Missouri State University

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - The Track and Field Bears showed little rust as they returned from a winter hiatus to earn eight top-five finishes while dealing with tough running conditions in their 2010 outdoor season debut Saturday, March 27, at the Razorback Spring Invitational.

Heavy wind, light rain and a low temperature could not stop the Bears, especially Jeláni Kelly (St. Louis, Mo.) who came back with a bang. The sophomore earned a second-place finish in the shot put (44-04.00) and a third-place finish in the discus (142-07.00). Her shot put mark beats her outdoor personal best by more than four feet, and makes her Missouri State's fifth all-time performer in the event.

Freshman Cheyenne Stewart (Christ Church, Barbados) did a great job filling the big shoes left by Mareneika Goffe's graduation, as she won the high jump with a 5-05.00 mark. She beat her indoor personal best by two inches in her first collegiate outdoor competition.

Fellow freshman Kimsue Grant (Arlington, Va.) is becoming a triple jump extraordinaire. On the heels of her third-place finish at the MVC Championships, earning her all-MVC honors, Grant jumped 38-00.00 to finish third at the invitational.

The Bears enjoyed two top-five finishes in the 100-meter dash courtesy of Shantel Llewellyn (Jr., Ajax, Ontario) and Jodiann Walker (So., Montego Bay, Jamaica). Llewellyn won her heat and finished second overall, running in 12.25, while Walker, the 60-meter dash champion at the MVC Indoor Championships, finished fifth overall at 12.37, matching her personal best.

Rashida Allen (Jr., Montego Bay, Jamaica) finished just behind Walker with a 12.53 time, and added another sixth-place finish (24.65) in the 200-meter dash.

All-MVC indoor performer Staci Nelson (Sr., Chatham, Ill.) led the distance group with a second-place finish in the 1,500-meter run, finishing just behind former Missouri State runner Asher Kyger, who ran unattached. Nelson's 4:37.69 time sets a new career best by nearly six seconds.

The 4x100 relay team of Allen, Walker, Grant and Llewellyn round out the top-five finishes by finishing third with a time of 47.75.

The Bears' next meet will be the Joey Haines Invitational in Cape Girardeau, Mo. It is a two-day meet that will run April 2-3.