Joplin, Mo. -- The Missouri Southern track and field programs will host its second event of the season this Friday as the teams play host to the Bill Williams/Bob Laptad Invitational. Also highlighting the event will be the dedication of the new track scoreboard at Fred G. Hughes Stadium. The meet will begin at 2 pm with dedication ceremony beginning at approximately 4:30 pm.

Southern will welcome in five Division II teams, four Division I, two NAIA and one junior college program to the event. Among the D-II teams that will be making the trek to Hughes Stadium will be conference members Central Missouri, Southwest Baptist and Pittsburg State, while Drury and Missouri S&T will also field teams.

Akransas, Oral Roberts, Tulsa and Missouri-Kansas City will all bring teams to the Invite, as well as Oklahoma Wesleyan, Park College and Fort Smith CC.

On the men's side Central Missouri and Pittsburg State are ranked second and third, respectively, while Missouri S&T is 23rd and Southern is 36th. Central is ranked fifth on the women's side, with Southern at 13th and Pitt State 14th.

The Southern women have six athletes in nine events ranked nationally led by Jessica Selby-Tallman and Kimi Shank, both of whom are ranked in multiple events. Shank has automatically qualified in both the 5k and 10k and ranks 6th and 4th, respectively in those events. She also ranks 16th in the 3k. Selby-Tallman has automatically qualified in the shot put and the hammer and ranks first in the shot and second in the hammer.

Kara Eckard, who just set the school record in the 3k steeplechase, ranks 12th in the event, while Alison Walker ranks 23rd in the 800m. Erica Culver is 21st in the pole vault and Jill Weeks is 13th in the javelin.

Aki Nummela came just shy of hitting an automatic qualification in the 1,500m this past weekend when he set the school record with a 3:50.13 at Arkansas. He currently ranks 16th in the event. Russell Ellis has automatically qualified in the pole vault and currently ranks fourth, while John Isenman is 19th in the hammer with a distance of 53.64m. Phillip Horn currently sits 17th nationally in the decathlon.

TJ Britton is ranked 11th in the 800m with a time of 1:52.10, while Brennan Benkert is 20th in the 10k at 31:04.46.

The meet will get underway at 2 pm with the throwing events, as well as the triple and long jump, and women's pole vault. A complete schedule is below.

FIELD EVENTS

2:00 pm      Javelin (men followed by women)

             Discus (women followed by men)

             Triple jump (women followed by men) followed by Long Jump (women followed by men)

             Women's pole vault

3:00 pm      High jump (men followed by women)

4:00 pm      Men's pole vault (starting height 14'-0")

             Hammer (women followed by men)

             Shot put (men followed by women)

There will be minimum distances for entries into the throwing events. Below is what 
each event minimum will be:


Women
Shot - 35 ft
Disc - 100 ft
Hammer - 120 ft
Javelin - no min

Men
Shot - 40 ft
Disc - 100 ft
Hammer - 120 ft
Javelin - no min

RUNNING EVENTS

4:30 pm      3000m Steeplechase   W/M

Rolling      4x100m Relay         W/M

Schedule     100m Hurdles         W

             110m Hurdles           M

             400m Dash            W/M

             100m Dash            W/M

             800m Run             W/M

             400m Hurdles         W/M

             1500m Run            W/M

             200m Dash            W/M

             3000m Run            W

             5000m Run            W/M

             4x400m Relay         W/M