May 10, 2008 11:56 pm
—
From staff reports
sports@joplinglobe.com
EMPORIA, Kan. — Missouri Southern pole vaulter Jacob Williams earned an automatic berth in the NCAA Division II Outdoor Nationals with a 16-foot, 6-inch vault on Saturday at the Emporia State Twilight Qualifier.
Williams joins teammate and fellow senior Russell Ellis on the short list of athletes who have met the D-2 automatic qualifying standard.
Erica Culver, another Southern senior, fell short of the women’s automatic standard. But her 12-4 vault puts her in position to still qualify for nationals, MSSU women’s coach Patty Vavra said.
Williams and Culver were the only Southern athletes to wade through a storm-swept day at Emporia and improve their national standing.
“It wasn’t a great day to run,” said Southern men’s coach Tom Rutledge. “It was just pouring rain.”
The Lions were coming off a draining, two-day performance in the MIAA Championships.
“It’s tough to come back and have that same kind of (competitive) emotion the weekend after the conference meet,” Vavra said.
“It’s nice that Erica improved to that height, being a senior. She’s really struggled to get there (this spring).”
The Southern women have automatic national qualifiers in senior Jessica Selby-Tallman (hammer and shot put), junior Kara Eckard (3,000 steeplechase) and sophomores Kimi Shank (5,000 and 10,000 runs) and Jill Weeks (javelin).
Bids by senior Alison Walker, in the 800, and sophomore Courtney Waltbillig, in the 3,000, were washed away Saturday.
Walker was on course to lower her 800 time midway through the race, but couldn’t sustain the pace in a driving rain, Vavra said. Waltbillig withdrew from the 3,000 at the midway point after falling off her intended qualifying pace.
Division II coaches must make their declarations — which events athletes plan to enter — by Monday. National qualifiers will be announced late Tuesday.
The national meet is scheduled May 29-31 in Pomona, Calif.
Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.