkansas leading the women.
The Nuttycomb will feature two races per gender, with the women running a 6000m and the men running an 8000m race. Mizzou will compete in the women's "B" race at 11 a.m. CT and both the men's and women's "A" races. The women's "A" race will begin at 12:20 p.m., with the men's "A" race concluding the day at 1 p.m.
Both the men and the women look to continue their dominant 2019 campaigns, coming off of two first-place finishes at the Gans Creek Classic. As a team, the Tigers have swept two of the three races they have competed in this season. Back at Gans Creek, junior Sarah Chapman (Maidenhead, England) and senior Jordyn Kleve (Urbandale, Iowa) secured third and fourth-place finishes to secure the first-place team finish. On the men's side, senior Thomas George (Gloucester, England) took first place overall. Four additional Missouri runners placed in the top-25 to secure the first-place team finish.
When the Tigers hit the course at Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course in Madison on Friday, a familiar lineup of runners will take to the starting line for the men, including George, sophomore Oaklee Hauschild (Blue Springs, Mo.), redshirt freshman Victor Mugeche (Blue Springs, Mo.), sophomore Martin Prodanov (Plovidv, Bulgaria) and redshirt senior Michael Widmann (Naperville, Ill.). Widmann's performance at Gans Creek was essential to the team's slim victory as the redshirt senior finished 23rd to help propel the Tigers past Texas A&M by a two-point margin.
On the women's side, the Tigers will be led in the "A" race by a group that propelled the team to a dominating win at Gans Creek. Kleve, Chapman, freshman Jenna Schwartz (Waterloo, Ill.) and senior Melissa Menghini (Fenton, Mo.) all are set to compete at Wisconsin after top-10 finishes at Gans Creek. The Tigers have relied on their newcomers this season as Schwartz and fellow freshman Ginger Murnieks (Lee's Summit, Mo.) have both earned SEC Freshman of the Week honors.
Quotables
Mizzou Head Cross Country Coach Marc Burns - "We are looking forward to a great opportunity this weekend to compete in the premier invitational of the regular season. Our teams are excited to line up against many of the top teams in the country. A majority of the teams that are selected each year to the NCAA Championships as at large entries garner their 'wins' at the Nuttycombe Invitational. Our goal is to compete hard and come away with some key 'wins' this weekend that could help us out in November."
Mizzou Starting Line - Men "A" Race - 1 p.m. CT
Thomas George (R-Sr.) // Oaklee Hauschild (So.) // Victor Mugeche (R-Fr.) // Martin Prodanov (So.) // Dylan Quisenberry (R-Jr.) // Michael Widmann (R-Sr.) // Marquette Wilhite (So.)
Mizzou Startling Line - Women "A" Race - 12:20 p.m. CT
Sarah Chapman (Jr.) // Isabelle Christiansen (Fr.) // Jordyn Kleve (R-Sr.) // Melissa Menghini (Sr.) // Ginger Murnieks (Fr.) // Mikayla Reed (So.) // Jenna Schwartz (Fr.)
Mizzou Startling Line - Women "B" Race - 11:00 a.m. CT
Andi Bowman (Fr.) // Samantha Farmer (R-Sr.) // Tori Findley (So.) // Abby Hake (So.) // Jenna Lutzow (Jr.) // Lexi Maddox (Jr.) // Sophia Racette (R-Sr.) // Emma Roth (So.) // Hannah Thomas (R-Sr.)
After wrapping up the regular season competition, Mizzou will travel to Lexington, Kentucky to compete in the SEC Championships on Friday, November 1. For all the latest on Mizzou Track & Field, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MIZ_TrackField).
Players Mentioned
