April 30, 2016
Meet Results | Schedule | MVC Outdoor Championships Info
STARKVILLE, Miss. - The Missouri State track and field team ventured to the campus of Mississippi State to compete in the Jace LaCoste Invitational here Saturday. A group of 18 student-athletes specializing in sprints, jumps, and throwing events represented the Bears in 12 events at the one-day meet.
"We went to Mississippi State to get some work done," commented head coach Ronald Boyce. "After evaluating today's performances we have a great idea of what must be done before our conference championships in two weeks."
Two Bears - Holly Pattie-Belleli and Marissa Kurtimah - captured first-place finishes in their respective events. In a field of 34 competitors, Pattie-Belleli finished first overall in the 100-meter hurdles after crossing the finish line in 13.62 seconds. The junior has recorded the top time on four different occasions in her five attempts in the event this season. Pattie-Belleli's time currently ranks third in the Missouri Valley Conference and 38th in the NCAA West Region.
Kurtimah, the reigning MVC Women's Track Athlete of the Week, continued to shine for the Bears after recording her third first-place finish in the 100-meter dash after clocking in a time of 11.56 seconds in a field of 47 runners. The sophomore's time recorded today would make puts her third in the MVC and 40th in the NCAA West Region. Kurtimah aided in MSU's season-best and league-leading performance in the 4x100-meter relay as the quartet finished first in 45.25 seconds. She finished the day helping the Bears to a second-place finish in the 4x400-meter relay after the squad clocked in a time of 3:41.27.
Three freshmen - Kelli Bowen, Asha Cave, and Olivia Ott - recorded personal best times in the 200-meter dash at the meet. Bowen took over a whole second off of her previous time, showing the most improvement in the event.
On the field side, three Bears tallied top-10 performances in three individual events. Junior Melanie Raterman led the Bears in the javelin and hammer throw to finish fourth and ninth, respectively. Teammate Antonea Carson joined Raterman in the javelin, throwing 32.52 meters to finish ninth. For the fourth time this season, pole vaulter Georgia Richardson cleared a mark that was 3.35 meters or higher in the event, which was good for a ninth-place finish at today's meet.
The Bears have two weeks to prepare for the 2016 MVC Outdoor Track and Field Championships that are set to be held in Terre Haute, Ind. on May 13-15. A total of 12 student-athletes currently hold top-10 spots in the MVC in their respective events.
#MSUBears
