JOPLIN, Mo. – The final tune-up meet for the Missouri S&T women's track & field team prior to next weekend's conference meet saw a school record fall for the second week in a row, as Rachel Ederle (St. Louis, Mo./Affton) became the first pole vaulter in Lady Miner history to clear the 12-foot plateau Friday at the Laptad/Williams Invitational at Missouri Southern.

Ederle cleared 12-1 ½ to break the mark she set only a week ago at S&T's home meet, shattering her mark by 2 ½ inches to finish in a tie for sixth place.  After clearing 11-7 ¾ on her final attempt, Ederle made the 12-1 ½ height on her first try before bowing out of the competition at 12-5 ½.

The five who finished ahead of her in the event were either unattached or Division I competitors – three of them from the University of Kansas.

The Lady Miners also got a second place finish from Colleen Conrad (Mogadore, Ohio/St. Vincent-St. Mary's) in the steeplechase in a time of 12:03.76, while Mary Ann Bradshaw (Jackson, Mo./Jackson) finished fourth in the 400-meters in 1:00.08.  Brenda Ellis (Olathe, Kan./Olathe East) finished fifth in the 1,500-meters in 5:12.70 and Lisa Lake (Sapulpa, Okla./Sapulpa) was sixth in 5:18.21.

Christine Schmid had a school record mark of 138-10 to finish sixth in the hammer throw, while Diane Strong (Jackson, Mo./Jackson) came in eighth place and Elizabeth Hinck (Cedarburg, Wis./Living Word Lutheran) in ninth in the 5,000-meter run.  Strong's time in the event was 20:50.04 while Hinck crossed the line in 21:05.07.

Molly Clement (Souderten, Pa./Souderten) ended up in a tie for ninth in the pole vault by matching her seasonal best of 11-7 ¾ and Alyson Smith (Scott Air Force Base, Ill./Mascoutah) finished 10^th in the 800-meters in 2:30.87.

The Lady Miners will be in Rensselaer, Ind., next weekend to compete in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Outdoor Championships that will be hosted by Saint Joseph's College.