Missouri State University

The Missouri State track and field team concluded Saturday’s day one of the Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Track and Field Championship, in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The Bears’ finished the day with a record setting performance in the distance medley relay and six MSU athletes qualified for Sunday’s finals.

Emily Fletcher, Yaneika Malcolm, Leander Ernest and Asher Kyger captured first-place in the distance medley relay, setting a new Missouri Valley Conference Championship meet record with a time of 11:43.16.

Junior Carrie Vestal took third in the 5000-meter run clocking a time of 17:37.59, while teammate Jamie Vest claimed eighth with a time of 17:53.11.

MSU’s Cortenee Boulard finished seventh in preliminary competition in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.77 and will compete in the final competition in tomorrow’s conclusion of the championship.

Leander Ernest took second in the 800-meter preliminary race in a time of 2:13.64 and will look for a gold medal at Sunday’s finals. Kyger placed eighth in the prelimary race with a time of 2:13.93.

The Bears had two athletes qualify for tomorrow’s finals in the 400-meter race, Jacqui Lindsey placed eighth with a time of 57.81 and Malcolm took ninth with a time of 57.85 in the preliminary.

In the 60-meter hurdles, Alexandria Oembler finished seventh in the prelimary competition with a time of 8.80.

Shawnte Middlebrook rounded out the individual top-ten finishes for the Bears with a 5th-place finish in the long jump, marking a distance of 18’8".

The Missouri Valley Conference track and field championship concludes Sunday, Mar. 2, with events set to begin at 10:30 a.m.