MSSU women's track moves to No. 2 in national NCAA Division II rankings

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern State University Women's track and field team moved up two spots in the fourth week of the regular season edition of the NCAA Division II Indoor Track & Field National Rating Index.

The release from the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Tuesday saw the women moved up to No. 2, the highest the women's team has ever been ranked for the indoor portion of the schedule.

Missouri Southern rose two spots and now sit behind the No. 1 Grand Valley State Lakers thanks to three automatic and 17 provisional marks and eight top-10 marks. The pole vault is a favorite for the Lions, as they own three of the top-10 marks in NCAA Division II and have six vaulters ranked in the event.

Emily Presley extended her national lead in the event with a clearance of 4.22 meters (13-10) at the 5th Annual Gorilla Classic this weekend. The mark also stands as the third best in Southern history. Samantha Petry improved to No. 7 after turning in a personal best effort (4.02 meters), while Elena Bisotto is ranked No. 9. Both Presley and Petry have automatic marks.

In the 60-meter hurdles, Kiara Smith turned in the eighth best time of the season to join Cornesia Calhoun-White (No. 3) in the top-10 of the national performance list.

Payton Roberts also holds an automatic qualifying mark in the weight throw as her throw of 15.77 meters (51-9) at the MSSU Lion Open and Multis is ranked No. 2 in the NCAA rankings.

The men, who have stayed steady at No.6 since the Week 1 rankings, have three automatic qualification marks and 11 provisional marks with seven of those in the top-10.

Josh Norville had a huge performance this weekend is No. 2 in the long jump at 7.71 meters (25-3.5). The mark also improved his school record.

Rajindra Campbell is ranked No. 3 in the shot put with a throw of 18.99 meters (62-3.75) with an automatic qualifying mark. The mark, which was set this past weekend in Pittsburg, was a new school record for Southern as he bested the previous record by .49 meters.

Gidieon Kimutai has an automatic qualifying mark in the 5,000-meters as he sits at No. 4 with a mark of 14:03.08.

The Lions will travel to the University of Arkansas for the final tune-up before the 2020 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association Championships, which will be back in Pittsburg on Friday, Feb. 28 through Sunday, March 1.