The annual Gans Creek Classic meet did not disappoint being the most competitive it’s ever been. With 1st and 2nd place being separated by less than a second in the women’s 6k race, and Iowa scoring a ridiculous 47 points in the men’s 8k race, it’s safe to say that this race will be historic.
The women’s 6K race re-wrote 22 of the top 25 fastest times in event history. The Tigers placed eighth out of 31 teams, scoring 254 points. Junior Suzy Lecoutre finished 29th with a time of 20.00.0.
Missouri’s Monica Wanjiku placed 11th with a time of 19:35.1 seconds in the women’s 6K race, her first as a Tiger.
“I know the people I was competing with, they have a higher experience, more than me,” Wanjiku said. “But I feel so good to make the first record and to race with the highest ranking people.”
In the men’s 8K, freshman Elijah Limo was able to notch a 36th place finish with a time of 23.13.0.
“I was familiarized with the course,” Limo said. “It’s about teamwork. Everything is about teamwork.”
The team-first effort produced by the Tigers was good enough to earn the men12th place overall, adding another strong performance to build off the Greeno Dirksen Invitational in Lincoln, Neb. Senior Drew Rogers placed 43rd, running a time of 23:18.9 seconds.
Washington State University freshman Rosemary Longisa broke the course record and finished first in the women’s 6K race with a time of 19.07.0. Florida placed first in the women’s 6K race, with four women earning top-10 finishes. Northern Arizona University and University of Colorado finished second and third respectively.
A new course record was also set by sophomore Solomon Kipchoge from Washington State with a time of 22.24.7.
Missouri will return to Columbia for the Pre-National Invitational Saturday, Oct. 18, with the women’s race starting at 10 a.m., followed by the men’s race at 11 a.m.
