SPRINGFIELD - The Missouri State track and field team will close out the 2016 indoor season at the Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship this weekend at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The women's weight throw will begin field events on Saturday at 1:15 p.m. while the triple jump will start at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday. Track events will begin on Saturday with the one-mile run preliminaries at 4 p.m. unless 60-meter hurdles and 60-meter dash preliminaries are needed then track events will begin at 3 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., respectively. On Sunday, the one-mile run finals will start track events at 1:25 p.m.

Keeping Track of the Bears

• Missouri State was picked by league coaches to finish fifth at the indoor championship, the league announced Wednesday. The Bears were projected as fourth-best in the preseason poll.
• A total number of 19 student-athletes are projected to compete for the Bears in 12 individual events. MSU will also have a distance medley relay team and a 4x400-meter relay team competing.
• For the first time, the two-day championship will be carried on The Valley On ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app.
• During the indoor season, eight individuals have raced to first-place finishes 12 times in 10 different events. Marissa Kurtimah has the most with three first-place finishes in two events - the 60-meter dash preliminaries on two different occasions and the finals. Cindy Forde (one-mile run and 3,000-meter run) and Robiann Broomfield (triple jump and long jump) each have two apiece.
• A total of 25 personal bests have been collected this season by 14 student-athletes. The 200-meter dash, 400-meter dash, one-mile run, shot put, and weight throw have seen the most improvement for the Bears with three individuals recording personal bests in each of those events.
• Senior Holly Pattie-Belleli has tallied the most personal bests this season, recording personal best marks in six events - 60-meter hurdles, long jump, 200-meter dash, 400-meter dash, high jump, and total pentathlon points.
• The top-eight finishes in each individual event at the conference meet will be accounted for in the final score. First place receives 10 points, second place collects eight, and the pattern will continue (10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1).
• Nine student-athletes currently sit in the top-8 spots in the MVC in six individual events. Oarabile Babolayi, Marissa Kurtimah, and Holly Pattie-Belleli hold a top-8 position in two individual events. Both the 4x400-meter relay and the distance medley relay are sitting at the second- and fifth-best times in the conference, respectively.
• The track at the UNI Dome is a 200-meter track that is not banked. The 200-meter dash, 400-meter dash, and all distance events will have converted times at the conclusion of the championship.
• To qualify for the 2016 NCAA Indoor Championships, student-athletes will have to rank in the top-16 in the nation for an individual event and top-12 for a relay event.

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