Puc, Richards Earn Women's T&F Weekly Awards

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Anja Puc (Nebraska-Omaha) and Larissa Richards (Pittsburg State) have been named MIAA Women's Track & Field Student-Athletes of the Week for the week of April 19-25, as selected by a conference SID panel. Puc picks up her fourth award of the year, and Richards earns her first honor of 2010.

MIAA WOMEN'S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Anja Puc, Jr., Nebraska-Omaha
Puc ran the second-fastest time in the NCAA in the 800 meters this year at an open race at the Drake Relays, finishing in a time of 2:07.55. The junior from Medvode, Slovenia, finished fourth in the race, beaten only by Division I runners. Her time is also the best in the MIAA. Puc also anchored the Mavericks' meet record-breaking 1,600-meter sprint medley relay team, closing with the 800 meters as the team finished in a time of 3:49.11. The time was more than ten seconds faster than the runner-up, Oklahoma Baptist, and stands as the fourth-best time in the nation in the event, bettered only by three Division I schools – Louisiana State, Arkansas and Tulsa.

MIAA WOMEN'S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK
Larissa Richards, So., Pittsburg State
Richards automatically qualified for the NCAA Division II Outdoor National Championships with a personal-best throw of 48-02.50 feet. The Great Bend, Kan., native recorded the third-best mark in Division II to date, while logging the second-best mark in school history in the discipline. Richards, also a forward on the Pitt State women's basketball team, joined the track & field squad for the first time this year after battling knee injuries which kept her from competing in track & field during her first two years at Pitt State.

2009-10 MIAA Women's Track & Field Student-Athletes of the Week
1/18 - Track: Anja Puc, Jr., UNO, Kimi Shank, Sr., MSSU; Field: Katrina Biermann, Sr., TSU
1/25 - Track: Jenny Blair, Sr., SBU; Field: Katrina Biermann, Sr., TSU
2/1 - Track: Lindsay Lettow, So., UCM; Field: Kayla Muyskens, Jr., UCM
2/8 - Track: Anja Puc, Jr., UNO; Field: Nkeiruka Domike, Jr., UNO
2/15 - Track: Anja Puc, Jr., UNO; Field: Nkeiruka Domike, Jr., UNO
2/22 - Track: Lindsay Lettow, So., UCM; Field: Nkeiruka Domike, Jr., UNO
3/29 - Track: Kimi Shank, Sr., MSSU; Field: Kayla Muyskens, Jr., UCM
4/5 - Track: Rosalyn Nelson, Jr., PSU; Field: Emily Churchman, Sr., NWMSU
4/13 - Track: Dani Dell'Orco, So., TSU: Field: Lisa Vengels, So., MSSU
4/21 - Track: Kimi Shank, Sr., MSSU; Field: Kayla Muyskens, Jr., UCM
4/28 - Track: Anja Puc, Jr., UNO; Larissa Richards, So., PSU