[Women's Track & Field] Third award for Higgins; Kane qualifies for nationals

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Jenna Higgins made it 3-for-3 this week. The sophomore all-American won the javelin for the third straight meet and garnered Midwest Collegiate Conference Women's Field Athlete of the Week honors for the third time in as many weeks for the Mustangs.

Higgins, who has hit the NAIA's automatic qualifying standard for the national meet in three straight meets, won the javelin at the Jim Duncan Invitational on Saturday at Drake Stadium. Her top throw was 134'-8", which ranks sixth in school history. She owns the top six throws all-time and nine of the top 10.

Junior Jacqueline Kane, an NAIA indoor track & field all-American in the 600 meter run this winter, set a school record and qualified for the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in a third-place finish in the 400 meter hurdles. Her time was 1:04.43, besting Meredith Vander Zee's previous mark, set in 2004, by just over a second.

Higgins and Kane teamed up with senior Beth Ripperger and sophomore Shelby Daisy to post the third-fastest time in school history in the 4x400 meter relay. They finished in 4:06.64, less than a second behind the second-best time and about seven seconds off the school-record pace.

Sophomore Larissa Wilden, Higgins, junior Cortni Kooi and senior Janae Rosien recorded the seventh-fastest time in school history in the 4x100 meter relay (:49.15). Wilden added the seventh-best pace in the 200 meter dash (:26.53), while Ripperger ran the eighth-fastest time in school history in the 800 meter run (2:19.48).

Senior

Kelsey Hansen had another strong performance in the hammer throw. She was 12th at the Jim Duncan Invitational with the fourth-best toss on Mount Mercy's all-time list. Hansen's throw was 145'-3", about seven feet off the school-record distance she produced at the Cornell Invitational on April 9.?