The Missouri State women’s track and field team concluded the 2008 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Championship Sunday May 18, in Carbondale, Ill. The Bears placed sixth overall with 96 team points. Northern Iowa claimed the championship title with 172.50 points. Southern Illinois finished in a close second with 168 points and Illinois State claimed third with 120.50 points. Wichita State, the 2007 champion, took fourth with 188 points and Indiana State placed fifth with 108 points. The Bears outscored Drake and Bradley who earned 24 and eight points, respectively.
Missouri State's 4x400-meter relay team was the highlight of the conference championship meet. Jacqui Lindsey, Yaneika Malcolm, Renna Berry and Leander Ernest captured the conference title and set a new McAndrews Stadium record in the event. Their time of 3:40.45 is an improvement on their previous NCAA qualifying time.
Ernest and Malcolm nearly pulled a sweep of the top two places in the 400-meter dash. Ernest took first with a time of 53.57 while Malcolm was third crossing the line at 54.93, just 0.01 seconds from second place. The times are personal bests for both Ernest and Malcolm. Ernest's mark is a NCAA qualifying performance and moves her to number three on the MSU all-time top performers list.
Asher Kyger claimed third in both the 1500-meters and 800-meters.She posted a time of 4:32.47 in the 1500-meter run and a time of 2:12.63 in the 800-meter race. Teammate Emily Fletcher also competed in the two events. Fletcher captured fifth-place in the 1500-meters with a time of 4:34.75 and took seventh in the 800-meters with a time of 2:16.13.
Ernest was runner-up in the 200-meter dash with a personal best time of 24.10. Courtenee Boulard added a sixth place finish in the event crossing the line at 24.68.
Rashida Allen, Malcolm, Ernest and Boulard were members of Missouri State's 4x100-meter relay team that took fourth-place with a finishing time of 46.90.
Boulard also took seventh in the 100-meter dash with a new personal best time of 12.13.
The lone scorer for the Bears in the field on day three was Shawntee Middlebrook, who took sixth in the triple jump. Her jump of 38' 9.5" is a new personal best.
The Missouri State track and field team will take its regional-qualifying athletes to the NCAA Mid-East Regional Championship on Friday through Saturday, May 30-31, in Fayetteville, Ark.
