Two months ago Jaclyn Sill, Connie Phillips and Dustin Andrews had to sit out the MIAA indoor championships.
Sill and Phillips, both fifth-year seniors, were conserving their eligibility. Andrews was starting for the ESU basketball team. All three should be key contributors this weekend at the MIAA outdoor championships as the Hornets look to improve on their indoor results.
The men finished second at the indoor meet, their best finish since 1998. With Andrews joining the team as a contender for the high jump title, the men should be in the mix with Central Missouri and Pittsburg State to win the team championship.
Andrews and fellow high jumper Alex Pyle are both ranked second in the MIAA entering the meet. The two teammates have traded off this season as the team’s best jumpers.
Pyle, who also played basketball this year, won the indoor league title with a jump of 2.05 meters. Andrews said they’re both hoping to jump 2.10 meters this weekend.
“Both of us are kind of disappointed with how this year’s been going at 2.05,” Andrews said. “We want to go higher than that. We kind of flip-flop every meet, which is kind of fun. It kind of puts a little competition between us besides the meet itself.”
The ESU women finished sixth at the indoor meet but should move up with contributions from Sill and Phillips.
Sill is a two-time champion in the 400 meters and has the best time in the conference this season after running the 400 in 55.77 seconds last weekend.
“I would love to three-peat,” Sill said. “That would be awesome. I’ve got my work cut out for me though. There’s a lot more competition in the conference this year than there was last year. A lot of girls are running fast and adding Nebraska-Omaha changes things too. Plus, on our own team, we’ve got some really talented long sprinters. It’s not going to be an easy go at it.”
For Phillips, she might have a tougher time winning the javelin. She’s ranked ninth in the nation but only third in the MIAA. Even if she finishes third, she’ll add points that the Hornets did not get at the indoor meet.
“Indoor we didn’t have any seniors on the team and now Connie Phillips and I are both back as five-year seniors on the outdoor team,” Sill said. “We’re both looking to make a big contribution that we weren’t able to make in indoor because we didn’t have any eligibility left. I think we’re a stronger outdoor team than indoor.”
Other athletes expected to make big contributions for the ESU women include Katie Mona and Brooke Kent. Mona, a freshman, will run the 1,500 meters, the 3,000 meters and will also run in the 1,600-meter relay with Sill, Jacquelyn Jacobs and Tiffany Baum.
Kent has already scored two points for the Hornets with a seventh-place finish in the heptathlon. She’ll also be competing in the long jump, high jump, 100-meter hurdles, 100 meters, 200 meters and the 400-meter relay.
The ESU men have several athletes who should contend for conference titles.
Josh Honeycutt, the top triple jumper in the nation, is the heavy favorite in the triple jump and should also contend in the long jump. Vincent Howze is ranked first in the league in the 400-meter hurdles. Sam Williams should be near the top of the league in the 100 meters and 200 meters, and Williams will also team with Derwin Hall, Josh Schuler and Kenton Longberger on the MIAA’s top 400-meter relay team.
The MIAA meet starts on Saturday at 1 p.m. and finishes on Sunday at Missouri Southern.