JOPLIN - Three area athletes had second-place finishes last Friday in the Bill Williams/Bob Laptad Invitational, hosted by Missouri Southern.
Missouri Southern senior Allie Heckemeyer recorded five top-eight finishes at the meet.
Heckemeyer (St. Elizabeth High School) took second in the women's triple jump, posting a distance of 40 feet, 10.25 inches, which is a provisional mark for the NCAA Division II national championships.
She also finished fourth in the high jump (5-3.5), fourth in the 4x400-meter relay (3:59.36), sixth in the 100-meter hurdles (15.42 seconds) and eighth in the long jump (18-2.25).
Central Missouri senior Amy Dorge had a trio of top-eight finishes.
Dorge (Blair Oaks High School) came in second place in the women's hammer throw, posting a provisional-qualifying mark of 177-0.
She added a pair of seventh-place finishes in the discus (136-1.5) and in the shot put (42-9.75).
Missouri S&T senior John Karsten also had three top-eight finishes at the meet in throwing events.
Karsten (Blair Oaks High School) took second place in the men's hammer throw with a distance of 186-4, which is a provisional-qualifying mark for the national championships.
In his other events, Karsten took seventh place in both the discus (157-2.75) and in the shot put (53-10.5), the latter being a provisional-qualifying mark.
Southwest Baptist freshman Rachel Holt (Jefferson City High School) tied for third place in the women's open pole vault event, clearing a height of 10-10.
Southwest Baptist sophomore Drake Wilkerson (St. Elizabeth High School) also had a third-place finish for the Bearcats, helping the 4x400 to a time of 3:20.84. Wilkerson also placed 12th in the 400-meter dash with a time of 51.54 seconds.
Drury freshman Brendan Bena (Jefferson City High School) came in ninth place in the men's 1,500-meter run in a time of 4:06.73, while Missouri S&T junior Tori Bonnot (Jefferson City High School) took 12th in the women's 1,500 in 4:57.85.
Missouri Southern sophomore Gabriel Hill (School of the Osage High School) took 13th place in the women's 5,000-meter run with a time of 20:19.66.
Central Missouri freshman Emma Albertson (Helias High School) placed 19th in the women's discus (108-6.75) and 20th in the shot put (35-4.5).