April 16, 2011

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EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Senior Ben Bishop picked up right where he left off shattering his own school record in the hammer throw to lead the SIUE men's track and field team at the Gateway Classic held at Korte Stadium.

"I was really pleased with the effort," SIUE Head Coach Kareem Jackson said. "Anytime we compete in conditions like this, effort is the biggest thing. I thought our kids did not complain about the cold or the wind and just competed. We train to win regardless of the weather."

Leading the charge for the men was Bishop. He returned to action after an extended layoff to win the hammer throw under the lights Friday night. Bishop's throw of 66.31 meters broke his own school record in the event by nearly two meters. The throw also qualifies Bishop for the Olympic trials in 2012.

On Saturday, the Cougars swept the distance events with junior Marc Amarillas claiming top honors in the 3,000-meter run in a time of 9 minutes, 11.05 seconds. Sophomore Campbell Walters was on the heels of his teammate finishing second (9:16.63). Fellow sophomore Aaron Werths fought through the 10,000-meter race to win in a time of 33:44.43.

Forrest Knight picked up another victory for SIUE winning the 110-meter hurdles in a time of 15.15 seconds. The time was a season-best for the sophomore.

The Cougars added several second-place finishers on the day including a pair from senior Eric Mammoser. Mammoser cleared 4.58 meters in the pole vault and leaped 6.34 meters in the long jump. Fellow senior Andrew Thierry earned second in the triple jump with a mark of 13.83 meters.

Sophomore William Lindsey ran the 400-meter dash in a season-best 50.91 seconds to earn second-place honors while freshman Joshua Thomas ran the 400-meter hurdles in 55.77.

In the shot put, freshman Jamil Mashni picked up second place with a throw of 16.04 meters.

SIUE closed the meet with a victory in the 1,600-meter relay. The four-man team won with a time of 3:25.66.

The Gateway Classic was also showcased the history of the program, as it was Alumni Day for the Cougars. In attendance were former Head Coach John Flamer and school record holder Mike Grandcolas, who served as Honorary Captains for SIUE.

"It was nice to get back here with the team and share my personal experiences with the student-athletes," Coach Flamer said. "I am proud of their success and to be affiliated with SIUE track and field."

Grandcolas shared a similar feeling with his former coach after coming together for the first time in more than 30 years. "This whole weekend was great to be reuniting with old friends and getting the chance to relive some of my best memories," Grandcolas said. "It's nice to be back to a place where I had so many great experiences."

Both men agreed that this was a great weekend and they look forward to getting this opportunity again in the future. Current Head Coach Jackson agreed with their sentiment.

"Having the alumni come back was the highlight of the weekend," Jackson added. "Our athletes got a chance to meet them and gain a relationship with the history of the program."

The current Cougars will remain in Edwardsville for their next meet when they host the Twilight Invitational Friday and Saturday April 22-23 at Korte Stadium.

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