By Jim Fryar

jfryar@joplinglobe.com

By Jim Fryar

jfryar@joplinglobe.com

Thirteen Missouri Southern athletes have qualified for the national track and field meet, in a total of 15 events.

Pittsburg State will send seven athletes in eight events to the NCAA Division II outdoor natinals on May 24-26 in Pomona, Calif.

Southern has seven qualifiers on the women’s team and six on the men’s team.

“I’m very pleased for the group that’s going,” said Patty Vavra, Southern women’s coach. “It will be a good, busy three days.

“But I’m really disappointed for Jessica Self. It certainly looked like she had a good enough mark to get in.”

Self, a junior from Neosho, ranked No. 17 in the discus. The top 16 were invited to nationals.

“There’s no promise beyond (the top) 16,” Vavra said, “but they took 16 in several events, for whatever reason.”

The Southern women qualified automatically by reaching preset standards in six events. Senior Jessica Selby-Tallman is the national leader in the hammer and is tied for first in the shot put. Sophomore Kimi Shank qualified in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters, junior Kara Eckard in the 3,000 steeplechase and sophomore Jill Weeks in the javelin.

Senior pole vaulters Russell Ellis and Jacob Williams had the only automatic marks for the Southern men.

“We were hoping for nine (qualifiers), but we just didn’t get some people pushed through,” said Tom Rutledge, Southern men’s coach. “Now we can concentrate on those and hopefully score some points. I feel pretty good about the group I have going.”

Added Rutledge: “It will give us a little time to redeem ourselves. We didn’t do as well as we need to do in outdoors (at the MIAA championships, finishing fifth). ... I feel like we should have finished at least third.

“Even though some of them (national qualifiers) are not in the top (rankings), but due to our experience and the way our kids perform at the national meet, I feel good about our chances.”

Both Southern coaches have set the bar high in national expectations.

“There are some great athletes out there,” Rutledge said. “Just making it is a great accomplishment, but we’d like to do something when we get out there.”

Said Vavra: “I think we could be in the top 15, maybe a little higher, if everything fell exactly right. That would be a good goal.

“If, at the national meet, you can produce an equivalent to the mark it took to get you there, you can come out pretty well.”

“I’m very pleased for the group that’s going,” said Patty Vavra, Southern women’s coach. “It will be a good, busy three days.

“But I’m really disappointed for Jessica Self. It certainly looked like she had a good enough mark to get in.”

Self, a junior from Neosho, ranked No. 17 in the discus. The top 16 were invited to nationals.

“There’s no promise beyond (the top) 16,” Vavra said, “but they took 16 in several events, for whatever reason.”

The Southern women qualified automatically by reaching preset standards in six events. Senior Jessica Selby-Tallman is the national leader in the hammer and is tied for first in the shot put. Sophomore Kimi Shank qualified in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters, junior Kara Eckard in the 3,000 steeplechase and sophomore Jill Weeks in the javelin.

Senior pole vaulters Russell Ellis and Jacob Williams had the only automatic marks for the Southern men.

“We were hoping for nine (qualifiers), but we just didn’t get some people pushed through,” said Tom Rutledge, Southern men’s coach. “Now we can concentrate on those and hopefully score some points. I feel pretty good about the group I have going.”

Added Rutledge: “It will give us a little time to redeem ourselves. We didn’t do as well as we need to do in outdoors (at the MIAA championships, finishing fifth). ... I feel like we should have finished at least third.

“Even though some of them (national qualifiers) are not in the top (rankings), but due to our experience and the way our kids perform at the national meet, I feel good about our chances.”

Both Southern coaches have set the bar high in national expectations.

“There are some great athletes out there,” Rutledge said. “Just making it is a great accomplishment, but we’d like to do something when we get out there.”

Said Vavra: “I think we could be in the top 15, maybe a little higher, if everything fell exactly right. That would be a good goal.

“If, at the national meet, you can produce an equivalent to the mark it took to get you there, you can come out pretty well.”