Missouri State University

The Missouri State track and field team continues its streak of State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Track Athlete of the Week honors.  Junior Pasca Cheruiyot was named this week’s Track Athlete of the Week, the third-straight week for the Bears.  Leander Ernest and Alexandria Oembler were the previous recipients this season. 

Cheruiyot achieved the NCAA Provisional mark in the 3,000-meter run last weekend at the Indiana Relays in Bloomington, Ind.  Her time of 9:30.60 is the fastest in the Valley this season.  She also becomes the second-fastest performer in Missouri State school history behind only Casey Owens (9:24.69).  She currently ranks 15th in the nation in the 3,000-meter run this season. 

Cheruiyot is also the fourth-fastest performer in the mile run at Missouri State.  She ran a time of 4:56.26 at the Razorback Invitational two weeks ago.

In her first year at Missouri State, Cheruiyot also won three Athlete of the Week honors for cross country last fall.  The honors were for the week of September 23, October 7, and October 21, 2008.  She holds the Missouri State school record in both the 5K and 6K cross country races with times of 16:57.81 and 20:27.18, respectively.

Cheruiyot and the Bears track and field team will be back in action Friday, February 13 at the Iowa State Classic.  Events will begin at 9:00 a.m. inside the Lied Recreation Center in Ames, Iowa.