Missouri
NCAA Indoor Championships
@MIZ_TrackField’s McClendon, Santos & Vilches Earn All-America Honors at NCAA Indoor Championships
3/10/2019 1:02:00 AM | Men's Track and Field, Women's Track and Field, Track & Field
All three Tigers earn their first career All-America honors
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Mizzou Track & Field had three student-athletes close their 2019 NCAA Indoor seasons with All-America honors on Saturday at the NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in Birmingham, Ala. Redshirt junior Jordan McClendon (Black Jack, Mo.) was Mizzou's highest finisher of the day, as she finished seventh in the weight throw, while freshman Mirieli Santos (Mato Grosso, Brazil) finished 11th in the triple jump and freshman Roberto Vilches (Mexico City, Mexico) finished 15th in the high jump.
JORDAN MCCLENDON
McClendon earned the first All-America honor of her career, as she finished seventh with a personal record mark of 21.95m (72-0.25). She is the third Mizzou female to earn the fourth All-America honor in the indoor weight throw, as she follows Elisa Hunt (4th – 2007) and Kearsten Peoples (7th – 2014, 1st – 2015).
Her mark is an improvement on her previous season-best mark of 21.76m (71-4.75) which she set at the Husker Invitational (Feb. 1), and only trails Peoples' 2015 mark of 22.84m (74-11.25) in program history. McClendon also earned All-SEC honors for the first time in her career this season, as she finished third in the weight throw at the SEC Indoor Championships (Feb. 23) with a mark of 21.04m (69-0.5).
MIRIELI SANTOS
Santos earned an 11th place finish in the triple jump with a mark of 12.88m (42-3.25) at her NCAA Indoor meet debut. She is the first female in program history to earn an All-America honor in the long jump, indoor or outdoor.
Earlier in the season, the Tiger freshman set the school record in the triple jump twice, as she posted marks of 13.00m (42-8) at the Tyson Invitational (Feb. 9) and 13.21m (43-4.25) at the SEC Indoor Championships (Feb. 23). Her mark at the SEC Indoor meet earned her an eighth place finish.
ROBERTO VILCHES
Vilches finished 15th in the high jump with a clearance of 2.10m (6-10.75) to earn his first All-America honor. VIlches' 15th-place finish is the fifth indoor high jump All-American finish in program history, as he is preceded by Steve Herndon (2nd – 1967), Nat Page (2nd – 1977, 4th - 1979) and Jesse Sims (7th – 2003).
The honor closes a highly impressive debut season in the Black & Gold for Vilches, who broke Mizzou's 42-year-old high jump school record at the Missouri Intercollegiate (Jan. 11) with a jump of 2.26m (7-4) and finished fifth at the SEC Indoor Championships (Feb. 22) with a clearance of 2.22m (7-3.25).
UP NEXT
Mizzou will now transition to the outdoor season, beginning with the Herm Wilson Invitational, March 21-23 in Wichita, Kan.
For all the latest on Mizzou Track & Field, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MIZ_TrackField).
RESULTS - FIELD EVENTS
High Jump, Men – 15. Roberto Vilches, 2.10m (6-10.75)Triple Jump, Women – 11. Mirieli Santos, 12.88m (42-3.25)
Weight Throw, Women – 7. Jordan McClendon, 21.95m (72-0.25)
