MIAA Champs - Pitt State Men Bring Home Conference Title - KOAM TV 7

MIAA Champs - Pitt State Men Bring Home Conference Title

EMPORIA, Kan. — The Pitt State men's track & field team jumped out to a commanding lead Sunday (May 6) and held on down the stretch to claim the 2012 MIAA Outdoor Championship at Witten Track/Welch Stadium.

The Gorillas ended the six-year reign of Central Missouri as the conference champion by outscoring the Mules 168.5 to 153. Pitt State claimed its eighth all-time MIAA title since joining the league in 1990 -- its first since 2005. Either UCM or Pitt State has won 20 of the last 23 conference outdoor titles.

The Gorillas snared major point totals early in the day in the triple jump and javelin.

Kiara Jones, Keenan Soles and Marquis Cushon went 1-4-6 in the triple jump. Jones captured the MIAA title with a season-best mark of 51 feet, 5.5 inches. Soles went 48-4.75 and Cushon posted a 48-1.75 mark.

In the javelin, Mike Beeler captured his third MIAA title, winning the discipline with a throw of 229-0. Garrett Cantrell placed third (191-4), Calvin Hughes finished fourth (188-7), Derek Base placed sixth (184-11) and Adam Farnow finished eighth (174-11).

The two events netted the Gorillas 43 points -- 25 from the javelin and 18 from the triple jump.

Cody Holland also added a third-place showing in the shot put (53-7.75).

On the track, TJ Mapp and Ben Loats placed fifth (3:57.95) and seventh (3:59.52) in the 1,500 meters. Isbek Salinas finished fifth in the steeplechase (9:33.54), while Talon Thompson placed sixth in the discipline (9:34.54).

Soles added a fifth-place showing in the 100 meters (10.53), while Jordan Peters placed fifth in the 800 meters (1:56.76), Jordan Riffel finished fifth in the 200 meters (21.63) and Adam Volkert placed fifth in the 5,000 meters (15:28.20).

The 1,600 meter relay team of Ryan Ramler, Jason Crow, Randy Mustain and Darius Johnson closed out the meet with a fourth-place finish in 3:17.68.