Missouri track and field was back in action Saturday at Audrey J. Walton Stadium in Columbia for the majority of the team. This meet was the first and last home meet for Missouri this outdoor season, and for the 17 seniors on the team, the last time they will be competing at home.
Friday night, 10 mid-distance and distance athletes concluded their competitions at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, California. The Tigers raced well Thursday and Friday, posting six personal records and five all-time top 10 marks for Missouri.
Sophomore Karissa Schweizer dropped an impressive 34 seconds off her time in the 5K in California. Her 15:58.09 finish is the third-fastest in Missouri history and brought her up to No. 6 in the most recent national rankings.
Back in Columbia today, the Tigers continued the theme of dropping time and racing well. The women’s 4×100 meter relay of freshman Maya Cody, junior LaQuisha Jackson and seniors Alyssa Felton and Jacqueline Obi kicked things off on the track with a school-record win of 44.80.
Over on the men’s side, freshman Kahmari Montgomery made his outdoor debut in the 400 meter dash, winning with a time of 46.47. Montgomery was the Southeastern Conference indoor champion in the event back in March. That race gave him a time of 45.78, one of the top 10 times in the world.
“It felt good,” Montgomery said. “It’s only the opener, but my mentality is practice, practice, practice until SECs, regionals and then nationals. That’s when I’ll really start to bust out of the blocks like I want to. That’s when the real opener will be.”
Since the 400 is two laps during indoor season and one lap during outdoor, Montgomery said he had to adjust his strategy to accompany the difference in curves. Otherwise, his strategy was to stay focused and relaxed and finish the last 200 meters strong.
Senior Markesh Woodson continued the winning for Missouri, posting a wind-aided 10.14 seconds in the 100-meter dash. That was Woodson’s second 100-meter dash of the season; he currently holds the fifth-fastest time in the most recent NCAA rankings.
The 100-meter dash also featured sophomores Niager Mathis and Jonathan Holder, who finished fourth and fifth, respectively.
“I didn’t have a really good start to begin with out the gate, but I still think I did pretty decent for where I’m at in the year, and with no prelim or final, just the simple race,” Woodson said. “To finish the year, I actually want more of a team aspect of completion. That’ll actually make my whole entire year. I just want to do better individually to help the team out.”
In the field, the women’s pole vault featured junior Alyssa Applebee winning the event with a new personal record of 4.06 meters. Junior Lynnsey Brim took the long jump competition as well with a winning jump of 6.02 meters (19-9).
The Missouri seniors were recognized during Senior Day right before the 4×400 meter relay in a ceremony in front of the stands.
“It’s kind of surreal, my last home meet, so a little bittersweet,” Felton said. “(The team) is pretty close, I really enjoy the bond that we have. On the weekends we all get together and hang out, so I’m going to miss those nights and everyone just in general.”
Felton said that a good team dynamic is important to race well on the track, especially in relay groups, saying that team chemistry is key to run a smart and fast race.
Woodson said staying focused as a team helps him stay focused as an individual, especially going into championship season in a few weeks.
“It makes me feel like I have support and a purpose and those people aren’t just out there watching me run,” he said. “They actually want to be out there and they actually care. Having people there makes me feel more valuable.”
Both Felton and Woodson want to finish the season strong as a team, and both plan to stick around Columbia to either finish up more school or help with the team.
“Today was all happiness and all positivity,” Woodson said. “There was no downfall for me today except for, maybe, my back tightening up. I have no complaints.”
_Edited by George Roberson | groberson@themaneater.com_