From staff reports
sports@joplinglobe.com
MANKATO, Minn. — It happened again, to the great dismay of Missouri Southern senior Jessica Selby-Tallman.
Sheena Devine came up with the winning throw on her final attempt to beat Selby-Tallman — for the second year in a row — in the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday at Minnesota State-Mankato.
Just like she had a year ago in Boston, Selby-Tallman held the lead entering the final round of competition in the shot put. She improved that margin with a throw of 50 feet, 9 1/2 inches.
But Devine, a Bemidji (Minn.) State senior, launched a throw of 52-2 1/2 to win her second straight national indoor title.
“What a great series of throws Jessica had,” said Patty Vavra, Southern women’s coach. “She opened up with a very nice throw that put her in a great position, But by now, we know that Sheena Divine (also the defending outdoor national champion) has it in her to come up with a big throw.
“Jessica is disappointed, but she competed well. She got beat by a better thrower who is obviously very good in the clutch. ... It was evident those two were the best throwers in the meet.”
Selby-Tallman joined teammates Jacob Williams and Corey Reynolds with second-place finishes in the national meet.
Williams tied for second in the pole vault on Saturday, clearing 16-10 3/4 to match the effort of Missouri Science and Technology junior Jordan Henry.
Southern senior Russell Ellis was sixth in the vault, clearing 16-2 3/4.
A year ago, Williams was fourth in the nation and Ellis was sixth.
“Not a bad day,” said Tom Rutledge, Southern men’s coach. “They both had good series.
“The main thing is getting the kids here and getting them in position. I really feel like, if our other two vaulters (Corey Shumate and Seager Wilson both narrowly missed qualifying for nationals) had been here, they would have scored.”
The Lion men had three national entrants and scored 18 points, including a runner-up finish by Reynolds in the high jump on Friday. Southern finished ninth in the final team standings, tops among MIAA schools.
The Missouri Southern women had nine points and were 19th in the national standings, the best among MIAA schools.
Sophomore Kimi Shank was the only other Southern entrant on Saturday, finishing 11th in the 5,000-meter run.
“Kimi had the flu last weekend and I don’t think she quite came back from that,” Vavra said. “There was a time when she tried to make a move up to the front of the pack, but that was about all the effort she had today.
“These (Jessica and Kimi) are two very good athletes who have high expectations. I think this will only make them stronger with the outdoor season coming up here very quickly.”
Two Pittsburg State earned All-American honors at the meet.
Jeremy Jackson was second — in a virtual photo finish — in the 60-meter hurdles in 7.88 seconds. Jackson was electronically timed in 7.873 seconds to 7.877 for third-place finisher Jarret Eaton of West Chester. Terry Liggins of South Dakota won the race in 7.84 seconds.
Senior Kiley Lund cleared 5-5 in the high jump and earned a three-way share of eighth place. Teammate Emily Middleton cleared the same height, but an early miss was costly in the tie-breaking procedure.
Missouri Southern’s men will send a few individuals to an outdoor meet Saturday at Pittsburg State. The Southern women will compete at Florida State next weekend.
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Selby-Tallman, Williams take second in nationals; Southern men finish 9th
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