Six Lions to make trip to nationals

Six members of the Missouri Southern State University track & field teams have extended their seasons beyond Saturday’s triumph at the MIAA Indoor Championships.

Senior Mary Still (Carthage, Mo.), junior Danee Jones (Clayton, Mo.) and sophomore Sara Mueller (Carthage, Mo.) will represent Missouri Southern’s women’s team at the 2004 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships on March 12-13 in Boston, Mass.

Juniors Arley Smith (Pierce City, Mo.) and Chris Turner (St. Louis, Mo.), along with sophomore Matt Campbell (Worthington, Ind.), will compete for the Missouri Southern men’s squad at the national championships.

The NCAA-II Indoor Championships will be held at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston.

Still, formerly Mary Garrett, will be looking for her second straight All-America award in the 400-meter dash, as she finished seventh at last year’s national indoor meet. This year, Still enters the championships with the No. 4-ranked time in the nation (55.40 seconds). Last weekend, she missed MIAA High-Point Individual honors by just one point, repeating as conference champion in the 400.

Jones is also seeking her second indoor All-America award in the weight throw. She finished third nationally last year in the event and has been even stronger this year. Last weekend, Jones beat her own MIAA record in the weight throw and defended her conference crown with a winning toss of 58’-4.5”. It’s a mark that’s currently ranked fourth in NCAA Division II.

Mueller will be making her first ever national championships appearance and will represent the Lions in the high jump. She beat a 10-year-old school record by clearing 5’-7” at last month’s Sooner Indoor meet at the University of Oklahoma. Mueller enters the national meet ranked 12th.

Campbell and Turner will both compete in the pole vault for the Lions, and both are ranked among the nation’s top seven. Campbell, ranked third nationally, has a season-best mark of 16’-7.25”. Turner, No. 7 in the nation, cleared 16’-4.75” this season. Campbell picked up where former national champion Seth Isringhausen left off last year, claiming the MIAA indoor championship last weekend. Turner, an outdoor All-America in the pole vault in 2002, tied for second at the conference meet last week.

Smith, who has qualified in the weight throw, will be making his third straight appearance at the NCAA-II Indoor Championships. Last year, he was a national qualifier in the weight throw after earning All-America honors in 2002 indoors in the shot put. Also a 2002 All-America outdoors in the discus, Smith currently ranks sixth in the nation with his season-best throw of 60’-8.5”.

Both MSSU indoor squads are coming off their first-ever MIAA track & field team championships of any kind (indoors or outdoors) last weekend. The men edged eight-time defending champion Central Missouri State by one point, 112-111, in the closest MIAA indoor finish since 1977. The Southern women won their first conference title, 117-99, over runner-up Pittsburg State.

Last year, Southern brought home three indoor All-Americas from the NCAA-II indoor meet, including a national champion in the pole vault (Isringhausen). Jones and Still also claimed All-America honors for the MSSU women.


	March 2, 2004 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Six Lions to make trip to nationals Three each from men’s, women’s teams heading to NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships Six members of the Missouri Southern State University track & field teams have extended their seasons beyond Saturday’s triumph at the MIAA Indoor Championships. Senior Mary Still (Carthage, Mo.), junior Danee Jones (Clayton, Mo.) and sophomore Sara Mueller (Carthage, Mo.) will represent Missouri Southern’s women’s team at the 2004 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships on March 12-13 in Boston, Mass. Juniors Arley Smith (Pierce City, Mo.) and Chris Turner (St. Louis, Mo.), along with sophomore Matt Campbell (Worthington, Ind.), will compete for the Missouri Southern men’s squad at the national championships. The NCAA-II Indoor Championships will be held at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston. Still, formerly Mary Garrett, will be looking for her second straight All-America award in the 400-meter dash, as she finished seventh at last year’s national indoor meet. This year, Still enters the championships with the No. 4-ranked time in the nation (55.40 seconds). Last weekend, she missed MIAA High-Point Individual honors by just one point, repeating as conference champion in the 400. Jones is also seeking her second indoor All-America award in the weight throw. She finished third nationally last year in the event and has been even stronger this year. Last weekend, Jones beat her own MIAA record in the weight throw and defended her conference crown with a winning toss of 58’-4.5”. It’s a mark that’s currently ranked fourth in NCAA Division II. Mueller will be making her first ever national championships appearance and will represent the Lions in the high jump. She beat a 10-year-old school record by clearing 5’-7” at last month’s Sooner Indoor meet at the University of Oklahoma. Mueller enters the national meet ranked 12th. Campbell and Turner will both compete in the pole vault for the Lions, and both are ranked among the nation’s top seven. Campbell, ranked third nationally, has a season-best mark of 16’-7.25”. Turner, No. 7 in the nation, cleared 16’-4.75” this season. Campbell picked up where former national champion Seth Isringhausen left off last year, claiming the MIAA indoor championship last weekend. Turner, an outdoor All-America in the pole vault in 2002, tied for second at the conference meet last week. Smith, who has qualified in the weight throw, will be making his third straight appearance at the NCAA-II Indoor Championships. Last year, he was a national qualifier in the weight throw after earning All-America honors in 2002 indoors in the shot put. Also a 2002 All-America outdoors in the discus, Smith currently ranks sixth in the nation with his season-best throw of 60’-8.5”. Both MSSU indoor squads are coming off their first-ever MIAA track & field team championships of any kind (indoors or outdoors) last weekend. The men edged eight-time defending champion Central Missouri State by one point, 112-111, in the closest MIAA indoor finish since 1977. The Southern women won their first conference title, 117-99, over runner-up Pittsburg State. Last year, Southern brought home three indoor All-Americas from the NCAA-II indoor meet, including a national champion in the pole vault (Isringhausen). Jones and Still also claimed All-America honors for the MSSU women.