The Missouri cross-country team got their first taste of Southeastern Conference competition at the Texas A&M Invitational on Saturday morning. The Tigers were one of three SEC teams competing in the meet, along with Texas A&M and Louisiana State.

The women finished second as a team, led by a strong run from sophomore Karissa Schweizer. Schweizer was sixth overall with a 6K time of 20:40.3. This was the first meet of the season where the women ran a 6K, the distance used in the NCAA Championships.

“It went really well,” Schweizer said. “Coach (Marc Burns) just told me to go out and hang out with the lead pack and I did that and felt comfortable throughout the race.”

The women were without junior Kaitlyn Fischer, one of their top runners, who was given a rest due to low iron levels. Still, the team only finished five points behind No. 27 Texas.

“I’m really excited for next time when we can throw Kaitlyn in there with us,” Schweizer said. “I think we’ll be a very strong team.”

Freshmen Kate Smith and Kelli Jackson also finished in the top five for the Tigers. There was only a 52-second spread between the top five runners, a good sign for the team.

The men finished third as a team in the meet, beating SEC rivals Texas A&M and LSU. The men ran an 8K race.

Redshirt junior Jordan Cook led the charge for the Tigers. He finished 14th with a time of 24:11.0. Redshirt sophomore Marc Dubrick was 15th. He finished only one-tenth of a second behind Cook.

The course also gave both the men and women the chance to run on the course where the SEC Championships will be held.

The Tigers will have a quick turnaround going into next meet. They will run Friday at the Notre Dame Invitational.