Missouri track and field closed out the SEC Outdoor Championships with memorable marks and times as multiple athletes posted impressive top-10 finishes for the Tigers on Saturday, May 16, in Auburn, Alabama.
Burton’s Discus Achievement
Ames Burton led the way for the Tigers, placing seventh overall in the women’s discus, with a stellar new personal best of 54.79 meters. Her result kept Mizzou’s No. 6 program record in the event.
Women’s 5,000-Meter Race of Top-10 Placements
Monika Wanjiku led the pack for the Tigers, finishing sixth overall with a time of 15:55.18. Alongside
her, Kobi Walker took 10th with a time of 16:11.44 and Allison Newman claimed a new personal best of 16:50.72 in 29th. Mirriam Chepkirui took 31st at 17:03.02 and Suzy Lecoutre did not finish the race.
Funck’s 1,500-Meter Finals
Lasse Funck took sixth overall in the men’s 1,500 meters with a time of 3:44.79. Although his personal best of 3:41.25, which he set at the Rock Chalk Classic, was faster, his performance was still enough to secure a strong finish in the race.
Men’s 5,000-Meter Race
Drew Rogers finished 17th in the men’s 5,000 meters at 13:54.22. Alongside Rogers, Tyler Freiner finished in 25th with a time of 14:09.61. Carter Spradling took 30th at 14:28.12 and Joseph Bariola finished right behind him in 31st at 14:32.49.
Vedral’s Pole Vault
Anna Vedral was unable to clear 3.91 meters, ending her day without a recorded mark. That being said, her 2026 season has been stellar, with two first-place finishes from the Show-Me Showdown and Alexis Jarrett Invitational.
Results: https://live.xpresstiming.com/meets/72134/events/individual/2737361
What’s Next for Mizzou
The Tigers will head to the NCAA West First Round from Thursday through Saturday, May 28-30 in Fayetteville, Ark. This meet will take place at the John McDonnell Field, where athletes from across the western region will compete for a chance to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Championship Final later this season. The top performers in each event will advance to the national championship meet.
The NCAA Outdoor Championship Final will take place from Wednesday through Saturday, June 10-13, in Eugene, Ore.
As for Mizzou, it will be very interesting to see which athletes move forward given the stellar seasons the distance squad, javelin squad, pole vault squad, and hammer throw squad have had.
As of week seven, Mizzou is ranked No. 85 on the men’s side and No. 42 on the women’s side. With that in mind, the women’s squad appears to have a better chance of moving forward, but standout athletes for the men, such as Elijah Limo, Sam Innes, Lasse Funck and Drew Rogers, could help change that for the Tigers.
Rankings: https://web4.ustfccca.org/iz/tfri/collection/17460
To read more about Missouri’s Track and Field team, follow @Rock MNation and @SophBleedsLA on twitter/X.
