COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Track & Field opened the first day of competition at the Larry Wieczorek Invitational with two first place finishes and two top-10 program marks set on Friday in Iowa City, Iowa. Redshirt sophomore Ja'Mari Ward (Cahokia, Ill.) and freshman Roberto Vilches (Mexico City, Mexico) finished first in the long jump and high jump, respectively, while senior Landon Cuskelly (El Dorado, Kan.) and redshirt freshman Jayson Ashford (Fairview Heights, Ill.) set top-10 program marks in the high jump and 200m dash, respectively.
NOTABLE FINISHES
Vilches, who set school record at the Missouri Intercollegiate (Jan. 11) with a mark of 2.26m (7-5), finished first while Cuskelly finished second as both cleared 2.21m (7-3). Vilches entered the meet with the top mark in the nation, while Cuskelly set a new personal record with his jump. His mark currently ranks fifth in the nation, and third on Mizzou's all-time top-10 list.
Ward finished first in the long jump for the second straight meet, as he recorded a mark of 7.78m (25-6.25). The NCAA All-American entered the meet with the third-best jump in the nation at 7.81m (25-7.5) at the Missouri Intercollegiate (Jan. 11). In the men's 200m dash, Ashford improved his program top-10 mark from ninth to eighth with a second-place finish at 21.58.
For the women, senior Hannah Thomas (Urbandale, Iowa) posted the best finish of the day, as she finished third in the 3000m run at 9:57.92.
UP NEXT
Mizzou continues with day two of the Larry Wieczorek Invitational tomorrow. Field events are slated to begin at 11 a.m. CT, while track events will begin at 2 p.m. CT.
For all the latest on Mizzou Track & Field, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (MIZ_TrackField).
MIZZOU RESULTS - TRACK EVENTS
200m Dash, Men – 2. Jayson Ashford, 21.58 PR, #8 // 20. Khamri Thompson, 22.91
200m Dash, Women – 14. Jazmyn Shumaker, 25.78 // 18. Morgan O'Neal, 26.05 PR
200m Dash Premier, Women – 11. Maya Cody, 24.96
600m Run, Men – 3. Dustan Davidson, 1:20.33 // 8. Robert Kuhlmann, 1:21.19
600m Run, Women – 5. Karina Liz, 1:34.30 // 17. Faramola Shonekan, 1:39.53
3000m Run, Women – 3. Hannah Thomas, 9:57.92
MIZZOU RESULTS - FIELD EVENTS
High Jump, Men – 1. Roberto Vilches, 2.21m (7-3) // 2. Landon Cuskelly, 2.21 (7-3) PR, #3
High Jump, Women – 7. Valeria Kostiuk, 1.70m (5-7)
Long Jump, Men – 1. Ja'Mari Ward, 7.78m (25-6.25) // 13. Jason Edwards, 6.46m (21-2.5) PR
Long Jump, Women – 16. Suenomi Norinh, 5.45m (17-10.75)
Weight Throw, Men – 5. Avery Carter, 20.03m (65-8.75) // 6. Patrick Kunza, 19.75m (64-9.75) PR
Weight Throw, Women – 6. Jordan McClendon, 20.88m (68-6) // 10. Becky Keating, 18.45m (60-6.5) // 13. CeCe Johnson, 17.84m (58-6.5) // 14. Sydney Oberdiek, 17.78m (58-4) PR
