Missouri State

MICHELLE BAPTISTE LIBURD
Track and Field, 1996-99
Inducted February 24, 2007

Michelle Baptiste was a four-year track and field standout for the Bears of coach Ron Boyce from 1996 to 1999. A native of Castries, St. Lucia, Baptiste was a sprinter and jumper and posted perhaps the best freshman season in the history of Missouri State women’s track and field. She earned all-conference honors in three events each at the Missouri Valley Conference indoor and outdoor meets in 1996, winning the outdoor long jump and 400-meter relay. She competed in both the NCAA indoor and outdoor meets, placing 16th in the indoor long jump event and 11th outdoors. She followed her collegiate season by being the only female athlete on St. Lucia’s first-ever Olympic team at the summer games in Atlanta, Ga., qualifying in the 100-meter dash and long jump. She moved on to the World Junior Championships in Australia where she reached the semifinals in the 100. She earned NCAA All-American honors indoors in 1997 when she finished seventh in the long jump. Baptiste was voted Missouri State’s Outstanding Female Athlete for 1996-97. She repeated her MVC all-conference honors indoors in 1997, 1998 and 1999 and was an all-league selection outdoors in 1997 and 1999. At the MVC indoor meet in 1998, Baptiste won the 55-meters and the long jump as MSU claimed its first-ever league title. At the 1999 MVC, Baptiste won the 60-meters and long jump and triple jump indoors to lead the Bears to another league title, and added the 100-meters and the long jump crowns outdoors for a total of 17 individual MVC championships in four years. Her places on the Missouri State all-time top performances include second in the indoor 55-meters, third in the indoor 60-meters, first in the indoor long jump, fifth in the indoor triple jump, second in the outdoor long jump and first in the 400-meter relay outdoors.