Missouri cross-country closed out its regular season this weekend with the Bradley Classic in Peoria, Illinois, on Friday and the Pre-National Invitational in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday.
The focus was on the Pre-National Invitational, where many of Missouri’s top runners competed. The women’s team finished 24th while the men’s side finished 27th.
Reigning national champion Karissa Schweizer crossed the finish line second with a time of 19:29.7, which beat her time at the NCAA Championships last season. The second-place finish marked the first time that Schweizer has not finished first in a cross-country race since the Pre-National Invitational in 2016, when she finished fourth.
Redshirt sophomore Thomas George was the fastest Tiger for the third consecutive meet, finishing 64th with a time of 24:12.4.
Personal records were set by members of both the men’s and women’s teams over the weekend. Redshirt senior Megan Cunningham and redshirt sophomore Samantha Farmer set personal bests in the the 6K with times of 20:50.9 and 22:07.8, respectively, while George, redshirt junior Zach Cook and redshirt freshman Justin Loquercio did it for the 8K with 24:12.4, 25:02.7 and 25:10.6, respectively.
The rest of team competed at the Bradley Classic on Friday.
The men finished 18th in the Bradley Classic, led by redshirt senior Sheldon Keence who finished 58th. Redshirt sophomore Stephen Mugeche was the second Mizzou Tiger to cross the finish line, finishing 68th. Both Keence and Mugeche posted season-best times in the 8K with 25:45.8 and 25:56.7, respectively.
The women finished 19th in the Bradley Classic, led by sophomore Sophia Racette in her first race as a Tiger. She finished in 78th place, with junior Hannah Thomas coming in at 94th.
The Tigers will begin postseason competition with the SEC Championship in two weeks, which will take place in Athens, Georgia, on Oct. 27.
_Edited by Eli Lederman | elederman@themaneater.com_