SPRINGFIELD - The Missouri State track and field team will begin its challenging indoor schedule on Friday, Dec. 4 at the Bob Timmons Challenge on the campus of Kansas University. This will be the Bears' only meet in 2015 before continuing their indoor season at the Missouri Invitational on Jan. 15.

Things to Know

• The Bears will compete against UMKC, Oral Roberts, and national powerhouse and host Kansas, along with 11 other teams in the co-ed event to kick-off the 2015-16 indoor season. The meet will consist of 13 men's teams and 14 women's.
• A total of 30 student-athletes will compete in Friday's meet for MSU in 16 different events. Six athletes - Savannah Beaver, Asha Cave, Cindy Forde, Alyson Jones, Marissa Kurtimah, and Holly Pattie-Belleli - are projected to be the busiest among all Bears competing in three events apiece.
• Head coach Ronald Boyce returns nine seniors - Oarabile Babolayi, Betsy Borgsmiller, Robiann Broomfield, Cindy Forde, Chelsie Horton, Shavonne Husbands, Holly Pattie-Belleli, Cassandra Schwab, and Tenaly Smith - to the 2016 indoor squad.
• Oarabile Babolayi (Sr., Mosetse, Botswana) broke the school record in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.51 seconds last season and now holds the top-two fastest times at MSU. She will look to continue that trend as she competes in the 60-meter hurdles this weekend along with a leg in the 4x400 meter relay.
• Shavonne Husbands (Sr., St. Philip, Barbados), who broke the MSU 200-meter dash indoor record (23.97) in 2013 will look to continue improving in other events at KU.
• Cindy Forde (Sr., Bridgetown, Barbados) etched her name into the cross country record book this season, becoming the second-fastest 5-kilometer runner at MSU after finishing fifth at the conference meet with a time of 17:14.91. She will look to translate her improvements to her track and field career in her final season.
• Shani Adams (Jr., St. Michael, Barbados) is less than two seconds away from breaking the school record in the 600-meter run after finishing her sophomore campaign with a time of 1:32.26 at the Frank Sevigne Husker Invitational, where the Bears will compete later this season.
• Robiann Broomfield (Sr., Clarendon, Jamaica), the long jump and triple jump standout, will look to improve her distances this season after finishing first on the team in 2014-15 with leaps of 5.96 meters and 12.58 meters, respectively.
• Melanie Raterman (So., Warrenton, Mo.) holds the top-five furthest weight throw distances for the Bears with her best (16.19 meters) coming at the Purdue Fred Wilt Invitational last season.

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