Rushin gains first-team All-American status at Missouri

~ Former Jackson state champ attains national status in the shot put

Jackson High School graduate Jill Rushin unleashed a throw of 55 feet, 2 3/4 inches to place sixth at the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships on Saturday night and gained first-team All-American status.

Rushin, a redshirt junior at the University of Missouri, ranked 14th entering the competition in Alburquerque, N.M., with a season-best throw of 55 5 1/2.

She uncorked her sixth-place throw on her second toss during the preliminaries.

"It definitely is just part of the big picture," Rushin said about gaining All-Ameridan status. "You have a big goal in mind. Like my huge goal is the Olympics, and you just have to take baby steps to get there. And to finally be able to call myself an All-American feels really good. Now I'm just ready to take the next step."

The top eight finishers were rewarded with first-team All-American status.

It was the first time Rushin had qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships. She had placed 14th as a freshman at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

"I had a really good warmup and I stayed focused throughout the competition, just reach my goal," Rushin said. "It felt really good at the end to finally get that goal. Now I'm getting ready to set a new one for the outdoor."

Rushin was a two-time Class 4 state champion in the discus and a state champion in the shot put while at Jackson

Rushin's teammate Kearsten Peoples finished third with a throw of 56 9 1/2.