Southern's Presley, Smith sweep MIAA Women's Track, Field Athlete of the Week honors

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Missouri Southern swept the MIAA Women's Track & Field Athlete of the Week awards this week as announced by the league office today.

Senior Emily Presley was named the MIAA Field Athlete of the Week for the third straight week. Presley continued her dominance in the pole vault as she cleared 4.30 meters (14-1.25) to set a new MSSU record and won the event at the Arkansas Qualifier. The mark is the sixth best in NCAA Division II history, and she holds the top mark in the NCAA standings.

Freshman Kiara Smith was named the MIAA Track Athlete of the Week after she shaved a hundredth of a second off her season-best and posted a provisional qualifying mark of 8.55 in the prelims and an 8.61 in the finals to finish second in the 60-meter hurdles at the Arkansas Qualifier. The prelim time doubled as the third best time in Southern history as she sits at No. 3 in the NCAA standings in the event.

The No. 2 ranked Lions return to Pittsburg State this week for the 2020 Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association Championships on Friday, Feb. 28 through Sunday, March 1.