ST. LOUIS – Missouri State's Jessica Haney was named Missouri Valley Conference Field Athlete of the Week, the league announced Wednesday (April 14).
 
She becomes the first MSU athlete to garner a conference weekly award this outdoor season after teammates Brooke Jenkins (Feb. 24) and Madison Meredith (Feb. 17) each earned an athlete of the week honor during the Bears' indoor campaign.
 
Haney (So., Lee's Summit, Mo.) made quick work of the high jump field at the Gorilla Classic on Sunday (April 11), winning the event on her first attempt of the afternoon (1.66m) before going on to clear the bar at the 1.76-meter mark (5-09.25).  The title-clinching jump sits as the third-best mark in program history just 0.01 meters behind the MSU record (1.77m) set by Heather McFadden (1994) and Mandy Scott (1995). 
 
Her 1.76m clearance, which stands atop the MVC performance list, is tied for 16th in the NCAA West Region and tied for 27th among all Division I high jumpers.
 
Competing in her first outdoor season after last year's cancelation, Haney has won event titles in back-to-back competitions after coming in first at the Joey Haines Invitational on April 3 in MSU's season-opening meet.
 
Missouri State heads to Central Missouri's Mule Relays on Friday, April 16 with the one-day meet scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. in Warrensburg, Mo.