The Missouri Southern men’s and women’s track and field team made their home debut last Saturday in the Southern Open on Mercy indoor track inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.

The men’s field team picked up a provisional qualifier and a event win. The women’s team broke two new school records on day two.

Sophomore Emily Pres– ley not only got her ticket to nationals but also set a new MSSU record in the pole vault with a jump of 13-7.25

which broke the orgianl record by six inches that was set by her teammate Melanie Bower last year. It’s also the best mark in Division II this season. Junior Morgan Smith also broke her own school record for the second-straight week

in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.78 seconds. She broke her original record by .01. Freshman pole vaulter Mylene Loridan finished second with a provisional height of 11-09.75, and Samantha Donnell was seventh with a height of 11-03.75.

Junior Allie Heckemeyer placed second in the long jump with a distance of 17-08.75, while freshman Tiffany Gillford was 11th and junior Sierra Barrett placed 21st.

For the running portion of the meet, junior Sierra Wells returned from long term indoor layoff to place tenth in the mile with
a time of 5:22.48, junior Christian Provence and senior Sierra Gray placed second and sixth, respectively in the 3k with a time of 10:20.88 and 10:51.90. Freshman Gabriel Hill was 16th in the 3k, while junior Shelby Werner and fresh– man teammates Shelby Jackson, Meggi Augustosky and Abbi Rogers placed 22nd, 23rd, 26th and 39th, respectively.

Sophomore Sara Lin placed 12th in the 800m in a time of 2:28.17. Junior

Destiny Akannam was 8th in the 400m with a time of 1:00.78, while sophomore Rachel Ray was 12th.

In the final event of the night, the Lions’ mile relay team of Gilford, Linn, Evans and Ronise Miller placed tenth with a time of 4:16.17.

As for the men, Tyler Rush won the 3k in a time of 8:45.51 as four Lions placed in the top ten of the event. Freshman teammates Jared Haltom, Cody Berry and Mike Shanahan placed fourth, seventh and eighth. Freshman Josh Webb was 14th, followed by sopho– more Ryan Drendel at 15th.

Senior Morgan Hold hit a provisional and placed 2nd in the pole vault with a

height of 16-02.75. Fresh– man Dean Howard was 8th, and junior Zach Wuest and freshman Cortland Potter placed 9th and 13th, respectively.

Sophomore Cody Vogt was 4th in the high jump with a height of 6-04.75, while freshman Chance Johnson finished 15th in a height of 5-10.75. Freshman Brendan Watkins placed 4th in the triple jump with a distance of 45-02.50, while freshman Kyle Parr was 10th in a distance of 42-03.25.

Freshman Nickson Kiptoo and Rush placed 7th and 8th in the mile with times of 4:29.53 and 4:29.60, respectively.

Junior Thomas Hawkins

was 10th in the 600 yard with a time of 1:15.94, freshman Colton Gurera and Luis Suaste placed 17th and 18th in the 800m, while freshman Victor Encarna– cion was 21st.

Both Men and Women’s team will be back next weekend as the lions travel to rival Pittsburgh State to compete in the Pitt State invite in Pittsburgh Kansas.