University of Missouri
NCAA Midwest Regional Championships
George Finishes Second, Mizzou Women Take Fifth at NCAA Midwest Regional
11/15/2019 4:03:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country, Cross Country
George is Mizzou’s first male NCAA Cross Country Championships qualifier since 2012
STILLWATER, Okla. – Mizzou Cross Country turned out a number of impressive performances at the NCAA Midwest Regional on Friday in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Redshirt senior Thomas George (Gloucester, England) finished second overall in the Men's 10k with a time of 30:42.5, earning a trip to Terre Haute for the NCAA Cross Country Championships next Saturday. Along with George, senior Jordyn Kleve (Urbandale, Iowa), senior Melissa Menghini (Fenton, Mo.) and junior Sarah Chapman (Maidenhead, England) all earned All-Region honors for their performances. Overall, the Tigers totaled their highest count of All-Region recipients since the 2016 season.
NOTABLE TIGERS
In what was potentially his final race of his cross country career, George held with the lead pack from start to finish in the men's 10K. Needing to finish somewhere near the top-10 to have a chance at qualifying for the NCAA Championships, George sustained his pace and trailed only Iowa State's Edwin Kurgat as he crossed the line. George is the first Mizzou male to qualify for the NCAA Cross Country Championships since Max Storms did so in 2012.
Behind George, sophomore Martin Prodanov (Plovdiv, Bulgaria) (34th, 31:46) and sophomore Marquette Wilhite (Warrensburg, Mo.) (38th, 31:49) posted top-40 performances to propel the Tiger men to a 10th place team finish out of 27 squads.
On the women's side, the Tigers were led by Chapman who has paced the squad all season during her first year on campus. Chapman posted a 17th-place finish with a time of 21:10 while Menghini and Kleve contributed key team points by placing 20th and 21st, respectively. As a team, the Mizzou women posted a fifth-place team finish which is the squad's highest since earning a fourth-place mark in 2017.
QUOTABLES
Mizzou Head Coach Marc Burns… "Our men's and women's teams came to race today. Sarah did a great job leading the way and Melissa and Jordyn closed hard over the last 2k. We put ourselves in the race from the gun and battled hard. Having three all-region finishes is fantastic and we know as we look to the future that we are close to putting five in the top thirty. Thanks to all of our seniors for their efforts to continue to set the standard high for Mizzou cross country. The future looks bright and we will take all that you each have done for us and build on it!"
"Our men did a fantastic job establishing themselves in the top fifty and battled hard the entire race. Thomas was strong up front and closed effortlessly for second. We are so proud of how he has grown in all areas of his life over his five years here. He will be prepared to fight hard next weekend and we are looking forward to him carrying the flag for the program in Terre Haute. Martin and Marquette had breakthrough races in the top forty and learned what it takes to be all region in the future. Our men have really developed and we have a lot of depth returning and some talented newcomers to add to the team. This is an exciting time to be a Tiger and we are fired up for the future of this program."
UP NEXT
After his phenomenal performance on Friday, George will represent the Tigers at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Indiana on Saturday, November 23. For all the latest on Mizzou Track & Field, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MizzouTFXC).
WOMEN' 6K RESULTS – 5th Place (172 points, 17-20-21-47-67)
17. Sarah Chapman, 21:10 // 20. Melissa Menghini 21:15 // 20. Jordyn Kleve, 21:16 // 47. Ginger Murnieks, 21:50 // 68. Hannah Thomas, 22:10 // 83. Sophia Racette, 22:19 // 113. Mikayla Reed, 22:46
MEN'S 10K RESULTS – 10th Place (295 points, 2-34-38-94-127)
2. Thomas George, 30:42 // 34. Martin Prodanov, 31:36 // 38. Marquette Wilhite, 31:39 // 97. Victor Mugeche, 32:49 // 133. Michael Widmann, 33:38 // 136. Oaklee Hauschild, 33:41
Players Mentioned
