COLUMBIA, Mo. - Kimsue Grant's record-setting day and Theresa Brokaw's victory in the 3,000-meter run highlighted the track and field Bears' third-place showing at this weekend's Tom Botts Invitational in Columbia, Mo.
At the 15th running of the Tom Botts Invitational, it was Grant who set the meet's all-time record in the triple jump when she won the event with a 41-06.00 feet mark. The leap was a personal best and puts the sophomore on the fast track to a second straight NCAA Preliminary Round appearance.
The Arlington, Va., native also won the meet's long jump with a length of 18-09.00 feet. She outjumped the second-place finisher by more than a foot.
Her exploits helped the Bears finish the final day (Saturday) just as they did day one (Friday): in third place behind Missouri and Indiana State. MSU, which finished day one in third with 23 points behind Indiana State and Missouri which were tied for first with 55 points, compiled 111 points for the meet.
Host-school Missouri took first with 174, while Indiana State came just behind at 146 points. The Bears were able to edge out five other schools, including MVC foes Northern Iowa and Drake, both of which finished ahead of the Bears at this year's MVC Indoor Championships.
For Brokaw (Sr., Stronghurst, Ill.), it was her first event win as a Missouri State Bear. The Illinois transfer crossed the line in 10:03.58 minutes, seven seconds ahead of her nearest competitor. She was part of a 3,000-meter group that totaled 21 points for the Bears. Brokaw brought in 10, while third-place finisher Emily Beaver's personal best (10:23.37) produced six points and Erin Edwards (Fr., Kansas City, Mo.) placed fourth (10:26.78) to chip in with five points.
It was the second straight strong week for junior Jeláni Kelly. The St. Louis, Mo., native threw a personal best 47-04.25 feet to place fourth in the shot put. She also was fifth in the discus (148-10.00 feet).
It was a good showing across the board with 11 different Bears scoring points. Shantel Llewellyn (Sr., Ajax, Ontario), Sydney Peavy (Fr., Kansas City, Mo.), Kara-Aretha Graham (Sr., London England), Ariel Butzine (So., Lake Villa, Ill.), Ahshane Johnson (Moberly, Mo.), Jordan Bond (So., Normal, Ill.), Kelly and Grant all had at least two top-five event finishes.
The Bears are off next weekend and will next compete at the Kansas Relays, April 20th.
FINAL RESULTS
| Team | Points |
| 1. Missouri | 174 |
| 2. Indiana State | 146 |
| 3. Missouri State | 111 |
| 4. Northern Illinois | 71 |
| 5. SEMO | 70 |
| 6. Central Missouri | 65 |
| 7. Northern Iowa | 52 |
| 8. Drake | 45 |
