FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 25, 2008

Lions sweep MIAA Field Athlete of the Week Awards

Kansas City, Mo. -- Missouri Southern track and field athletes Jacob Williams and Jessica Selby-Tallman have been named the MIAA's Men's and Women's Field Athletes of the Week as announced by the league office today.

Williams, a 6-3 native of Chanute, Kan., finished third on misses in the pole vault at the Prairie View Invite in Lincoln, Neb. this weekend. Williams cleared 17 feet for the first time in his Southern career with a vault of 17-01.00. The height is an automatic qualifying mark and is tops in Division II this season, besting the previous high of 16 feet, seven and a quarter inches

It is the highest vault by a Southern athlete since Matt Campbell hit 17 feet, one and a half inches at the 2005 NCAA Indoor Championships and is just three quarters of an inch off of Campbell's school record of 17 feet, one and three quarters of an inch. Williams was tied for the highest vault of the night, trailing only his coach, Kyle Rutledge, and Nebraska's Seth Burney on fewest misses.

Selby-Tallman, a 5-8 native of Galena, Mo., was the top Division II finisher in both the shot and the weight this weekend at Central Missouri, picking up NCAA automatic qualifying marks in both events.

She finished third in the shot put (49-11.00   15.21m), while placing fifth in the weight throw (57-07.00   17.55m). 

The Lions will be back at home this weekend playing host to the 2008 MIAA Indoor Track and Field Championships at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center on Friday and Saturday.