April 16, 2011

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EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - The SIUE women's track and field team battled through the elements to finish with four event titles at the Gateway Classic held at Korte Stadium Saturday.

"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."

Junior Michelle Higgins earned an event victory for the Cougars with the top mark in the triple jump. Higgins leaped 11.57 meters for the win and later placed third in the 100-meter hurdles (15.28).

Freshman Shannika Vance finished second in the triple jump behind Higgins with a top jump of 11.44 meters. Vance also earned fourth in the long jump (5.30 meters).

Finishing ahead of the freshman in the long jump was senior Valery Taylor. Taylor placed third jumping 5.41 meters.

Also turning in a third-place performance was junior Dana Fischer. Fischer earned the finish clearing 3.05 meters in the pole vault.

Freshman Hilary Conrad sprinted to a victory in the 100-meter dash in a time of 12.76 seconds. Conrad later placed second in the 200 meters in 26.08.

Picking up a title in the 800-meter run was sophomore Elisha Crawley. Crawley surged down the final stretch to win in a time of 2 minutes, 22.35 seconds. Dede Lofton finished second crossing the finish line in a time of 2:26.27.

Freshman Shanice Rice put together a quality day placing in the top four in three events. Rice finished second in the 400-meter dash (1:01.44), third in the 400-meter hurdles (1:09.00), and fourth in the 100-meter hurdles (15.34).

Closing the meet, SIUE won the 1,600-meter relay in a time of 3:56.53.

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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