Missouri State standout freshman Leander Ernest had another impressive performance for the Bears at the University of Illinois Health Alliance Classic Saturday in Champaign, Ill. Ernest marked the first individual win for Missouri State this season with complete domination in the 800-meter run.
Ernest won the 800-meter run in a time of 2:11.76, smoking the competition by over four seconds. Claire Duck of DePaul finished second in 2:16.13.
“Leander is proving that the hardest workers become the best performers. She’s run only four races as a Bear and she hasn’t been beaten head to head yet,” noted head coach Ron Boyce.
The Bears had a strong showing in the 3,000-meter run, claiming five top-ten finishes. Carrie Vestal led the way for Missouri State, finishing second in 10:03.76. Chloe Key came in a close third in a time of 10:08.66. Kristin Wolkey and Jamie Vest finish fifth and sixth in times of 10:15.17 and 10:21.56, respectively. Auvia Miller rounded out the top-ten finishers in ninth place, clocking a time of 10:44.57. Staci Nelson also competed in the race for Missouri State and finished 11th in a time of 10:54.94.
MSU's Angelique Stephens recorded a top-five finish for the Bears as she placed fifth in the 400-meter dash in a time of 57.47.
Kim Carter finished sixth in preliminary competition in the 60-meter dash for the Bears, qualifying her for finals where she landed eighth in a time of 7.79. Carter also had a fourth-place finish in the long jump with a personal-best leap of 18-07.25.
Maraneika Goffe recorded the top finish for the Bears in the high jump. M. Goffe cleared a height of 5-3 to earn fifth. Twin sister Zaleika Goffe finished sixth with a height of 5-1.
MSU's Ashley Harris marked a distance of 38-06.25 in the triple jump to record a fourth-place finish. She also added an eighth-place finish in the long jump, marking 16-11.25.
“Our performances show that we are starting to come together as a team. We had notable performances in a number of different areas. Today’s performances should give the team some confidence as we move into the second half of our season,” stated Boyce.
The Missouri State track and field team will be back in competition Fri.-Sat., Feb. 3-4, in Lincoln, Neb., for the University of Nebraska Husker Invitational.
