ST. LOUIS — On Friday (Dec. 1), junior track star Mia Reed participated in her first track and field event of the 2023 season at Purdue Northwest's inaugural Collegiate Opener where she took third place and received an NAIA 'A' standard in the women's 3,000-meter event. 

Reed raced against fierce competitors from teams including St. Francis (NCAA DI) and Purdue Northwest (NCAA DII) in the scenic Chicago, Ill. She also finished with a fantastic time of 10:13:62. 

The Missouri Baptist University Women's Track and Field team also participated in the first events of the season this past Saturday (Dec. 2) in Davenport, Iowa.

The Spartans competed with intensity in six events, ranging from the women's 60-meter dash to the women's pole vault.

Freshman Hannah Heirs made waves at the invitational. She earned third place in both the 60-meter dash and the 200-meter dash. She also took fourth place in the 300-meter dash.

In the 200-meter dash, junior Laine Cottrell ran an impressive time of 27:75 and placed fourth out of 15. 

Junior Alaina Scott showed out in the women's pole vault competition. She landed at second place out of 10, and she vaulted 3.35m. 

Other notable performances: 
Women's 200-Meter Run: Aliyah Sanders (29:13) - 11th place 
Women's 600-Meter Run: Ashley Grothaus (2:13:06) - second place 
Women's 60-Meter Hurdle: Brianna Sansoucie (11:06) - sixth place

Seeing the talent and heart on this team displayed at the competitions, the Spartans anticipate a successful and exciting 2023 season.

MBU will race again on Friday (Dec. 8) at the Indiana Early Bird in Bloomingdale, Ind. 

Stay updated, and follow this link to the MBU Women's Track and Field schedule: https://mbuspartans.com/sports/womens-track-and-field/schedule (https://mbuspartans.com/sports/womens-track-and-field/schedule)