FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 28, 2009

Lipsey and Lloyd sweep MIAA Athlete of the Week Awards

Kansas City, Mo. -- Missouri Southern's Ciara Lipsey and Channell Lloyd have been named the MIAA's Women's Track and Field Athletes of the Week as announced by the league office today.

Lipsey, a 5-7 native of Wichita, Kansas, and a graduate of Maize High School, automatically qualified for the NCAA Division II National Championship in the pole vault at the Missouri Southern Bill Williams/Bob Laptad Invitational Friday (April 24). She improved her previous best by more than six inches and placed seventh with a leap of 12 feet, 11.5 inches. Lipsey finished behind four vaulters from Division I Arkansas, another from D-I Oral Roberts (Okla.) and one professional.

The mark is tops in the MIAA by 9.5 inches and is third-best in Division II this season.

Lloyd, a 5-8 long jumper and hurdler, is a native of O'Fallon, Mo. She placed second in two events with provisional qualifying marks at the Bill Williams/Bob Laptad Invitational Friday (April 24). She finished 100-meter hurdles with a time of 14.32 seconds, and logged a triple jump of 38 feet, 4.25 inches.

The Lions will be back in action this weekend as Southern plays host to the 2009 MIAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Fred G. Hughes Stadium.