(WARRENSBURG, Mo.) – With five All-MIAA performances and five individual conference champions, the Central Missouri Mules track & field team claimed the 2013 MIAA Indoor Track & Field Championship.
The Mules edged out Pittsburg State for the team title, collecting 122.5 points compared to the Gorillas’ 106.5.
The Jennies finished third in team standings, collecting 67.5 points, behind Missouri Southern (114) and MIAA champions Lincoln (190.5).
The Jens opened the final day of competition with a solid performance in the high jump. Junior Erin Alewine claimed her second straight MIAA indoor title, and third consecutive overall conference title in the high jump, by clearing the bar at 5′ 8″ (1.73m) and edging out Lincoln’s Sheri Kaye Campbell for the top spot. Freshman Brittany Kallenberger earned All-MIAA status with a third-place result in the high jump as well, clearing 5′ 4.5″ (1.64m).
Alewine picked up more points for the Jennies with her fourth-place finish in long jump, with a mark of 18′ 4.25″ (5.59m).
A pair of Mules earned All-MIAA honors Sunday morning during the field events, freshman Meelis Siimson and senior Zak Thompson. Siimson, who claimed the MIAA triple jump title on Saturday, placed third in the long jump, with a provisional mark of 23′ 2.75″ (7.08m). Thompson, an All-MIAA performer in the weight throw last season, placed third in the event for the second straight season, throwing for a provisional mark of 58′ 9.5″ (17.92m).
After claiming the 5,000-meter title the night before, senior Laban Sialo started the running events on Sunday with a third-place result in the mile run. The Kapsabet, Kenya native ran a 4:14.32 in the mile, before following his All-MIAA run up with a victory in the men’s 3,000-meter run. Sialo earned a provisional time of 8:28.82. With 26 points scored over the three distance races, Sialo earned the MIAA High Point Award for the third straight indoor season.
In the 60-meter hurdles, junior Zoe Sharplin earned her first All-MIAA award in that event, placing second with a time of 8.58 seconds. Her time was the season’s best for the Queensland, Australia native, and currently ranks 12th on the NCAA Division II performance list.
With the Mules and Gorillas tied in team standings after 14 events, a pair of pivotal races came up, and the Mules capitalized. Juniors Ross Lorber and Ryan Mixdorf scored a combined 12 points in the 600-yard run, finishing second and fifth, respectively. Lorber earns his first All-MIAA award with the second-place finish, and the Mules took a narrow lead for the title. In the next race, the 800-meter run, freshman Kellin Loch edged out Lincoln’s Jermaine Blake for the individual title, by just 0.01 seconds. Loch, along with Cole Davis’ seventh-place finish, pushed the Mules to a 104.5-91.5 lead over second-place Pittsburg State.
To cap off the conference title, the Mules 4×440 yard relay team racked up a second-place finish to earn All-MIAA status. The team of Brent Vogel, Kellin Loch, Ross Lorber, andDevin Claypool posted the season’s best time of 3:21.00, earning a provisional mark and placing the Mules 29th on the Division II performance list.
The conference title is the sixth straight for the Mules in the indoor season, eighth of the last nine years, and 18th of the last 21 years.
The Mules and Jennies will now turn to the national stage, as the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships begins in two weeks, in Birmingham, Ala. A two-day event, the NCAA Championships are set to begin on Friday, March 8.