Missouri Track and Field ended its indoor season at the Southeastern Conference Championships in College Station, Texas, this weekend bringing an SEC champion and five medals back to Columbia. The men’s team placed seventh with a total of 43 team points as the women’s team finished 10th totaling 24.5 points.
Sophomore Martin Prodanov won the men’s SEC mile title after an intense race coming from behind in the last 200 meters. With less than 20 meters to go, Prodanov dashed into the lead past Arkansas senior Cameron Griffith, crossing the line at 4:14.92 and earning himself the top spot on the podium — his first SEC title.
Missouri redshirt senior Thomas George ran the 3000 (8:11.04) and 5000 (13:57.10) meter races earning himself a second place finish in both events. In February, George set two program records in the 3000 and 5000 meter. George set the 3000M school record at the Razorback Invitational with a time of 8:00.21 on Feb. 1, and just two weeks later at the Iowa State Classic on Feb. 14, George made school history in the 5000M. Finishing with a time of 12:51.32, George’s finish was more than 12 seconds faster than the previous program record.
The Missouri women’s 4000 meter DMR came in second with a time of 11:23.80, just seconds behind the Arkansas women (11:19.51).
Missouri redshirt junior Ja’Mari Ward landed a spot on the podium finishing third in the men’s long jump. With a jump of 7.97m, Ward finished with a bronze medal behind athletes from Tennessee (8.19m) and Arkansas (8.02m). Jordan McClendon also secured herself the third spot on the the podium in the women’s weight throw competition. The Missouri redshirt senior’s best mark of the event was 20.98m.
Mizzou sophomore Arianna Fisher was just shy of the podium, finishing fourth in the women’s triple jump. Although Fisher’s jump of 13.25m didn’t land her a medal, the distance landed her the new school record.
The Tigers will send 3 athletes — Ward, Karissa Roman and Roberto Vilches — to the NCAA Indoor Championships with events set to begin on Friday, March 13 and conclude on Saturday, March 14 in in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
As for the rest of the Mizzou Track and Field team, they will begin training for the outdoor season, as the first outdoor meets are scheduled for Friday, March 20 in Tempe, Arizona, and Edwardsville, Illinois.
_Edited by Wilson Moore | wmoore@themaneater.com_