‘Balanced’ team wins despite cold wind

However warm or cold it is, the Missouri Southern men’s track and field team still has to compete.

On April 4-5, the Lions hosted their one and only home meet of the season. Wind and cool temperatures were competing against the Lions as well as the other teams involved.

“I’m very proud of them because it’s very difficult to be out eight to 10 hours in the cold and the wind,” said Tom Rutledge, head coach.

On April 4-5 Petri Kykyri ran the 1,500 meter run placing fourth with a time of 4:07 He is not slated to run another 10,000 until the University of Kansas relays on April 16-19.

Arley Smith threw both the hammer and the discuss, which he has provisional in, improving his mark in the discuss to 171 feet.

Paul Koehler won the 5,000-meter run in a time of 15:20.

In the pole vault, indoor national champion and All-American Seth Isringhausen and indoor All-American Kyle Rutledge equaled in height at 15-11, which ranks them back-to-back, seventh and eighth, in the nation.

Others earning qualifying marks from the meet were Brian Lyons won the 1,500-meter run with a time of 3:57; B.J. Blocker, who for the second week in a row, won the 110-meter hurdles, this week in 15.17, last week at Pitt State, 14.94; and Mika Alahaivala in the javelin with a provisional mark of 210 feet, which ranks him second in the nation.

“We’re a pretty balanced squad, the weakness is naturally our youth and our sprints, that’s what is catching up to us,” Rutledge said.

If the season ended today, the team would have five or six athletes making it to the national championships. The team’s goal is to have eight receive the honor of going to nationals.

Saturday the team will head to the University of Arkansas.