COLUMBIA, MO. • Jamie Kempfer has the talent and results to headline Missouri’s collection of distance runners. She’s followed a top-30 finish at last fall’s NCAA cross country national meet with a first-place finish at the Southeastern Conference outdoor championships in the 10,000 meters. Last week in Austin, Texas, she qualified for the NCAA championships with another strong race in the heat at the NCAA West prelims.
The former Festus High standout has enjoyed one of the best seasons of any Mizzou athlete this season — just not the best on her team.
That honor still belongs to distance runner Karissa Schweizer, the two-time national champion who runs for a third at next week’s NCAA outdoor meet in Eugene, Ore.