University of Missouri
Mizzou Cross Country Opener
Mizzou Cross Country to Open the Season with Mizzou XC Opener
8/27/2019 4:25:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country, Cross Country
The meet will be Mizzou’s first home meet since 2014
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Cross Country is set to begin its 2019 season Friday by hosting the Mizzou Cross Country Opener at LA Nickell Golf Course. The meet will serve as Mizzou's first home meet since the 2014 season. The women are scheduled to begin a 4K race at 5:30 p.m. CT, followed by the men's 6K race at 6:00 p.m. CT.
Mizzou will have 39 runners on the course on Friday, 29 on the women's side and 10 on the men's. Of the 39 athletes, 12 will be making either their collegiate or Mizzou debut.
On the women's team, eight runners who led Mizzou to its third consecutive top-five finish at the SEC Championships in 2018 will be competing on Friday. Included in the group who will be running on Friday will be sophomore Tori Findley (Blue Springs, Mo.), redshirt senior Jordyn Kleve (Urbandale, Iowa), senior Melissa Menghini (Fenton, Mo.), redshirt senior Sophia Racette (St. Louis, Mo.), sophomore Mikayla Reed (Washington, Mo.), sophomore Reilly Revord (Hinsdale, Ill.). Furthermore, Findley, Reed and Revord all appeared in the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships last fall as freshmen and look to kick off even more impressive sophomore seasons.
The men's team also returns a strong lineup, including senior Kieran Wood (Cambridge, U.K.) and redshirt senior Thomas George (Gloucester, England), who both finished in the top-40 at the NCAA Midwest Regional in 2018. The duo of Wood and George set the pace for the Men's team last fall, finishing as Mizzou's top performers in five of the six meets they competed in.
Along with Wood and George, a number of contributors at the SEC Championships last season will be back in action on Friday, including sophomore Martin Prodanov (Plovidv, Bulgaria), redshirt senior Michael Widmann (Naperville, Ill.) and sophomore Oaklee Hauschild (Blue Springs, Mo.). Prodanov concluded the season trending upward at the conference championships, posting his best team finish of the season with a third-place finish behind the tandem of Wood and George.
Finally, a handful of athletes will be making their Mizzou debuts on Friday. On the women's team, Andi Bowman (Madison, Wis.), Sarah Chapman (Maidenhead, UK), Isabelle Christiansen (Oswego, Ill.), Claire Hill (Naperville, Ill.), Abby Juedemann (St. Louis, Mo.), Ginger Murnieks (Lee's Summit, Mo.), Mollie Rogan (Wildwood, Mo.), Jenna Schwartz (Waterloo, Iowa), Kelsey Schweizer (Urbandale, Iowa) and Anna Sullentrup (Washington, Mo.) will all be making their Tiger debuts with the women's team, while Charlie Kern (Elmhurst, Ill.) and Victor Mugeche (Blue Springs, Mo.) will be competing for the first time for the men's squad.
Friday's meet marks the first of two home meets for Mizzou this season, the second taking place at Gans Creek Recreation Area, the Tiger's brand new state-of-the-art facility on the south side of Columbia. The Tigers will compete in four additional regular season meets before the start of postseason competition. The SEC Championships are scheduled to take place on Friday, Nov. 1 in Lexington, Ky., followed by the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships, which are scheduled for Friday, Nov. 15 in Stillwater, Okla. There, the Tigers hope to qualify for the NCAA Championships, which will be hosted in Terre Haute, Ind. on Saturday, Nov. 23.
Mizzou Starting Line - Men
Thomas George (R-Sr.) // Oaklee Hauschild (So.) // Charlie Kern (R-Fr.) // Robert Kuhlmann (R-Jr.) // Victor Mugeche (R-Fr.) // Martin Prodanov (So.) // Dylan Quisenberry (R-Jr.) // Michael Widmann (R-Sr.) // Marquette Wilhite (So.) // Kieran Wood (Sr.)
Mizzou Starting Line - Women
Richelle Bain (R-So.) // Andi Bowman (Fr.) // Sarah Chapman (Jr.) // Isabelle Christiansen (Fr.) // Kiley Deain (Sr.) // Samantha Farmer (R-Sr.) // Tori Findley (So.) // Susan Forbis (R-Jr.) // Kayla Funkenbusch (R-Sr.) // Kayla Glowacki (Jr.) // Michaela Hackbarth (R-Jr.) // Abby Hake (So.) // Lilly Hamilton (So.) // Claire Hill (Fr.) // Abby Juedemann (Fr.) // Jordyn Kleve (R-Sr.) // Jenna Lutzow (Jr.) // Lexi Maddox (Jr.) // Ginger Murnieks (Fr.) // Sophia Racette (R-Sr.) // Mikayla Reed (So.) // Reilly Revord (So.) // Mollie Rogan (R-Fr.) // Emma Roth (So.) // Jenna Schwartz (Fr.) // Kelsey Schweizer (Fr.) // Faramola Shonekan (Sr.) // Anna Sullentrup (R-Fr.) // Hannah Thomas (R-Sr.)
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
