Setting the Scene

The NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships return to Pueblo, Colo. for the second consecutive season, as the Mules and Jennies will send a total of 12 athletes to compete for a national championship. Central Missouri had a pair of strong team performances at last year's Championships, as the Jennies finished fourth in the team standings, and the Mules came home in 15th.

Watch the Championships LIVE
Throughout the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, a live webcast will be available each night at www.NCAA.com. The webcast will be available for free on all three days of competition.

Live results will also be posted on www.PTTiming.com; results for Central Missouri's athletes can also be found by following the Mules and Jennies on Twitter, @UCMMULES.

USTFCCCA All-Central Region Team

Ten Mules and five Jennies were selected as members of the All-Central Region Team by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association last week. Seniors Dalton Moberly and Brent Vogel, along with freshman Kellin Loch, earned All-Region honors in two events.

Moberly posted the second-fastest time in the Central Region in both the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters this season; The senior posted a time of 14:26.68 to place third at the Washington University Invite back in March. The next month, Moberly posted a season-best time of 30:25.74 in the 10,000 meters at the Mount SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif. The Kearney, Mo. native earned All-MIAA honors in both races, and won his first conference title, taking first in the 5,000 meters.

Vogel recorded the highest decathlon score in the Central Region, and the second-highest in Division II this season, winning the Texas State Bobcat Open with a score of 7,274 points. Vogel will compete at the Championships as the reigning indoor heptathlon champion, as well as the 2011 national champion in the decathlon. Vogel also earned All-Region honors as a member of the Mules' 4x400m Relay team, which posted the second-fastest time in the region, placing sixth at the Drake Relays in a time of 3:10.39.

In his first year of competition, Loch earns a pair of All-Region nods, in both the 800 meter run as well as the 4x400 meter relay. Loch's winning time of 1:50.16 at the UCM Mule Relays stands as the fastest time in the 800 meters in the region. The Warrensburg native claimed MIAA titles in the 800 during both indoor and outdoor seasons, and will make his first appearance at the NCAA Championships on Friday.

Five other Mules earned All-Region honors in individual events, including senior Carl McCargo (Javelin), junior Devin Claypool (High Jump), and freshmen Cole Davis (800 meters), Meelis Siimson (Long Jump) and Chris Swearingin (Javelin). Senior Khaldon Evans and freshman Daniel McCarty also earned spots on the All-Region team as members of UCM's 4x400 meter relay team that will compete at the NCAA Championships.

For the Jennies, three heptathletes earned All-Central Region honors, led by junior Zoe Sharplin. The Wurtilla, Australia native is one of just five athletes in Division II this year to surpass the 5,000-point mark, recording 5,069 points and winning the MIAA championship for the first time in her career. Sharplin will look to earn her first national title, entering the NCAA Championships with the third-best score during the regular season.

Junior Erin Alewine posted a season-high score of 4,914 points at the Emporia State Open Multis. The defending national champ in the indoor pentathlon will miss the outdoor championships due to injury, but posted the second-highest score in the region, and 13th-highest in Division II this year. Freshman Victoria Jackson also was named an All-Region honoree after last week's 4,869-point performance at Oklahoma Baptist. Jackson also earned a berth into the heptathlon field at the NCAA Championships, with the 15th best score in the country.

Field athletes Mary Riley (Javelin) and Brooke Swearingin (Discus) also earned a spot on the All-Region Team after posting the Central Region's second- and fifth-best marks in their respective events.

Vogel named Ken B. Jones Finalist
Central Missouri senior Brent Vogel has been named a finalist for the 20th annual Ken B. Jones Award, given to the conference's top male and female student-athletes, announced the league office on Tuesday. The winners will be announced during the MIAA Award Ceremony on June 6 at the Kansas City Public Library-Plaza Branch.

Vogel was the Vernon Kennedy Award winner as Central Missouri's top male senior student-athlete. He is a two-time national champion in track & field for UCM winning the 2011 decathlon national championship and the 2013 pentathlon title. He was named the 2013 USTFCCCA Central Region Field Athlete of the Year and the 2013 USTFCCCA National Field Athlete of the Year. He is a seven-time All-American and an eight-time MIAA Champion. He has a 3.77 grade point average in biology, is a USTFCCCA All-Academic Award winner and is an MIAA Scholar-Athlete having at least a 3.5 GPA and having earned All-conference honors.