Already halfway through the outdoor season, the Lady Lions track and field team is making improvements as well as feeling the effects of a year-round sport.

The team, especially the younger women, is starting to feel some aches and pains of a long semester of competition.

At Arkansas, many Lady Lions had some top performances, but because of the toughness of competition, they were not able to always finish in the top three.

Danee Jones finished in the top eight of all three throwing events, two of which, the discus and hammer, she finished fifth. Shonna Sherrell finished fourth in the javelin throw with a toss of 112-7.

“Her javelin technique is really coming around; she’s got a little ways to go with it,” said head coach Patty Vavra.

Jen Noelken finished first in the unseated 1,500-meter run with a personal record time of 4:49.

Charmain Kent finished ninth in the triple jump with a leap of 36-11.

Melissa Turner also had her best vault of the year, aside from Coffeyville, which didn’t count toward nationals, with a height of 11-2. A provisional mark of 11-3 is needed.

“We really had some nice improvements throughout the group,” Vavra said.

“We didn’t place real high, but we’ve seen some nice improvements.”

Twelve athletes are taking the trip to Lawrence, Kans. These include: Garrett in the invitational 400- and 100-meter hurdles; Tausha Cook in the 400 and 100-meter hurdles; Jones in the hammer, discuss and shot put; Sherrell in the discuss; Sarah Muller and Melissa Horn in the high jump; Kent in the triple jump; Turner in the pole vault; Megan Russell in the 5,000-meter run; Patterson in the 10,000-meter run, which will be her first time this year; Noelken in the steeplechase; and Adams in the invitational 800-meter run.

“I have to get everything to work together,” Jones said. “I’m trying to work on it and visualize stuff, so that I can get into the ring and do what I need to do to make it to nationals,” Jones said.

The Lady Lions will not be the only team from the MIAA in attendance.

Most of the other MIAA schools will send their elite squads as well.