Central Men, Women Lead Outdoor Championships

Jennies Hold Double-Digit Lead in MIAA Championships

PITTSBURG, Kan. -- The University of Central Missouri women's outdoor track & field team didn't claim a single event victory Saturday (May 8) at the 2010 MIAA Championships, but the Jennies scored in every event to claim a 13-point lead following day one action.

The Jennies, seeking to unseat two-time defending MIAA champion Missouri Southern State University, closed the day with 51 points. The host schools, Pittsburg State University, capitalized on a 20-point effort in the javelin to sit in second place with 38 points. Northwest Missouri State University finished third with 37 points, while MSSU ended the day with 16 points in the 10,000 meters to close the day with 36 points.

"We had a very good day," UCM co-head coach Kirk Pedersen said. "Most of our better events were held today. It will be difficult to hold off Missouri Southern and the other squads tomorrow. I'm happy how we competed. It should be exciting tomorrow."

In final events Saturday, Truman State University's Katrina Biermann won the pole vault with a clearance of 12-feet, 5.5-inches, setting new MIAA Meet and stadium records.

The University of Nebraska-Omaha's Shannon Moore claimed victory in the long jump (19-6), while NW Missouri State's Kate Walter won the hammer throw with an all-time personal-best toss of 183-8.

Pitt State freshman Amber Kloster won the javelin throw with a personal-best throw of 146-0, while teammate Shannon Lynch placed second with a PR effort of 142-8.

MSSU's Kimi Shank became a three-time MIAA champion in the 10,000 meters. She crossed the finish line in 35 minutes, 15.46 seconds.

Central Missouri Men Hold Narrow Lead After Day One

PITTSBURG, Kan. -- The University of Central Missouri men's outdoor track & field team scored 17 points in the 10,000 meters to grab a narrow three-point lead after day one action of the 2010 MIAA Championships Saturday (May 8) at Carnie Smith Stadium/Prentice Gudgen Track.

The Mules finished the day with 57 points to edge meet host Pittsburg State University, which tallied 54 points. Emporia State University finished the day in third place with 47 points in the tightly-contested field.

UCM, the four-time defending MIAA champion, opened the day with a victory in the hammer throw by defending national champion Drew Frizzell. Frizzell improved his Division II leading mark and broke the MIAA Meet Record by throwing the implement 219-feet, 5-inches.

The Mules closed the day with Laban Sialo, Anthony Schulz and Dalton Moberly combining for 17 points in the 10,000m with second, fourth and fifth place efforts.

"We are very pleased with the way our athletes competed today," UCM co-head coach Kirk Pedersen said. "We competed well in final events and we qualified well in prelims today. Not only were we able to score points today, but we got athletes qualified to score points (Sunday)."

While Pedersen was pleased with the Mules effort, he was quick to note that the race for the 2010 conference crown is far from complete.

"Pitt State has a very good team, they have great depth. It will be a tough battle tomorrow," Pedersen said. "Hopefully we can stay with them and have a chance to be there at the end of the day."

In other final events held Saturday, the host Gorillas did a majority of their scoring in the javelin throw. Mike Beeler won the event with a throw of 223-11, while Tyler Drake (200-2), Travis Lee (180-8) and Eric Wells (162-10) finished second, fourth and eighth for a 24-point effort.

Emporia State's Josh Honeycutt claimed victory in the long jump at 23-10.25. Honeycutt and UCM's Darius Walker tied for the top mark in the event, but Honeycutt was awarded the championship thanks to a better second mark (23-8.75). He attained that mark on his fifth jump, while Walker passed on his final three marks to qualify for Sunday's finals of the 400 meters. Walker turned in the second-fastest time in qualifying -- 48.99 seconds.

Emporia's Zach Rosenberger won the pole vault with an all-time personal-best clearance of 16-6.

Missouri Southern State University's Brennan Benkert punctuated the day with a dramatic victory over Sialo in the 10,000m. Benkert outdueled Sialo in the final 150 meters to cross the finish line in 31 minutes, 13.96 seconds.