Puc, Robinson Earn Outdoor National Titles

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Five MIAA women's teams and four men's squads placed in the top 25 at the 2010 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships this weekend at Irwin Belk Complex in Charlotte, N.C.

Central Missouri led the way in the men's standings, finishing in third place with 39 points. Pittsburg State tied for ninth place, Missouri Southern tied for 15th, and Emporia State finished 22nd.

On the women's side, Emporia State and Nebraska-Omaha tied for 14th place to lead all MIAA schools. Pittsburg State tied for 21st place, followed by Missouri Southern in 24th and Central Missouri in 25th. Northwest Missouri tied for 38th, Fort Hays State finished in a tie for 43rd place and Truman tied for 47th.

Two more MIAA athletes can call themselves national champions after Saturday's action, and several others picked up All-America accolades.

Nebraska-Omaha's Anja Puc won the national title in the women's 800 meters, posting a time of 2:04.25.

Emporia State's Jennifer Robinson won the national championship in the women's high jump, recording a mark of 1.76 meters (5-09.25 feet). Fort Hays State's Morgan Witzel finished in sixth place to earn All-America status, and Pittsburg State's Gretchen Clark took home All-America honors as well with an eighth-place finish.

Central Missouri's Drew Frizzell picked up his third All-America honor of the outdoor championships, posting a seventh-place finish in the men's discus.

In the women's shot put, Central Missouri's Kayla Muyskens achieved All-America status with a third-place finish. Larissa Richards of Pittsburg State (fifth place) and Missouri Southern's Nicole Green (seventh place) also took home All-America honors. Richards also finished in third place in the women's discus to attain multiple All-America accolades.

Emporia State's Brooke Kent is an All-American after finishing runner-up in the women's triple jump, and Fort Hays State's Ashley Cornett earned All-America honors as well with a seventh-place finish.

Pittsburg State's Amber Kloster placed eighth in the women's javelin to become an All-American.

Missouri Southern's Brennan Benkert took home All-America honors with a fifth-place finish in the men's 1,500 meters.

Pittsburg State's Jeremy Jackson finished runner-up in the men's 110-meter hurdles to earn All-America status, and Northwest Missouri's Tyler Shaw (sixth place) is an All-American as well.

Central Missouri's Anthony Cooper took fifth in the men's 400-meter hurdles to earn All-America honors. Central Missouri teammate Chris Millentree is an All-American in the men's high jump after posting a seventh-place finish.

Emporia State's Zach Rosenberger (third place) and Pittsburg State's Ethan Hobbs (sixth place) took home All-America honors in the men's pole vault.

Two MIAA athletes were All-Americans in the men's triple jump. Emporia State's Josh Honeycutt finished in fourth place, followed by Pittsburg State's Kiara Jones in fifth.

Three MIAA relay teams finished in the top eight of their respective events.

Nebraska-Omaha's women's 4x400-meter relay team of Maja Mihalinec, Kayla Koepke, Anja Puc and Shannon Moore placed fifth with a time of 3:42.69.

In the men's 4x100-meter relay, Missouri Southern's team of Maurlon Bembry, Jordan Patton, Jacob Khan and Andrew Wright took fifth place with a time 40.66.

Central Missouri's 4x400-meter relay team of Darius Walker, Anthony Cooper, Brent Vogel and Kai Roper also finished fifth, recording a time of 3:10.43.

The complete final results of the 2010 MIAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships can be found at http://www.flashresults.com/2010_Meets/outdoor/ncaa2/.