Raven track team competes at Mule Relays

The Red Raven indoor track team competed at the University of Central Missouri Mule Relays on February 7-8.  The Ravens had several notable performances at the meet.

On the women's side, Brandy Simpson, a freshman from Zanesville, Ohio, set a new personal best in the Pentathlon, scoring 2,552 points.  She is currently ranked fourth in the nation.  The top 16 ranked athletes in this event qualify for the Indoor National Meet next month.

Simpson set new personal records in three of the five events.  She set a personal best mark of 1.43 meters(4'8.25") in the high jump.  She also set personal records in the shot put with a throw of 7.01 meters (23') and ran the 800 meters in a time of 2:49.84.

Tarayla Merriweather, a freshman from Radcliff, Ky., set a new personal record in the triple jump with an effort of 11.04 meters (36'2.75"), finishing in second place overall at the Mule Relays.  Merriweather had qualified for the Indoor National Meet at an earlier meet, but this new personal best jump qualified her for the National Outdoor Meet to be held this May in Levelland, Texas.

Demica Robinson, a freshman from Little Rock, Ark., set a new personal record in the 60 meter dash with a time of 8.06 seconds, good for seventh place overall at the Mule Relays.  She also set a new personal record in the 60 meter hurdles with a time of 10.11 seconds.

Crystal Talton, a freshman from Anadarko, Okla, established a personal best time in the one mile run with a time of 6:26.84.  Paola, Kan. freshman Septembra Teuscher set a personal record in the weight throw with a heave of 10.49 meters (34'5").

On the men's side, Rashad Cannon, a freshman from Richmond, Va., took first place in the long jump with a mark of 7.06 meters (23'2").  Cannon also competed in the long jump, jumping a height of 1.76 meters (5'9.25").

DJ Bland, a sophomore from El Dorado Springs, Mo., set a new personal record in the high jump (1.81 meters or 5'11.25") and long jump (6.34 meters or 20'9.75").

West Elk, Kan. freshman Tell Wyrick set a pair of personal records.  Wyrick had a mark in the weight throw of 12.71 meters (41'8.5") and threw the shot put a distance of 12.96 meters (42'6.25").

Owasso, Okla. sophomore Chris Gravley set a personal best time of 2:04.40 in the 800 meters, and Ramon Harris, a sophomore from St. Louis, had a personal best time of 52.70 seconds in the 400 meters.

Dustin Schull, a sophomore from Permberton, Minn., established two personal records.  Schull jumped 5.64 (18'6") meters in the long jump, and he had a time of 9.26 seconds in the 60 meter high hurdles.

Topeka freshman David Tindall, Jr. ran the one mile in a personal best time of 5:29.00.

The 4x800 relay team of Seth Freeman, Gravley, Geoffrey Sygay, and Robert Gault set a current season best time with a composite time of 8:28.04.

"Overall, our men and women are continuing to put up great performances on both the track and in the field events," said Assistant Track and Field Coach Heather Schmidt.  "Our team is really focusing in and working hard as the Region 6 Championships draw near."

The Red Raven track team will compete in Cowley County Snowball meet on Wednesday, February 13, before heading to the Region 6 Indoor Championships to be held February 23-24 in Manhattan, Kansas.