University of Missouri
SEC Championships
Schweizer Claims SEC Crown, Four Tigers Earn All-SEC Recognition
10/28/2016 2:39:00 PM | Cross Country
Schweizer leads Mizzou women to a third-place finish, its highest conference finish since 2004
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. –Junior Karissa Schweizer (Urbandale, Iowa) continued her spectacular 2016 season on Friday with an individual conference championship in the Southeastern Conference women's 6,000m race. Schweizer led the Mizzou women to a third-place finish at Agri Park in Fayetteville, Ark., their highest finish at a conference meet since the Tigers finished second at the 2004 Big 12 Conference Championships. Senior Drew White (Crystal City, Mo.) paced the Mizzou men, finishing 14th as the men's team finished sixth overall.
"This is a big day for our program," said head coach Marc Burns. "We are moving forward on both sides and getting closer to our goal of winning team championships. It was great to see Karissa win an individual title. She has worked so hard for this and this is just one stop on her journey this fall."
"I didn't think I would come this far in three years," said Schweizer following the race. "Track has definitely prepared me for today. I'm starting to trust myself and my abilities, and believe what my coaches say. I broke away with a little less than 1K to go. There was a huge downhill, and I used that to my advantage to get some kick there. I just knew I had to get to that downhill and break away.
Schweizer, who has now won three races this season (Commodore Classic and Chile Pepper Festival), crossed the finish line with a 6K personal-record time of 20:10.5. She surpassed her previous 6K PR time of 20:14.0, set at the Pre-National Invitational in a fourth-place finish on Oct. 15. The Tiger junior becomes Mizzou's first conference champion since 1997 when Erin Windler took home the Big 12 5,000m crown.
.@SEC CHAMP!!!!@KarissaSchweiz4 crosses the finish line first at #SECXC16!!!#MIZ #TigerTough ?? pic.twitter.com/GFTWCpRYdU
— Mizzou Track & Field (@MIZ_TrackField) October 28, 2016
Joining Schweizer with All-SEC First Team honors was junior Jamie Kempfer (Festus, Mo.), who crossed the finish line fifth overall with a personal-record time of 20:43.0. Kempfer improved her 6K time by a remarkable 43 seconds from the Pre-National Invitational, where she crossed the finish line at 21:23.8. Senior Nicole Mello (Columbia, Mo.), senior Teylar Adelsberger (O'Fallon, Mo.) and redshirt junior Kaitlyn Fischer (Pevely, Mo.) rounded out the top-five for Mizzou, finishing 33rd, 36th and 50th, respectively.
"Jamie came up huge today and showed once again that she is one of the elite distance runners in the SEC," said Burns. "We beat some very good teams today and hopefully that will help us in two weeks at the NCAA Midwest Regional meet. We will enjoy this today and focus on recovering so we can get back to work on Sunday. This team wants to go to the NCAA championships really bad and we know there is more work to be done to make it a reality."
White earned All-SEC Second Team honors for his 14th-place finish, crossing the finish line at 24:28.6. White has finished first for Mizzou in each of his four races this season. Following behind White was senior Ollie Lockley (Colby, Isle of Man), who crossed the finish line 23rd overall with a time of 24:59.3, just 16 seconds off his 8K PR time set at the Chile Pepper Festival earlier this year. In their SEC Championships debut, redshirt sophomore Zach Cook (Columbia, Mo.) and redshirt freshman Michael Widmann (Naperville, Ill.) posted impressive performances for the Tigers, finishing fifth and sixth for Mizzou and 43rd and 46th, respectively. Widmann earned a spot on the All-SEC Freshman Team by finishing as the fifth-highest freshman in the conference.
#SECXC16: Drew White paces the Tigers with a 14th-place finish for an All-SEC Second Team Selection!#MIZ #TigerTough ?? pic.twitter.com/2muxs23YRn
— Mizzou Track & Field (@MIZ_TrackField) October 28, 2016
"Drew White got some validation for all of his efforts today by earning All-SEC honors," said Burns. "He has worked hard and continued to believe in himself throughout his time here and was rewarded today. Ollie ran a massive last half of the race to move up to 23rd. It was nice to see Zach Cook step up and score for us in the five spot today. He and Michael Widmann ran their best races of the year. The future looks bright with Michael earning All-Freshman honors. We will continue to improve between today and the NCAA Midwest Regional meet. I believe the guys will be motivated by narrowly missing fourth today, and will be ready to beat some quality teams in two weeks."
The Tigers continue postseason competition in two weeks at the NCAA Midwest Regional, held Friday, Nov. 11 in Iowa City, Iowa. The Mizzou women are currently ranked fourth among Midwest Region in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Regional Rankings, while the men are currently ranked eighth.
For all the latest on Mizzou Cross Country and Track & Field, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MIZ_TrackField).
Women's Results (6000m)
Team – 3rd (125 pts)
1. Karissa Schweizer, 20:10.5 // 5. Jamie Kempfer, 20:43.0 // 33. Nicole Mello, 21:30.6 // 36. Teylar Adelsberger, 21:39.7 // 50. Kaitlyn Fischer, 22:04.5 // 52. Jordyn Keleve, 22:06.6 // 84. Valeska Halamicek, 23:07.2 // Hannah Thomas, 23:23.2
Men's Results (8000m)
Team – 6th (156 pts)
14. Drew White, 24:28.6 // 23. Ollie Lockley, 24:59.3 // 36. Luca Russo, 25:26.5 // 40. Marc Dubrick, 25:34.4 // 43. Zach Cook, 25:41.7 // 46. Michael Widmann, 25:50.3 // 49. Sheldon Keence, 25:54.9 // Jordan Cook, 25:57.8 // Ben Goodman, 26:16.1 // Brian Hernan, 27:15.4
Players Mentioned
