NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Mizzou Track and Field started the indoor season strong with four outright wins at Vanderbilt Commodore Indoor in Nashville, Tenn., Friday and Saturday. The all-SEC meet was the first opportunity for the Tigers to compete on the track since the cancelation of the NCAA Indoor Championships in March 2020.
Notable Finishes
After finishing third in the preliminary race, junior Jayson Ashford (Fairview Heights, Ill.) was able to stave off Ole Miss's Elijah Dryer by two-one hundredths of a second to win the final with a blistering 6.81 time. The mark added his name to the Mizzou record book for a second time, as he now holds the fifth (6.80) and eighth fastest 60m times.
Ashford also won the men's 200m race against teammate sophomore Blake Hays (Monroe, Mo.). The duo finished a second apart, with 21.40 and 22.37 times, respectively.
Redshirt senior Karina Liz (Aurora, Ill.) returned to the track strong after missing the 2020 season due to injury, winning the women's 800m race with a 2:12.72 time. She was followed closely by sophomore Kelsey Schweizer (Urbandale, Iowa), who finished second at 2:14.23.
Mizzou also had an impressive performance in the men's 800m race. Senior Chris Conrad (O'Fallon, Ill.) finished third overall at 1:49.06, while freshman Angus Beer (Rozelle, Australia) won the second heat and finished fourth overall with a 1:51.35 time.
Freshman Rondajai Washington won the first race of her collegiate career Saturday, taking home the women's 200m title with a 25.21 time.
The team also saw a strong performance in the field from junior Sydney Oberdiek (Platte City, Mo.), who finished third in the women's weight throw with a distance of 19.67m (64-6.50). Oberdiek moved to No. 5 in program history with the mark.
Quotables
Head Coach Brett Halter… "It was a great start for both teams. We had several wins and personal bests as well as many other terrific rust-busting performances. I am not surprised at the competitive integrity today given the quality of work we saw from our event groups throughout the fall. It's been over 322 days for many of our athletes since they last competed. This weekend was a perfect start to the new season!"
Up Next
Mizzou will send split squads to both the Woo Pig Invitational and the Iowa State Cyclone Invitational next weekend. The Woo Pig Invitational is set to begin on Friday, Jan. 22 in Fayetteville Ark. Mizzou then follows with the Iowa State Cyclone Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 23 in Ames, Iowa.
For all the latest on Mizzou Track & Field, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MizzouTFXC)
Results - Track Events
60m Dash (M) - 1. Jayson Ashford, 6.81 // 10. Jacob Brunsman, 7.25
60m Dash (W) - 10. Rondajai Washington, 7.88
200m Run (M) - 1. Jayson Ashford, 21.40 // 2. Blake Hays, 22.37
200m Run (W) - 1. Rondajai Washington, 25.21
400m Run (W) - 8. Morgan O'Neal, 58.68
800m (M) - 3. Chris Conrad, 1:49.06 PR // 4 (1, H2). Angus Beer, 1:51.35 // 8. Jonathan Schmidt, 1:53.55
800m (W) - 1. Karina Liz, 2:12.72 // 2. Kelsey Schweizer, 2:14.23
4x400 (M) - 5. Morgan O'Neal, Kelsey Schweizer, Rondajai Washington, Karina Liz, 3:59.80
4x400 (W) - 3. Blake Hays, Chris Conrad, Jonathan Schmidt, Angus Beer, 3:17.07
Results - Field Events
Weight Throw (W) - 3. Sydney Oberdiek, 19.65m (64-6.50) PR // 7. Emily Stauffer, 18.28 (59-11.75) PR // 9. Sydney Johnson, 17.04 (55-11) // 12. Olivia Evans, 14.93 // (48-11.75)
Weight Throw (M) - 4. Mitch Weber, 16.76 (55-0)
Shot Put (W) - 6. Emily Stauffer, 14.91m (48-11) // 7. Jordan Speer, 13.96m (45-9.75) //
8. Emily Offenheiser, 13.90m (45-7.25)
Shot Put (M) - 5. Mitch Weber, 16.59m (54-5.25) // 11. Devin Roberson, 12.91m (42-4.25)