Track and Field Bears Set to Visit Kansas, Arkansas State

Friday, January 27

Lawrence, KS

All Day

Missouri State University

Jayhawk Classic

Track and Field Bears Set to Visit Kansas, Arkansas State

January 26, 2017 | Women's Track & Field

By: MSU Athletics Communications

SPRINGFIELD – The Missouri State track and field team will divide and conquer this week, when the Bears travel to the Jayhawk Classic (Jan. 27) and Arkansas State Invitational (Jan. 27-28). Field events and distance running will be the primary focus in Lawrence, while a small group of sprinters are set to compete in Jonesboro.

Missouri State Track and Field at the Jayhawk Classic/Arkansas State Invitational
Dates	January 27-28, 2017 - All Day
Locations	Lawrence, Kan. \| Jonesboro, Ark.
Sites	Anschutz Pavilion \| Convocation Center
Meet Information	Schedule of Events (KU) \| Meet Information (ASU)
MissouriStateBears.com	Track and Field Homepage
Connect	@MSUBearsTrackXC \| Bears on Facebook \| Bears on Instagram \| #MSUBears

Keeping Track of the Bears

For the second time this season, Missouri State will have representation at a meet hosted by the University of Kansas, when 23 Bears travel to the Jayhawk Classic on Friday (Jan. 27). Newcomer Sidne' Williamson, jumper Daijha Heron, and throwers Brittany McPike and Melanie Raterman are projected to be the busiest, each competing in two individual events apiece.
A group of six sprinters – Shani Adams, Chicago Bains, Asha Cave, Maya Genard, Marissa Kurtimah and Taryn Smiley – will participate in two individual events apiece at the Arkansas State Invitational. MSU will compete in the 55-meter dash, 200-meter dash, 55-meter hurdles and 400-meter dash.
The Bears have combined for 22 top-five performances going into the third and fourth outings of the 2016-17 season. Four student-athletes – Asha Cave, Daijha Heron, Marissa Kurtimah, and Brittany McPike – have each tallied three top-five performances in their respective individual events.
For the second time this season, Marissa Kurtimah was awarded the Missouri Valley Conference's Female Track Athlete of the Week honor (Jan. 24) after her performance at the Missouri Invitational. Her second-place time of 7.46 seconds moved the Guelph, Canada, native to first in the MVC in the 60-meter dash.
Six Bears – Asha Cave, Daijha Heron, Marissa Kurtimah, Brittany McPike, Melanie Raterman, and Erin Roebuck – currently sit in the top-10 in the MVC in their respective events. The top-eight finishers at the indoor conference meet, hosted by UNI in February, will contribute points to each team's total.
Director of track and field and cross country, Ronald Boyce, enters his 21^st season at the helm in 2016-17. In his time at MSU, his indoor and outdoor track and field teams have claimed nine Missouri Valley Conference Championships and have been Valley runners-up six times.
The Bears return five letterwinners – Shani Adams, Marissa Kurtimah, Asha Cave, Kadisha Francois and Daijha Heron – from last season's indoor squad. This group of student-athlete combined for 21 top-five finishes during the 2015-16 indoor season in their respective individual events.
Three 2016 All-Missouri Valley Conference performers return to the indoor squad, including Marissa Kurtimah, who broke the MSU school record in the 60-meter dash for the third and final time last season at the conference championships with a winning time of 7.37 seconds.