KEARNEY, Neb. (May 15, 2021) - Central Missouri sent a handful of athletes to compete at the Loper Twilight Saturday night. Mules and Jennies tried to improve their status before entries are selected for the national meet next week.

Throws
• Ashlan Burton improved her standing in a pair of events. She won the shot put throwing 52-4, an outdoor personal-best. Burton was already an automatic qualifier in the event and ranked third in the country. Burton's biggest improvement though came in the discus. She threw 165-5 to finish second, moving up in the national rankings.
• Burton wasn't the only Jennie improving in the discus. Alisha Straws improved by nearly four feet throwing 165-9 to win the event. The throw is a personal best and fourth all-time at UCM. Those throws put Straws right around No. 10 in the country heading into the week. They were between 15th and 20th entering the meet.
• Addison Snowball threw the discus for the Mules. He had a fourth place finish with a new personal-best 173-2. Snowball was also on the bubble entering the meet and improved by two inches.
• Rachael Molloy had a top-three finish in the hammer throw. She was third at 179-7. 
• Hepthathlete Kayla Goodwin competed in the javelin and shot put. She was 10th in both events throwing 36-8.5 in the shot and 113-10 in the javelin. 

Distance
• Lilian Busienei broke throw in the 3,000m steeplechase setting a personal-best by more than seven seconds. She ran 10:42.21 to win the event. That time would boost her from 18th to 12th in the country entering the weekend.

Relays
• The Jennies 4x400m relay team finished out the night with a season-best time. The team of Alex Foote, Hope Thiel, Laia Gonzalez and Destiney Nash ran 3:45.30 which was third in the event and fourth all-time in Jennies history. That time would move them into the top-10 nationally entering the weekend. 

Sprints/Hurdles
• Laia Gonzalez was the winner in the 100m hurdles. She ran 14.11 which isn't an improvement on her season best.
• In the 110m hurdles, Garrett Francis was seventh running 15.38.
• Antonio Lay ran the 200m dash for the Mules. He took third running 21.43.

Jumps
• Cassie Jennings set a personal-best in the pole vault. She cleared 13-3.75 which is the top non-automatic qualifying jump in Division II. 
• UCM had three compete in the men's vault. Vincent Hobbie set a season-best for the second straight week, winning the event at 17-6.25. He had already automatically qualified for nationals. Tying for third were Reagan Ulrich and Jack Hodge at 16-10.75. That mark is a personal-best for Hodge. All three are ranked in the top-10 in Division II. 
• Hannah VanBuskirk placed fifth in the high jump clearing 5-4.25.
• Jesse Miller took fifth place in the triple jump with a mark of 48-6.25. 

There's another Loper Twilight meet tomorrow afternoon which UCM will also compete in.