The University of Missouri’s track and field team returns to the recently renovated Hearnes Center indoor track facility for its first home meet of the season, hosting the Alexis Jarrett Invitational in Columbia, Mo., at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 10.
Hearnes Center
First opened in 1972, the Hearnes Center has served as a central home for Missouri’s volleyball, wrestling, gymnastics (until 2026) and track & field. The Fieldhouse originally featured a 200-meter track, sprint straightaway and multiple event
runways. Now, it features a 200m, 21m Radius and 12 Degree Banked Mondo Track. Over its history, the center has hosted major competitions including the 1991 Big Eight Indoor Track & Field Championship and continues to be a key site for the team.
Last Year’s Alexis Jarrett Invitational
Last year, the Tigers had their first home meet of the season during this invitational. During this meet, 15 Tigers set personal bests across nine different events. On top of that, 12 different Tigers had event wins such as Sam Innes and Petra Gombas for their throws. Alongside them, Reagan Kimrey had a 13.60m shot put throw and Anna Vedral led the pole-vaulters. Lastly, Rahel Broemmel set a career mark in the 1000m.
The Women
The Tigers have 39 women athletes on the roster this season, each competing in their respective events.
Freshmen (5)
- Mirriam Chepkirui, Maleah Eggers and Kobi Walker just raced during their cross country season for the Tigers
- Sofia Wydra from Czech Republic is known for multis and Morgan Yeomans from Ontario is known for distance
Sophomores (11)
- Monica Wanjiku who performed stellar during the cross country season
- Natalie Barnard placed third at the Cougar Classic last year and ran during the recent cross country season
- Allison Green who placed second in the pole vault at the Cougar Classic last year
Juniors (9)
- Elissa Barnard placed third at Cougar Classic for 3000m last year
- Rahel Broemmel had a stellar track & field season last year placing first at the Alexis Jarrett Invitational and second at the Dr. Rick McGuire Invitational
- Kimrey placed fifth for throws and second for shot put at the Show- me Showdown last year
Seniors (8)
- Valentina Barrios won the first national championship in the javelin in program history with a personal-best and went to the World Athletics Championships in Japan where she placed 11th and was the second youngest competitor there last year
- Ames Burton took silver in the discus at the Battle on the Bayou and placed 6th all-time for the Tigers last year
Graduates (6)
- Brianna Lee had a DMR time of 11:27.28, the ninth-best finish in program history in 2023-2024
- Allison Newman ran a personal-best and ninth-best time in school history winning the mile at the Bob Teel Invitational last year
The Men
The Tigers’ roster features 30 male athletes ready for the 2026 season.
Freshmen (3)
- Raymond Kipkoech a distance runner from Kenya who placed seventh at the Mizzou XC Opener
- Elijah Limo a distance runner from Kenya with top results during the XC season and won the steeplechase at the Virginia Challenge with a time of 8:53.23 last year
Sophomores (7)
- Ryan Eddington finished third in the 1500m at the Yellow Jacket Invitational last year
- Jamie Mora placed third at the Raleigh Relays in the 5,000m and second at the Texas A&M Alumni Muster in the 1500m last year
- Carter Spradling placed second in the mile at the Show-Me Showdown and fourth in the mile at Bob Teel Invitational last year
Juniors (7)
- Joshua Allison placed fourth at the Mizzou XC Opener and ran the 5th-fastest 3000m steeplechase in Missouri history at the Raleigh Relays last year
- Finn Russell won the 1500m at the Cougar Classic with a PR time of 3:47.16 last year
Seniors (12)
- Tyler Freiner Finished second in the 10,000m at the Raleigh Relays and third in the mile at the Show-Me Showdown last year
- Charlie Garino won the pole vault at the Cougar Classic with a personal best last year
- Sam Innes won the hammer throw at the Battle on the Bayou which was the second-best mark in school history and won the hammer at the Cougar Classic last year
Graduate (1)
- Dillon Leacock placed fifth in the 400m hurdles with the ninth fastest time in program history at the Big 12 Championships and won the 4x400m relay at the Texas Invitational and the 400m hurdles at the Victor Lopez Classic in 2024
With a deep and stacked roster on both the men’s and women’s sides, the Tigers enter the Alexis Jarrett Invitational ready to open the indoor season strong at home. Veteran leaders and new athletes across all event groups will push for early success this weekend.
“I think that they’re ready to be better versions of themselves in a really short period of time, based on what I’m seeing,” assistant coach TJ Harris said.
To read more about Missouri’s Track & Field team, follow @Rock MNation and @SophBleedsLa on X.com
