At the SEC Indoor Championships on February 22 and 23, the Missouri men finished 12th out of 13 competing teams, while the women finished 10th out of 14 squads.
Despite finishing near the bottom of the overall standings, each team had outstanding individual performances that qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Alabama on March 8 and 9.
Redshirt sophomore Ja’Mari Ward qualified to compete in Friday’s men’s high jump, and finished eighth overall with a jump of 7.79 meters. It earned him first team All-American honors, the second time he has achieved such a feat in his career.
On Saturday, freshman Roberto Vilches earned second team All-American honors thanks to a 15th-place finish in the high jump, with a distance of 2.10 meters.
Freshman Mirieli Santos finished in 11th place in the women’s triple jump with a mark of 12.88 meters. She earned an All-American honor and is the first female long jumper in program history to do so.
As a senior, Jordan McClendon also earned her first All-American honor. She’s the third Mizzou female to earn an All-America honor in the indoor weight throw. In the competition, McClendon finished seventh with a personal best of 21.95 meters.
Most athletes will begin competing in outdoor track and field meets, which begin with the Herm Wilson Invitational on March 21 and 22 in Wichita, Kansas.
_Edited by Adam Cole | acole@themaneater.com_
