Pittsburg, Kan. –  Emily Presley, freshman, and Jayce Thomas, senior, have started this indoor track & field season off with a bang. For back-to-back weeks Presley has notched victories, while this week at the Pittsburg State Invitational she walked away from the one day event with her name in the records books. Thomas got in on the fun as he also got involved in the record breaking day for Southern. 

Presley vaulted to a height of 12-11.75, surpassing the previous record of 12-07.50 which she tied and won the event at the MSSU Open on Jan. 23 inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. The mark of 12-11.75 currently ranks fourth-best in Division II. Melanie Bower also came away with a provisional mark in the event, clearing 12 feet and finishing fifth place overall.

Thomas placed seventh in the 60m hurdles with a provisional time of 8.18 which ties a school record set by Jazz Allen in 2012. Thomas also placed 13th in the high jump as he and his teammate Cody Vogt shared identical heights of 1.93 meters. Thomas placed fourth in the pole vault with a height of 4.87 meters. Junior Morgan Hold placed ninth overall in the event. 

Tyler Hovey, senior, placed 12th in men’s weight throw with a distance of 15.96 meters, as Hovey also placed 11th in the shot put with a provisional distance of 15.78 meters. Victoria Foley was fifth in the weight throw with a provisional distance of 17.03 meters.

Kaylee Morgan placed third in the women’s long jump with a provisional mark of 5.66 meters. Sierra Barrett and Heckemeyer placed 13th and 14th, respectively in the triple jump.

Emily Harris took home her second consecutive mile run event with a provisional time of 4:53.75. Jacob Coffman placed 25th in the men’s mile. Rachel Ray was 13th in the 600y run. Sara Lin placed 33rd in the women’s 800m, while Eric Schott placed in second and Cynthia Torres was third in their respective races of the 3k.

In other news, the Missouri Southern men’s and women’s track and field teams are ranked in the top 25 of the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) poll as the organization debuted its first poll of the indoor season on Jan. 28.

The Southern men are ranked 11th nationally and the women are ranked 16th.

The season continues today and tomorrow as the Lions will host the MSSU Lion Open.