Emporia, Kan. - The Missouri Southern track & field teams wrapped up the 2024 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field National Championships with a strong performance on Saturday. The men's team secured their highest finish in program history at 4th place, topping their record setting 5th place finish last season. On Saturday, the Lions had 7 more All-American performances to boost their total to 12 over the three day Championship.  

The men's team scored points in 6 events for a total of 42 points and a 4th place finish, edging Grand Valley State who finished 5th with 41.5 points. On the day, Cedric Pearson and Gabe Ford secured All-American honors in the Shot Put, Malachi Pipkin in the 110m Hurdles, Brendan Rozier in the Javelin Throw, and Bastien Franck in the Pole Vault. Again, Pearson set career best at the meet, recording the third best Shot Put throw in MSSU outdoor history. Franck nearly broke his school record in the Pole Vault, successfully clearing 5.30m on the day. 

The women finished 20th, scoring points in 3 events for a total of 12 points. Highlights of the day came from Samariae Bonds in the Shot Put and Keilee Johnson in the Javelin Throw, as both were named All-Americans in their events. Bonds set a new personal record and moved into second on MSSU's top 10 outdoor list with her throw of 16.21m. 

Highlights from days one and two can be found here, and compiled results from the entire meet can be found here. 

All-American Performances
Malachi Pipkin - 110m Hurdles - 7th Place - 14.22sec
Peyton Barton - Discus Throw - 3rd Place - 54.93m
Cedric Pearson - Discus Throw - 4th Place - 54.88m
Gabe Ford - Discus Throw - 5th Place - 54.40m
Kirsten Womack - Discus Throw - 8th Place - 48.45m 
Peyton Barton - Hammer Throw - National Champion - 68.71m - School Record
Keilee Johnson - Javelin Throw - 6th Place - 48.09m
Brendan Rozier - Javelin Throw - 7th Place - 66.46m
Bastien Franck - Pole Vault - 5th Place - 5.30m
Samariae Bonds - Shot Put - 2nd Place - 16.21m
Cedric Pearson - Shot Put - 3rd Place - 18.57m
Gabe Ford - Shot Put - 6th Place - 18.10m