Women's track bring home five more All-MIAA performances and place third at 2012 MIAA Outdoor Championships
Emporia, Kan. -- The Missouri Southern women's track and field team fought to the end and a near-record setting performance in the 4x400m relay placed the Lions in third place overall at the 2012 MIAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Emporia today.
The third place team finish also helped Missouri Southern claim the Sonic Trophy as the Lions finished two spots in front of Pittsburg State in the final team standings. It is the third-straight Sonic Trophy win for the Missouri Southern athletic department.
Southern had five All-MIAA performances in the final day of the meet led off by a third place finish from Jasmin Hughes in the 200m. She ran the finals in a time of 24.28, but her prelim time of 24.17 ranks her 13th in Division II. Hughes also earned points for the Lions with a fourth-place finish in the 100m, racing to a time of 12.00. Like in the 200m, Hughes prelim time of 11.84, not only ties a school record, but ranks her 12th nationally in the event.
Rachel Schrader was third in the 1,500m run, earning All-MIAA status with a time of 4:36.72, while Kaitlyn Belisle earned All-MIAA honors with a third-place finish in the 5k. Codi Fritchie was All-MIAA with a third-place finish in the steeplechase, while Nicole Green placed third in the shot put with a distance of 48-00.00 to earn All-MIAA honors. Kylie Cornman was 13th in the shot, while Green placed 11th in the hammer and Sydney Haase placed 16th in the javelin.
JeAnna Sheppard earned points for the Lions with an eighth-place finish in the 100m hurdles, while Lisa Vengels placed fourth in the high jump with a height of 5-7. Whitney Hardy and Gayla Booth also earned points in the event, placing 7th and 8th.
Amber White was sixth in the triple jump with a distance of 38-02.25, while Shelby Newll and Mahogany Jones tied for ninth in the event.
The Lions 4x100m relay team of Lindsey Bragg, Hughes, Emily Weldin and Melanie Bower placed sixth, while the exciting finish of the 4x400m relay team (Hughes, Taylor Parris, Weldin and Vengels) capped off the meet with a fourth-place finish.
Lincoln won the team title with 204 points, while Central Missouri (172), Southern (85), Emporia State (85), and Pittsburg State (81) rounded out the top five teams. Northwest Missouri (62), Truman (51), Fort Hays (42) and Southwest Baptist (37) round out the team scores.
The Lions have one more regular-season meet left on the docket with the Emporia State Twilight on May 12 and will then wait to see which athletes have qualified for the NCAA Division II Championships, slated to be held on May 24-26 in Pueblo, Colo.
In all, the Lions had seven All-MIAA performances. The complete list is below.
Jasmin Hughes - 200m
Rachel Schrader - 1,500m
Codi Fritchie - Steeplechase
Nicole Green - Shot Put
Kaitlin Belisle - 5k
Melanie Bower - Pole Vault - Champion
Vanessa Langford - Pole Vault
