May 15, 2016
Final Results | Roster | National Rankings
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The 2016 Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships came to a close Sunday, as the Missouri State track and field team added 86 points to its team total on the final day to finish fifth overall with 100.5 points. This was the first time since 2009 that the Bears scored over 100 points at the outdoor championships.
Wichita State, the pre-championship favorite, battled it out with UNI but ultimately topped the Panthers' 133 points by recording 155.5 points of their own. Southern Illinois finished third in the standings with 117 points, while the Illinois State Redbirds edged MSU with 107.5 points. Indiana State (70), Drake (59.5), Bradley (52), and Loyola (23) rounded out the rest of the results on the women's side.
Shining bright for the Bears at this year's championships was sophomore sprinter Marissa Kurtimah, who clocked in top performances in the 100-meter dash and 200-meter dash with times of 11.34 seconds and 23.38 seconds, respectively. For the second consecutive year, Kurtimah earned All-MVC laurels in the 200-meter dash while collecting honors for the first time in the 100-meter dash and as a member of the 4x100-meter relay team. Kurtimah becomes the second Bear to win the 100-meter dash and the third champion in the 200-meter dash in the last five years for MSU.
For the third time in four years, Shavonne Husbands collected All-MVC accolades in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, and as a member of the 4x100-meter relay squad. Husbands finished behind teammate Kurtimah in both individual events while aiding in the season-best performance by the 4x100-meter relay team. The senior has also earned all-conference recognition from the league all four years for her key role in the 4x400-meter relay.
After finishing seventh at the championships in the 100-meter hurdles a season ago, Holly Pattie-Belleli darted to a second-place finish with a time of 13.36 seconds in the event this year to add eight points to the MSU team total and gather All-MVC laurels. Pattie-Belleli is the first 100-meter hurdler to finish in the top-three for MSU since 2006, when Tracy Partain won the event in a time of 13.38 seconds, a school record that Pattie-Belleli broke earlier this season.
The 4x100-meter relay quartet of Asha Cave, Husbands, Kurtimah, and Pattie-Belleli collected gold medals after recording a season-best time of 45.19 seconds in the event, beating out the second-place team by over a second. This is the third time in five years that MSU has clocked in the winning time in the event.
Cave was the lone freshman to advance to Sunday's finals in her respective events for MSU where she finished eighth in both the 100-meter dash (12.07 seconds) and 200-meter dash (25.32).
Adding four points to MSU's team total was Kadisha Francois, who advanced to Sunday's 400-meter dash finals after clocking in a personal best time of 55.78 seconds in Saturday's prelims. The sprinter shaved more time off her personal best on Sunday after finishing fifth with a time of 55.28 seconds.
A personal best time of 59.23 seconds in the 400-meter hurdles guided Shani Adams to a fourth-place showing, while teammate Oarabile Babolayi's time of 1:00.26 and fifth-place finish, added nine points to the MSU team total. Nine additional points came from triple jumpers Daijha Heron and Robiann Broomfield who took fourth and fifth, respectively, with leaps of 12.22 meters and 12.18 meters, respectively.
For the fifth consecutive year, MSU's 4x400-meter relay tabbed all-conference recognition after the team of Adams, Francois, Husbands, and Pattie-Belleli recorded the second-fastest time in the event with a 3:43.48 to close the championships.
Final Women's Team Scores:
Wichita State - 155.5
Northern Iowa - 133
Southern Illinois - 117
Illinois State - 107.5
Missouri State - 100.5
Indiana State - 70
Drake - 59.5
Bradley - 52
Loyola - 23
To qualify for the 2016 NCAA West Region Preliminary Championships in Lawrence, Kan., student-athletes will have to rank in the top-48 in the nation for an individual event and top-24 for a relay event. The most up-to-date rankings can be found at TFRRS.org. The first round of the championships will be held May 26-28. All qualifying performances must be achieved by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 18.
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