LAWRENCE, Kan. – Continuing to improve each week, the Missouri State track and field team combined for nine personal bests in five events between the two meets at the University of Kansas (Jayhawk Classic) and Arkansas State (Arkansas State Invitational) on Friday (Jan. 27).
 
Contending in the pentathlon for the first time in their careers, and first time for a Bear this season, Olivia Ott and Kelli Bowen finished seventh and eighth, respectively, with 3,080 and 2,912 points, respectively. The duo had never competed in the 800-meter dash, high jump and shot put during the indoor season prior to Friday.
 
Newcomer Kayla Fallis won her heat of the 800-meter run, crossing the stripe seven seconds faster than she did last week, with a time of 2:28.36. Freshman Grace Breiten joined her teammate in the winner's circle, by conquering her heat of the mile run with a personal best time of 5:23.31.
 
Jessica Allen, Renae Buschling and Jordyn Capra competed in the longest event of the meet for MSU – the 3,000-meter run – and each improved their time. Buschling showed the greatest amount of improvement, knocking nearly 20 seconds off her previous best time and finishing second in her heat with a time of 11:05.31.
 
In the field, jumper Daijha Heron turned in two season-best distances, finishing fourth in the long jump (5.49 meters) and second in the triple jump (11.65 meters). Throwers Brittany McPike and Melanie Raterman finished third and fourth, respectively, in the weight throw with marks of 15.68 meters and 15.50 meters, respectively.
 
In Jonesboro, reigning MVC Female Track Athlete of the Week, Marissa Kurtimah, finished second in the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.22. Five teammates – Shani Adams, Chicago Bains, Asha Cave, Maya Genard and Taryn Smiley – also competed in the event for Missouri State. Adams and Genard were both able to shave time off their personal best mark, turning in the fourth- and fifth-fastest times, respectively, of any Bear in the event this season.
 
On Saturday (Jan. 28), Bains just missed the finals after finishing ninth in the preliminary round of the 55-meter hurdles with a time of 8.68 seconds. Kurtimah, Cave and Smiley advanced to the final round of the 55-meter dash after finishing third, sixth and seventh, respectively, in the event. Both Kurtimah and Smiley crossed the line in the same order they did during the preliminaries, clocking in times of 7.15 seconds and 7.28 seconds, respectively, while Cave improved to a fourth-place finish with a time of 7.20 seconds. Adams was the only Missouri State student-athlete to compete in the 400-meter dash, darting to a third-place finish in the event with the fastest time of any Bear this season at 56.52 seconds.