Missouri track and field announced on April 16 that its athletes will participate in two road meets this week: the Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, California, on April 16-17, and the Big Red Classic in Lincoln, Nebraska, on April 17-18.
The events are important opportunities for Missouri’s athletes to continue their outdoor season and improve their national rankings. The team is sending a select group of distance runners to the Bryan Clay Invitational while a larger contingent will compete at the Big Red Classic.
At Cougar Athletic Stadium for the Bryan Clay Invitational, Drew Rogers is set to run his second 10,000-meter race of the season. Mirriam Chepkirui and Monica Wanjiku will also compete in that event for the women. On Friday evening, Suzy Lecoutre and Kobi Walker are scheduled for the women’s 5,000 meters; Lecoutre recently recorded Missouri’s seventh-best all-time mark in the women’s 1,500 meters with a time of 4:20.56 at Battle on the Bayou.
For the Big Red Classic at Bob Devaney Sports Center, Missouri will have 37 athletes competing across multiple events. Sam Innes, Clayton Kamp and Garik Pozecki will represent Missouri in Friday’s hammer throw. Kamp is also entered in shot put alongside Sam Albert and Chase Crawford on Saturday. Dillon Leacock opens Friday’s running events with Robert Hines in the men’s sprints; Leacock is also entered in both hurdles and sprints throughout the meet.
Other notable entries include River Hardman joining Ryder James and Joseph Bariola for Friday’s men’s 800 meters before participating again Saturday with Elijah Limo among others in longer distances. On Friday afternoon Anna Vedral leads a trio competing again in pole vault since their last appearance at Yellow Jacket Invitational.
Several Tigers hold high national rankings heading into these meets: Skylar Ciccolini ranks third nationally (and third all-time at Missouri) with her javelin throw from Yellow Jacket Invitational; Valentina Barrios stands seventh nationally after her performance at Battle on the Bayou. Innes holds ninth place nationally—and second-best ever by a Tiger—in men’s hammer throw following his personal best earlier this season. Other top-50 ranked Tigers include Limo (18th) and Joshua Allison (41st) nationally for steeplechase performances as well as Leacock (30th) for hurdles times achieved so far this year.
