Karissa Schweizer Dowling Catholic High School, Missouri 5,000m/10,000m
Also competing for Team USA in Oregon are two former Missouri collegiate national champions. Iowa native Karissa Schweizer broke NCAA records while running at Mizzou and captured national titles in cross country, the 3,000, and 5,000-meters. She joined the Nike Bowerman Track Club after college and has continued her amazing journey to the top of the running world.
As a senior at Mizzou, Schweizer placed 3rd at the 2018 USA Championships in the 5,000 before turning pro and lowering her PR to 15:02 for her first pro race in Belgium. 2019 saw Schweizer make her first USA team, competing and placing 56th in the 12k at the World Cross Country Championships in March in Denmark. In July, she'd the take 2nd at USAs in the 5,000 to make her first USA Team. In October 2019, Schweizer ran to a 9th-place World Championships 5,000-meter finish in 14:45.18 in Doha, Qatar.
2020 brought Covid-19 and few competitions. But the Nike Bowerman Track Club hosted their own meets and Schweizer and her teammates made history. Schweizer showed she was world class in the 1500-meters, running 4:00.02. Schweizer also ran 14:26.34 for 5,000-meters. She was 2nd in the race, a couple seconds behind teammate Shelby Houlihan, as the two moved into the top-2 spots on the All-Time U.S. performance list and top-15 world All-Time lists.
Schweizer, Houlihan, Elise Cranny, and St. Louisan Collen Quigley ran 16:27.02 to break the world record. Houlihan has since been suspended 4-years for doping.
2021 brought the Olympic Trials and Olympics for Schweizer. Before those, she lowered her 10,000-meter PR to 30:47.99 outdoors in February. At the Olympic Trials, Schweizer placed 2nd in the 5 and 10,000-meter races. On her first Olympic team, in a nearly empty stadium because of Covid restrictions in Japan, Schweizer ran to 11th and 12th-place finishes in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters.
In a short time, Schweizer had achieved just about everything an athlete would want, college records and national titles, country and world all-time marks, a world record, Team USA berths, a couple of World Championships, the Olympics. The life of a distance runner, especially a post-collegiate/professional, isn't for the faint of heart. The workload, the injuries, the stress. Schweizer has more to accomplish though, and she's proven that so far in 2022. Schweizer had Achilles surgery in the fall and has recovered well, running about as well as she ever has.
In late May, Schweizer won the USA 10,000-meters title, which was held in conjunction with the Nike Prefontaine Classic, a month before the regular USA meet. She captured her first USA track title and secured her spot in a 2nd straight world outdoor championship with a 30.49.56 clocking, just off her PR. The following month at the USA meet, Schweizer toed the line for the 5,000 and 1,500-meters.
In the 1500 Schweizer easily advanced to the final and battled for another USA title in the final. Schweizer eventually moved up to the top-3 and at 1100-meters, was in the lead. Down the stretch though, she was passed and ended up 4th, a still great finish in a loaded field.
With warm temperatures moving up the start time of the 5,000 final, Schweizer had quite a few less hours of recovery time than originally schedule after the 1500 final the day before. Four women pulled away toward the end and Schweizer nearly captured another US crown. Teammate Eise Cranny caught her on the homestretch for the win while Schweizer recovered to hold off former training partner Emily Infeld for 2nd, securing another event spot for USAs.
Schweizer had made the U.S. Team in the 5,000 and 10,000-meters and was eventually added in 1,500, as were quite a few athletes in different events as spots remained unfilled. Schweizer, however has since scratched out of the event and will focus on the 5 and 10k, events she'll have a better chance to place the highest in.