EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – For the first time in program history, the SIUE track and field team will travel to compete at the Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Championships this weekend in Charleston, Ill.
Competition is slated to begin at noon Friday and at 10 a.m. Saturday. All events will take place at Eastern Illinois' O'Brien Field.
"We need to do two things to be successful," Head Coach Kareem Jackson said. "We need to execute and we need to be consistent. We've talked about that every week in our team meetings."
The Cougars did not compete last weekend after playing host to the Gateway Classic at Korte Stadium April 20.
Leading the way for the men's team will be sophomore Ahmad Evans, who is the current school record holder in both the 100 meters (10.41) and 200 meters (21.17).
On the women's side, seniors Aftan Noon and Colleen McDonough will hope to put up similar performances as they did at OVC Indoor Championships in February.
McDonough became SIUE's first OVC champion in any event, as she placed first in the women's shot put with a mark of 47 feet, 7.25 inches. Noon placed second in the women's 800 meters (2:15.54), and is the program's current outdoor record holder in the 1,500 meters (4:26.43).
Jackson believes that the team's exposure to OVC Indoor Championships will only help them this weekend.
"At the indoor meet, we were caught up in the championship atmosphere a little bit," Jackson said. "It was a new experience for us, and it took a day to realize that it was just a track meet. That will not be the case this weekend. We're determined, prepared, healthy, and motivated."
This will be the final team meet for SIUE. It will also be another chance for several Cougar athletes to qualify for NCAA West Preliminaries in Austin, Texas May 23-25. To qualify, athletes must be in the top 48 regionally for individual events. The top 24 relays also qualify.
Currently, Evans ranks in the top 48 in the 100 meters and the 200 meters on the men's side. Teammate Darius Smith also ranks in the top 48 in the 100 meters.
