Missouri track & field is set for a heated showdown as it heads to Lawrence to face rival Kansas at the Rock Chalk Classic on Saturday and Sunday, May 1–2. The Tigers haven’t competed at this meet since 2023, and they return with plenty of unfinished business.
Meet Schedule
This meet will be a historic rivalry between both of these schools, with lots of actions set for each of the days.
Friday
Day one of the meet kicks off with a full slate of field and running events, beginning at 1:00 p.m. with the women’s hammer
throw, followed by the men’s hammer throw and men’s pole vault in the early afternoon.
By 4:00 p.m., multiple field events will be underway simultaneously, including the women’s javelin, high jump, and long jump, along with the men’s long jump, before the men’s javelin closes out the field schedule in the evening.
On the track, action starts at 3:00 p.m. with the women’s 200 meters and continues through the hurdles races, setting the stage for distance events later in the night. The evening session features the 1,500 meters, steeplechase, and 5,000 meters for both men and women, creating an exciting finish to the first day.
Saturday
The final day of the meet will kickstart with the field events at 12 p.m. There will be the women’s pole vault, women’s shot put and men’s discus throw simultaneously, then the women’s and men’s triple jump and men’s high jump. Following this will be the men’s pole vault and shot put, and the women’s discus throw.
As for the running events, they will begin at 2:00 p.m. with the women’s and men’s 4×100-meter relay. Next will be the women’s and men’s 800 meters, followed by the women’s and men’s 100 meters. After that, the women’s 100-meter hurdles and men’s 110-meter hurdles will take place. The final events of the day will include senior recognition, followed by the women’s and men’s 4×400-meter relay.
The schedule remains subject to change, but provides a tentative schedule for now.
Tentative Schedule: https://kuathletics.com/documents/2026/3/8/Rock_Chalk_Classic_Meet_Schedule.pdf
Drake Relays Notable Results
The Tigers did more than just compete in Des Moines, Iowa; they claimed four event titles, eight top-10 program records and seven personal bests.
Among the group was Eliah Limo, who claimed a top-10 program mark in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, with a time of 8:47.51. This mark was the No.5 best in Mizzou program history, and a huge remark for him.
Dillon Leacock claimed a victory in the men’s 400 meter hurdles, with a time of 50.68. Leacock’s performance was a new personal best for him as well. Another champion for the Tigers was Lasse Funck, who tore up the men’s 1,500 meters with a time of 3:43:97.
As for the women, Monica Wanjiku crowned herself a champion in the women’s 1,500 meters, with a time of 4:17:15. Her mark resulted in the No.3 best mark in Mizzou program history. Alongside her, Morgan Yeomans and Mirriam Chepkirui snatched new personal bests in the women’s 1,500 with times of 4:24.68 and 4:33.93.
Brianna Utecht was a standout heptathlete, recording Mizzou’s No. 10 all-time mark in the women’s 100-meter hurdles. She also placed fourth overall in the heptathlon with 5,462 points, the No. 6 performance in program history.
Rock Chalk Park
The infamous Rock Chalk Park is a major athletics complex that opened in 2014 through a partnership between the City of Lawrence and Kansas Athletics.
The park serves both the community and the University of Kansas Athletics, offering public fitness facilities alongside NCAA-level venues for soccer, softball, tennis and of course, track and field.
What stands out the most about this park is its track, which is one of only five in the U.S. with Class 1 certification from World Athletics.
Weather Expectations
Friday will have a high of 60 and a low of 40, with winds around 7 mph and mostly overcast skies. Saturday will be similar, with a high of 62 and a low of 44, along with continued overcast conditions.
Week 4 USTFCCCA Rankings
Missouri is currently ranked No.40 overall on the women’s side, while No.81 on the men’s, during week five of the NCAA DI Men and Women’s Outdoor Track & Field National TFRI. That being said, Kansas is No.30 overall for the men and No.36 for the women.
The Tigers have a pretty similar ranking on the women’s side, which will hopefully give them a chance to do well during this meet. That being said, rankings are never set in stone and Mizzou can always rise to the occasion when needed.
Skylar Ciccolini is ranked No.3 overall for the women’s javelin, while Valentina Barrios Bornacelli sits at No.9 for the Tigers. This keeps women’s javelin No.1 overall for the fourth-straight week nationally. Alongside them, women’s hammer throw is ranked No.17 nationally.
Wanjiku is ranked No.20 overall in the women’s 10,000 meters. Elijah Limo sits at No.29 overall for the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase and Dillon Leacock is at No.32 for the men’s 400-meter hurdles.
Rankings: https://web4.ustfccca.org/iz/tfri/
With intense competition on the horizon, the Tigers will need to rise to the occasion against nearby rivals to earn top results at the upcoming meet.
To read more about Missouri’s Track and Field team, follow @Rock MNation and @SophBleedsLA on twitter/X.
