For the first time in her collegiate career, Missouri runner Karissa Schweizer participated in two events at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships: the 10,000 and 5,000 meters. And until the final moments of Saturday’s 5K, it appeared Mizzou’s most-decorated athlete would leave Eugene, Ore., without winning a national championship in either event this week.
Schweizer, a senior, had already finished third in the 10K on Thursday, and she lost her lead early in the final lap of Saturday’s 5K. But then she showed she had listened to her coach, Marc Burns, who told her to “keep one last gear” available.