All proceeds from the event will assist the family of Schutzman. She was involved in an automobile accident on Dec. 31, 2007. Schutzman spent six weeks in a coma, but she has been released from the hospital and is recovering in her hometown of Carmel, Ind. She is expected to be at the event and will participate in the opening ceremonies.
Brigette Schutzman
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“This event will not only celebrate the sport of track and field, but it will also be a celebration of Brigette’s recovery,” Billikens head coach Jon Bell said. “This is what Saint Louis University is all about: taking care of one another.”
Tickets for the event are $5 and may be purchased at the facility. Following the event, SLU will sponsor a spaghetti dinner cooked and served by Schutzman’s Billiken teammates. Tickets for the dinner are $15 and may be purchased ahead of time at the Chaifetz Arena Box Office or at either Big River Running Store location.
Contributions may also be made by mail and sent to SLU Track and Field, 3330 Laclede Ave., St. Louis, MO 63103.
The highlight of the evening will be the Men’s Elite Mile. Some of the USA’s elite runners will attempt to break the four-minute barrier in the mile, a feat that has never been done in the state of Missouri.
Among the nationally renowned competitors are Jordan Fife and St. Louisans Neville Miller and Jeremy Doherty. Pronet Consulting is sponsoring the event with $1,000 going to the winner. Should the winner break the four-minute mile barrier, Big River Running Company will add an additional $1,000 to the winner’s purse.
Schutzman was one of SLU’s top three runners in cross country in the fall and was a top middle-distance competitor on the track and field squads. She is the school-record holder in the 800 meters on both the indoor and outdoor track.
During the cross country season, Schutzman was a key component of a squad that turned in one of the program’s best campaigns in school history. She had her best performance at the Brooks Memphis Twilight on Oct. 6, 2007, when she placed 23rd overall out of more than 300 competitors as she crossed the line in a personal-best time of 18:55.11.