Missouri’s men’s track and field team knew it would need near perfection at the Arkansas Qualifier, and senior Ja’Mari Ward and sophomore Georgi Nachev brought that to the table.

Missouri finished in second place at the Arkansas Qualifier over the weekend, in part because of the team’s domination in field events.

Two of the four wins last weekend came from field events due to great performances by Ward and Nachev.

Ward secured the first win for Missouri in the men’s long jump with a jump of 7.81 meters. He put the rest of the competition in the rearview mirror, with the second-place finisher landing with a mark of 7.14 meters.

The win came as no surprise, as it was Ward’s third time in a row with a first-place finish in this event. He is currently ranked fifth in the country for the long jump and holds the Missouri long jump record. He also holds an NCAA Championship qualifying mark this season.

Bulgarian sophomore Nachev also took home a win in the men’s triple jump with a mark of 15.87 meters. He only faced one other opponent in this event, but this set a new personal record for him in the triple jump.

Not only was it a personal record; it was also good enough to put him top-10 nationally this season. It was also the third-best mark in Missouri history for the triple jump.

This puts a spotlight on the work that he’s put in this season, and with this only being his sophomore year, he has plenty to build on for the rest of his career.

“We had several notable marks today throughout a wide array of events,” coach Brett Halter said. “Both teams continue to train at an elite level and demonstrate the willingness to be tested against others, the stopwatch and tape measure when presented the opportunity.

Ward and Nachev are not the only bright spots on this roster, with redshirt sophomore Mitch Weber breaking two personal records in the shot put and weight throw. If all three of these guys can keep their performances up, this team can become one of the best Missouri has seen, especially in field events.

This field event duo provides a massive boost to this team, as they have shown the ability to win no matter who the competition is. Not only that, they both keep showing signs of improvement as well, with continued personal bests and improved rankings as the season continues.

_Edited by Jack Soble | jsoble@themaneater.com_