Jonathan Seremes was one of three Tigers to break school records at Mizzou’s Dr. Rick McGuire Invitational, Friday and Saturday.
The track and field Tigers celebrated Senior Day at the Dr. Rick McGuire Invitational in record-setting style.
Jonathan Seremes made a golden debut.
The French triple jumper broke Missouri’s program record with a 16.94m PB on a triumphant sixth and final attempt.
The previous men’s triple jump record was left untouched since 1978.
Seremes competed against Jah-Nhai Perinchief, who’s ranked No. 24 in the world. Perinchief led the field through five jumps and commanded the crowd’s attention on every attempt.
But Seremes had one more chance.
Clap. Clap. Clap, clap, clap —Seremes tore down the runway to the increasingly aggressive applause, his arms cutting through the air on his approach.
His jump ranks No. 1 in NCAA D1, as of the January 28th listings.
Seremes competed alongside Missouri’s Sterling Scott, who took third, jumping 16.08m on his final attempt. Scott’s 16.28m PB from earlier in January ranks fifth in the nation.
But Seremes wasn’t the only Tiger to break a school record.
After tying the 1.83m school record at the Show-Me Showdown, Jacksonville transfer Kristi Perez-Snyman earned a solo spot at the top, clearing 1.86m in the women’s high jump.
Perez-Snyman is tied for sixth nationally in 2025, currently well within the top-16 cutoff to qualify for indoor nationals.
Perez-Snyman crouched down for a moment after breaking the record, her hand flying over her mouth in excitement.
On the track, Alicia Burnett set yet another record on Friday. She ran the 200-meter dash in 23.35 seconds. She is only the third Tiger in history to break 24 seconds and ranks within the top-20 nationally. Burnett now holds Missouri’s 60 and 200-meter dash records.
There was so much commotion across the two-day event, the rest is best summarized with some superlatives:
Craziest event: Men’s 3,000-meter
Missouri finished second through seventh, but they were never paced by the same teammate longer than a few laps in a row. For example, Declan Tunney took second, but he was in 14th place with 1,000m to go. Oh, and all eight Tigers set PBs. Every single one of them.
Earned their stamina stripes: Brooke Sawatzky (women’s pentathlon) and Kannon Harlow men’s heptathlon
Both freshmen competed in their first full collegiate multi-events. For Sawatzky, that looked like running 60m hurdles, then high jumping, then setting a 9.71m PB in the shot put, then jumping over five meter sticks in the long jump and then casually finishing her Friday with an 800-meter dash. Harlow split his workload between two days and included the pole vault, which he competed in with a smile on his face, joking with his opponents.
Abigail Klapatauskas
The most exciting event that Missouri wasn’t in: 4×400
Petition for the Tigers to please put together a 4×400 squad. It’s the last, loudest and thus best event at every meet. Everyone else is done for the day, so they can scream at the top of their lungs for their teammates. Missouri’s Kaden Hamner and Izaiah Hill both set PBs in the open 400…
Imagine: Missouri’s anchor leg chasing down a kU runner.
Alas, maybe next year.
Abigail Klapatauskas
Coolest fans: Rece Rowan’s family
Rowan competed in the men’s shot put Saturday in front of over 15 friends and family who travelled from Colorado to celebrate his Senior Day recognition. Rowan placed fifth, throwing 17.95m. His fans were all decked out in black and gold leis and stickers with his face on them, which one fan said may or may not have been created to embarrass him.
Next up: Missouri hosts the aptly-named Missouri Invitational next Friday, February 7.