April 23, 2008

ST. LOUIS - A pair of University of Northern Iowa athletes have swept the Missouri Valley Conference's weekly men's track and field awards, the league announced Wednesday.

 

Junior Tyler Mulder has been named State Farm MVC Men's Track Athlete of the Week, while sophomore Julian Morris earned State Farm MVC Men's Field Athlete of the Week honors.

 

Mulder picked up exactly where he left off following the indoor season, winning the invitational 800 meters at Saturday's John McDonnell Invitational in his return to Fayetteville, Ark., the site of his NCAA championship run in the indoor 800 meters in March.  

 

In his first outdoor 800 of the year, Mulder laid down a blistering time of 1:48.85 to win the race, qualify for the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships and put himself among the national leaders in the event. Mulder's time vaulted him to the top of the MVC performance list in the 800, has him ranked 10th nationally in the event and gives him the third-best time of any Midwest Region competitor.

 

In addition, Mulder also helped the Panthers to an MVC-leading and regional-qualifying time of 3:08.29 in the 4x400 relay that has UNI ranked sixth in the Midwest.

 

Morris, who also qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships, became the first MVC competitor to top the seven-foot mark in the outdoor high jump this season, clearing 7 feet, 1/2 inch to take the top spot Saturday at the John McDonnell Invitational.

 

Morris' leap qualified him for the NCAA Midwest Regional and allowed him to win the event over teammate Ehi Oamen, who posted The Valley's second-best mark of the season at 6-10 3/4 to take runner-up honors.

 

Morris, who also is taking part in spring drills as part of the UNI football team, is tied for 14th nationally in the high jump and is tied for fourth among Midwest Region competitors.

 

Both Mulder and Morris seek to defend titles at the Drake Relays this week, as Mulder was part of the Panthers' winning 4x800 relay team and Morris claimed the high jump crown in 2007.