Dec. 4, 2011

Complete Results

CARBONDALE, Ill. - Freshman Jatavia Wright won the 60-meter hurdles to lead the SIUE women's track and field team in its indoor season-opener Saturday at the Saluki Fast Start.

The Miami, Fla., native's winning time of 8.68 seconds was the second fastest all-time at SIUE. She edged SIU Carbondale's Malaikah Love by .02 seconds for the individual title.

"Overall, it was a good meet," SIUE Head Coach Kareem Jackson said. "For us it was an opportunity to see where we are now after fall training, which can become tough and sometimes a stale routine."

Junior Michelle Higgins had an impressive start to her season in the jumps placing fourth in the triple jump (37 feet, 5.75 inches) and sixth in the long jump (17-10.75).

Wright also turned in a top-five performance in the triple jump with a leap of 37-2.25 earning fifth place.

"We as a coaching staff are all very pleased with how the team competed, and handled different adversities throughout the day," Jackson added.

Junior Kaya Senaya returned to action for SIUE after redshirting last season with a second-place finish in the 400-meter dash and reached the finals in the 60-meter dash.

"With final exams and Christmas break coming up, this will provide all of our athletes a chance to reflect and recommit to the task at hand," Jackson said. "We will continue to work hard over the next cycle of training in preparation for a tough indoor schedule."

The Cougars return to action after their extended layoff at the Holiday Inn Invitational hosted by the University of Nebraska Jan. 13-14.

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