27 Lions earn All-MIAA at conference meet

May 9, 2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Southern women second, men fourth at MIAA Championships

Missouri Southern State University’s men’s and women’s track & field teams placed 27 student-athletes on the all-conference team at the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Outdoor Championships this past weekend in Pittsburg, Kan.

Southern won individual conference championships in 12 events, including seven in women’s action. The MSSU women, with 153 points, finished second to Central Missouri State in the eight-team field. The Lion men were fourth in the eight-team race, scoring 119 points to finish just five points behind host and champion Pittsburg State University.

For the Missouri Southern women, senior Danee Jones (Clayton, Mo.) won a pair of conference titles in the discus and hammer throw. Jones, who won the MIAA discus crown for the first time in her career, set the school and meet records in the event with a throw of 167 feet. The previous MIAA record was 163’-10”, set by Truman’s Vicki Perez in 1993 and tied in 2002 by Emporia State’s Kara Brockmeier.

Jones’ discus mark was an NCAA Division II automatic qualifying mark.

Jones also won her third straight MIAA outdoor title in the hammer throw with a mark of 173’-3” to lead a 1-2 finish for the Lions in the hammer. Freshman Jessica Selby (Galena, Mo.) was second in the event with an NCAA-II provisional qualifying mark of 160’-3”. Jones finishes off her MSSU career as a seven-time MIAA champion, indoors and outdoors.

Selby matched her conference indoor title in the shot put with the outdoor crown as well. She threw 43’-1.75” to best Truman’s Danielle Grimes by 1.5 inches. Jones was third in the shot put with a mark of 42’-9.5”.

Junior Dionne Prince (Milwaukee, Wis.) capped off Southern’s conference titles in the field events when she successfully defended her MIAA triple jump title with a mark of 38’-9” to win by 8.25” over runner-up and teammate Iashia Castle (Kansas City, Mo.).

The Lion women captured MIAA titles in three running events, too. Junior Erin Click (West Plains, Mo.) won her first conference crown in the 1500-meter run, finishing in 4:37.90 to improve her NCAA provisional qualifying time in that event.

Senior Ashley Caffey (Lebanon, Mo.) won the conference title by 13.65 seconds in the 5000-meter run. It was the first outdoor conference crown for Caffey, who won the indoor MIAA championship in the 5000 last year.

Freshman Whitney Metcalf (Pawhuska, Okla.) captured the MIAA crown in the 400-meter hurdles with a clocking of 1:01.21. The time marked a new NCAA provisional mark for Metcalf.

For the Missouri Southern men, it was too bad there could be just one MIAA champion in the pole vault. The Lions captured each of the top five spots in the event, scoring 30 points to bolster their day 1 standing. Junior Matt Campbell (Worthington, Ind.) finally emerged as the winner and set a new school record in the process. Campbell, winning his first outdoor MIAA crown after capturing the last two indoor titles, cleared 17’-1.5” in the event to win by four inches over senior teammate Chris Turner (St. Louis, Mo.). Campbell’s winning height was an NCAA-II automatic national qualification.

Turner scored 10 points for the Lions five days before the conference meet began in earnest. He won the league title in the decathlon by 112 points over Emporia State’s Tyson Allen on May 2. For Turner, it was an NCAA-II provisional qualifying point total.

Seniors won four of the five individual conference titles for the Lion men. Javelin thrower Mika Alahaivala (Ylivieska, Finland) set school and meet records in the javelin when he threw 229’-10”. That mark, which improved Alahaivala’s already automatic qualification, was 21 inches better than the school record set by ESU’s John Corwin in 1995. It marked Alahaivala’s second career conference title, as he also won the javelin in 2003.

Michael Stewart (Kansas City, Mo.) jumped 48’-8.75” in the triple jump and won that event by more than a foot for his first league championship. His mark was also an NCAA-II provisional.

Senior Craig Rhoads (West Plains, Mo.) also won a conference championship for the first time, taking home the top spot in the 3000-meter steeplechase. Rhoads turned in a time of 9:35.41.

One other school record fell during the weekend’s action. Senior Neil Hombs (Boonville, Mo.) finished second in the 400-meter dash but broke his own MSSU standard in the event when he finished in 48.01 seconds. Hombs, who broke the school mark last year at the MIAA outdoor meet, had reset his school mark in Saturday’s prelim when he ran 48.21.

Here is a complete list of the Lions’ all-conference performers from the 2005 MIAA Outdoor Championships:

MEN

Mika Alahaivala (Sr., Ylivieska, Finland (1st, 229’-10”)

Matt Campbell (Worthington, Ind.) - Pole vault (1st, 17’-1.5”)

Russell Ellis (Fr., Caddo Gap, Ark.) - Pole vault (4th, 16’-1.75”)

Mike Hines (Jr., Miami, Fla.) - Shot put (2nd, 54’-8.75”)

Neil Hombs (Boonville, Mo.) - 400-meter dash (2nd, 48.01)

Paul Koehler (St. Louis, Mo.) - 5000-meter run (3rd, 15:05.36), 10,000-meter run (2nd, 31:44.84)

Dustin Miller (Carthage, Mo.) - 3000-meter steeplechase (6th, 9:45.39)

Lucas Plocher (West Plains, Mo.) - 1500-meter run (4th, 4:01.12)

Aaron Puckett (Fr., Hot Springs, Ark.) - Pole vault (5th, 15’-9.75”)

Craig Rhoads (West Plains, Mo.) - 3000-meter steeplechase (1st, 9:35.41), 10,000-meter run (5th, 33:33.76)

Kyler Rushing (Sarcoxie, Mo.) - High jump (3rd, 6’-6.75”)

Kyle Rutledge (Joplin, Mo.) - Pole vault (3rd, 16’-5.5”)

Michael Stewart (Sr., Kansas City, Mo.) - Triple jump (1st, 48’-8.75”)

Chris Turner (St. Louis, Mo.) - Decathlon (1st, 6689 points), pole vault (2nd, 16’-9.5”)

WOMEN

Ashley Caffey (Sr., Lebanon, Mo.) - 3000-meter run (2nd, 10:03.29), 5000-meter run (1st, 17:48.79)

Iashia Castle (Kansas City, Mo.) - 400-meter dash (4th, 57.69), long jump (3rd, 18’-6”), triple jump (2nd, 38’-0.75”)

Erin Click (Jr., West Plains, Mo.) - 1500-meter run (1st, 4:37.90), 3000-meter run (3rd, 10:07.68)

Kelly Fanning (Jr., Joplin, Mo.) - 1500-meter run (4th, 4:41.29), 3000-meter run (4th, 10:11.27), 5000-meter run (3rd, 18:23.23)

Danee Jones (Sr., Clayton, Mo.) - Shot put (3rd, 42’-9.5”), Discus (1st, 167’-0”), Hammer (1st, 173’-3”)

Ashley McClelland (Jr., Parsons, Kan.) - 400-meter hurdles (4th, 1: 03.87)

Whitney Metcalf (Fr., Pawhuska, Okla.) - 400-meter hurdles (1st, 1:01.21)

Rachel Minard (Fr., Webb City, Mo.) - 400-meter hurdles (5th, 1:05.60)

Kelly O’Toole (Fr., Joplin, Mo.) - 10,000-meter run (6th, 40: 15.70)

Dionne Prince (Jr., Milwaukee, Wis.) - 100-meter hurdles (3rd, 14.97), triple jump (1st, 38’-9”)

Jessica Selby (Fr., Galena, Mo.) - Shot put (1st, 43’-1.75”), Hammer (2nd, 160’-3”)

Melissa Turner (Sr., Claremore, Okla.) - Pole vault (5th, 10’-8.75”)

Sarah Wallace (So., Branson, Mo.) - 800-meter run (5th, 2:19.37)


	May 9, 2005 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 27 Lions earn All-MIAA at conference meet Southern women second, men fourth at MIAA Championships Missouri Southern State University’s men’s and women’s track & field teams placed 27 student-athletes on the all-conference team at the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Outdoor Championships this past weekend in Pittsburg, Kan. Southern won individual conference championships in 12 events, including seven in women’s action. The MSSU women, with 153 points, finished second to Central Missouri State in the eight-team field. The Lion men were fourth in the eight-team race, scoring 119 points to finish just five points behind host and champion Pittsburg State University. For the Missouri Southern women, senior Danee Jones (Clayton, Mo.) won a pair of conference titles in the discus and hammer throw. Jones, who won the MIAA discus crown for the first time in her career, set the school and meet records in the event with a throw of 167 feet. The previous MIAA record was 163’-10”, set by Truman’s Vicki Perez in 1993 and tied in 2002 by Emporia State’s Kara Brockmeier. Jones’ discus mark was an NCAA Division II automatic qualifying mark. Jones also won her third straight MIAA outdoor title in the hammer throw with a mark of 173’-3” to lead a 1-2 finish for the Lions in the hammer. Freshman Jessica Selby (Galena, Mo.) was second in the event with an NCAA-II provisional qualifying mark of 160’-3”. Jones finishes off her MSSU career as a seven-time MIAA champion, indoors and outdoors. Selby matched her conference indoor title in the shot put with the outdoor crown as well. She threw 43’-1.75” to best Truman’s Danielle Grimes by 1.5 inches. Jones was third in the shot put with a mark of 42’-9.5”. Junior Dionne Prince (Milwaukee, Wis.) capped off Southern’s conference titles in the field events when she successfully defended her MIAA triple jump title with a mark of 38’-9” to win by 8.25” over runner-up and teammate Iashia Castle (Kansas City, Mo.). The Lion women captured MIAA titles in three running events, too. Junior Erin Click (West Plains, Mo.) won her first conference crown in the 1500-meter run, finishing in 4:37.90 to improve her NCAA provisional qualifying time in that event. Senior Ashley Caffey (Lebanon, Mo.) won the conference title by 13.65 seconds in the 5000-meter run. It was the first outdoor conference crown for Caffey, who won the indoor MIAA championship in the 5000 last year. Freshman Whitney Metcalf (Pawhuska, Okla.) captured the MIAA crown in the 400-meter hurdles with a clocking of 1:01.21. The time marked a new NCAA provisional mark for Metcalf. For the Missouri Southern men, it was too bad there could be just one MIAA champion in the pole vault. The Lions captured each of the top five spots in the event, scoring 30 points to bolster their day 1 standing. Junior Matt Campbell (Worthington, Ind.) finally emerged as the winner and set a new school record in the process. Campbell, winning his first outdoor MIAA crown after capturing the last two indoor titles, cleared 17’-1.5” in the event to win by four inches over senior teammate Chris Turner (St. Louis, Mo.). Campbell’s winning height was an NCAA-II automatic national qualification. Turner scored 10 points for the Lions five days before the conference meet began in earnest. He won the league title in the decathlon by 112 points over Emporia State’s Tyson Allen on May 2. For Turner, it was an NCAA-II provisional qualifying point total. Seniors won four of the five individual conference titles for the Lion men. Javelin thrower Mika Alahaivala (Ylivieska, Finland) set school and meet records in the javelin when he threw 229’-10”. That mark, which improved Alahaivala’s already automatic qualification, was 21 inches better than the school record set by ESU’s John Corwin in 1995. It marked Alahaivala’s second career conference title, as he also won the javelin in 2003. Michael Stewart (Kansas City, Mo.) jumped 48’-8.75” in the triple jump and won that event by more than a foot for his first league championship. His mark was also an NCAA-II provisional. Senior Craig Rhoads (West Plains, Mo.) also won a conference championship for the first time, taking home the top spot in the 3000-meter steeplechase. Rhoads turned in a time of 9:35.41. One other school record fell during the weekend’s action. Senior Neil Hombs (Boonville, Mo.) finished second in the 400-meter dash but broke his own MSSU standard in the event when he finished in 48.01 seconds. Hombs, who broke the school mark last year at the MIAA outdoor meet, had reset his school mark in Saturday’s prelim when he ran 48.21. Here is a complete list of the Lions’ all-conference performers from the 2005 MIAA Outdoor Championships: MEN Mika Alahaivala (Sr., Ylivieska, Finland (1st, 229’-10”) Matt Campbell (Worthington, Ind.) - Pole vault (1st, 17’-1.5”) Russell Ellis (Fr., Caddo Gap, Ark.) - Pole vault (4th, 16’-1.75”) Mike Hines (Jr., Miami, Fla.) - Shot put (2nd, 54’-8.75”) Neil Hombs (Boonville, Mo.) - 400-meter dash (2nd, 48.01) Paul Koehler (St. Louis, Mo.) - 5000-meter run (3rd, 15:05.36), 10,000-meter run (2nd, 31:44.84) Dustin Miller (Carthage, Mo.) - 3000-meter steeplechase (6th, 9:45.39) Lucas Plocher (West Plains, Mo.) - 1500-meter run (4th, 4:01.12) Aaron Puckett (Fr., Hot Springs, Ark.) - Pole vault (5th, 15’-9.75”) Craig Rhoads (West Plains, Mo.) - 3000-meter steeplechase (1st, 9:35.41), 10,000-meter run (5th, 33:33.76) Kyler Rushing (Sarcoxie, Mo.) - High jump (3rd, 6’-6.75”) Kyle Rutledge (Joplin, Mo.) - Pole vault (3rd, 16’-5.5”) Michael Stewart (Sr., Kansas City, Mo.) - Triple jump (1st, 48’-8.75”) Chris Turner (St. Louis, Mo.) - Decathlon (1st, 6689 points), pole vault (2nd, 16’-9.5”) WOMEN Ashley Caffey (Sr., Lebanon, Mo.) - 3000-meter run (2nd, 10:03.29), 5000-meter run (1st, 17:48.79) Iashia Castle (Kansas City, Mo.) - 400-meter dash (4th, 57.69), long jump (3rd, 18’-6”), triple jump (2nd, 38’-0.75”) Erin Click (Jr., West Plains, Mo.) - 1500-meter run (1st, 4:37.90), 3000-meter run (3rd, 10:07.68) Kelly Fanning (Jr., Joplin, Mo.) - 1500-meter run (4th, 4:41.29), 3000-meter run (4th, 10:11.27), 5000-meter run (3rd, 18:23.23) Danee Jones (Sr., Clayton, Mo.) - Shot put (3rd, 42’-9.5”), Discus (1st, 167’-0”), Hammer (1st, 173’-3”) Ashley McClelland (Jr., Parsons, Kan.) - 400-meter hurdles (4th, 1: 03.87) Whitney Metcalf (Fr., Pawhuska, Okla.) - 400-meter hurdles (1st, 1:01.21) Rachel Minard (Fr., Webb City, Mo.) - 400-meter hurdles (5th, 1:05.60) Kelly O’Toole (Fr., Joplin, Mo.) - 10,000-meter run (6th, 40: 15.70) Dionne Prince (Jr., Milwaukee, Wis.) - 100-meter hurdles (3rd, 14.97), triple jump (1st, 38’-9”) Jessica Selby (Fr., Galena, Mo.) - Shot put (1st, 43’-1.75”), Hammer (2nd, 160’-3”) Melissa Turner (Sr., Claremore, Okla.) - Pole vault (5th, 10’-8.75”) Sarah Wallace (So., Branson, Mo.) - 800-meter run (5th, 2:19.37)