MIAA Squads Set for NCAA Indoor Championships

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Twenty-two MIAA individual student-athletes and three relay teams are seeded in the top five of their respective events heading into the 2010 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships March 12-13, hosted by Adams State College at the Convention Center in Albuquerque, N.M.

The Central Missouri men, ranked as the No. 5 team in the country, will be represented by five individuals and one relay team. The Mules’ 4x400-meter relay team is ranked third in the nation, holding a season-best time of 3:13.41. Drew Frizzell is seeded No. 3 in the weight throw with a mark of 68-3 feet, and Darius Walker is ranked third in the heptathlon at 5,104 points.

Emporia State has five individual men’s competitors this weekend. Derwin Hall is third in the nation in the 60 meters with a season-best time of 6.77. Josh Schuler is seeded No. 3 in the 200 meters with a time of 21.35. Josh Honeycutt comes in at No. 4 in the nation in the triple jump, holding a seed mark of 51-10 feet. The Hornets are the eighth-ranked team in the nation.

Missouri Southern’s men’s team will be represented by three athletes plus its distance medley relay team. The Lions’ DMR team is ranked fourth in the country with a seed time of 9:51.92. Brennan Benkert, who runs the DMR, was the men’s high point scorer at the MIAA Indoor Championships.   

Two student-athletes from Northwest Missouri’s men’s squad will be featured at the national championships. Ben McKim is the No. 2 seed in the shot put, holding a season-best mark of 59-9 feet.

Pittsburg State, No. 6 in the country, had three individuals and its DMR team qualify for nationals. Jeremy Jackson is No. 1 in the country with a 7.91 time in the 60-meter hurdles. Kiara Jones is ranked third in the nation in the triple jump with a mark of 51-11¼ feet. Brian Allen is seeded No. 4 in two events, the shot put (59-0 feet) and weight throw (67-6 feet).

Southwest Baptist will have one men’s representative, Frank Grant, Jr. Grant, Jr., is the No. 4-ranked athlete in the 200 meters with a time of 21.40.

For the women’s championships, Central Missouri will feature four individuals and one relay team. Lindsay Lettow is No. 2 in the nation in the pentathlon with a season-best score of 3,845 points. Anne Carlson isn’t too far behind in the No. 4 spot, holding a score of 3,693 points. The Jennies are the 14th-ranked team in the country.

Emporia State, ranked No. 22, has two women’s representatives at nationals. Jennifer Robinson is the No. 2 high jumper in the nation, holding a mark of 5-8¾ feet.

Fort Hays State is the No. 17 team in the land, and will have three individuals competing at the national meet. Darcie Schmitz holds the fourth-best triple jump in the nation, a mark of 40-1½ feet.

No. 11 Missouri Southern will be represented by six individuals and one relay team this weekend. Kimi Shank is ranked No. 4 in the nation in the 5,000 meters with a season-best time of 16:47.34. Emilie Mieseler is the fourth-best weight thrower in the country, holding a mark of 61-2 feet.

Nebraska-Omaha, ranked No. 4 in the country, will feature five individual athletes and a relay team at nationals. The Mavericks’ 4x400-meter relay squad is fifth-best in the nation with a time of 3:50.00. Anja Puc has the No. 1 time in the country in the 800 meters, 2:07.99. Nkeiruka Domike leads the nation in the triple jump with a mark of 42-0½ feet. In the women’s shot put, Heather Minssen holds the third-best mark in the land (49-2¼ feet). Shannon Moore is ranked No. 3 in the pentathlon with a score of 3,800 points.

Northwest Missouri will have two student-athletes at the national meet, Angela Adams (5,000 meters) and Emily Churchman (pentathlon).

Pittsburg State will have four individual competitors this weekend, including Rosalyn Nelson (60 meters), Gretchen Clark (high jump), Michelle Mitchell (pole vault), and Heidi Smith (shot put).

The Truman women will be represented by one student-athlete, Katrina Biermann. Biermann is the No. 3-ranked pole vaulter in the country with a mark of 13-0¼ feet, and will also compete in he triple jump.

The 2010 NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field Championships begin Friday and continue through Saturday. Live results can be found at http://www.ncaa.com/sports/c-itrack/champpage/inc/div2/c-itrack-div2-results.html.