ST. JOSEPH – Phil Thompson will make history March 9 when the senior track and field athlete becomes the first-ever Griffon to represent Missouri Western at the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Thompson’s provisional 49-5 triple jump at the Graduate Classic on Jan. 12 held up and got him into the national championships. He won’t have to adjust to a new runway with the championships being held in Pittsburg, Kan. The Griffons competed there several times this year including Thompson’s fifth place finish in the triple jump at the MIAA Championships last week.

The jump that got Thompson into the championships was fourth best in the MIAA this season and 14th best in all of Division II this season. While it’s the first-ever appearance for a Griffon at nationals, it isn’t Thompson’s. He finished 12th in the triple jump last year as a member of the St. Joseph’s College track and field team.

This year’s national championships will be held March 9 and 10 at the Robert W. Plaster Center on the campus of Pittsburg State University. Heat sheets will be released by March 5.

— MWSU Athletics —