Complete Results
CHARLESTON, Ill. – SIUE men's and women's track and field teams finished third and seventh, respectively, at the Ohio Valley Conference Indoor Championships Saturday.
The men's team finished with 115 total points, finishing behind Southeast Missouri (181) and Eastern Illinois (169.5).
The women's team compiled 43 points. Eastern Illinois was crowned the champion with 132.5 points.
"I'm proud of the entire team," said Head Coach Eileen McAllister. "We saw tremendous progress overall."
Day two of the meet was filled with several athletes scoring points for the Cougars, including a first-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles from LaDonna Caston. She finished with a time of 8.41 seconds.
"LaDonna had two terrific days," said McAllister. "Winning the hurdles was a big mental breakthrough. She showed a lot of grit grinding out every event."
Her victory was the third OVC crown for the Cougars over the weekend after La'Derrick Ward and Julian Harvey claimed titles in the long jump and high jump, respectively, on day one.
Caston also scored points in the 60 and the 200. Her time in the 60 was 7.65 and good enough for seventh place, while she finished in sixth in the 200 with a time of 25.73.
Freshman Brittany Thomas tallied points in two events. She earned fourth place in the 200 (25.09) and eighth place in the 60 (7.67).
The women's team saw another freshman in Brittney Gibbs score points with her fourth-place finish in the triple jump. Gibbs posted a mark of 39 feet, 4.5 inches (12.00m).
Elizabeth Hampl finished in eighth place for the Cougars in the shot put with a mark of 43-1.75 (13.15m).
The men's team had another day in which multiple athletes scoring points. Ahmad Evans finished second in both the 200 and the 400. His time of 48.47 in the 400 was a personal best. He finished the 200 in 21.82.
"The men outscored their paper score for both days," said McAllister. "They stepped up event after event."
Braxton Klavins joined Evans by scoring in both the 200 and the 400. His time of 48.54 in the 400 was good enough for third place, while his 200 time of 22.04 garnered fourth.
Ward finished third in the triple jump after his OVC-winning long jump in day one. He posted a mark of 49-7.75 (15.13m).
Greg Block returned on day two after a solid performance in the weight throw, placing third in the shot put with a mark of 53-3.5 (16.24m).
Darius Smith added points in multiple events. His took fifth in the 60 (6.86) and sixth in the 200 (22.10).
Julian Harvey added a sixth-place finish in the triple jump to go with his OVC title in the high jump from the previous day. He posted a mark of 47-6.5 (14.49m).
The men's 3K race saw two Cougars score points. Luke Padesky took fifth place in 8:37.05. Keith Meyer finished in seventh with a time of 8:39.45.
Alec Dutton and Bobby Kaluza each added points of their own as well. Dutton placed in eighth in the shot put with a throw of 47-11.25 (14.61m). Kaluza ran the 60 hurdles in 8.54, placing him in seventh.
Other notable performers for the SIUE included all three women running the 3K race. Erin Kennedy (10:34.52), Jess Clarke (10:51.70), and Haley Miller (10:53.89) all posted personal bests.
Ezekiel Clerk jumped a personal best in the triple jump, qualifying for the finals with a jump of 45-11.25 (14.00m).
"We traditionally have a stronger team outdoors," said McAllister. "That coupled with what they did this weekend bodes well for the outdoor championship in May."
The Cougars begin their outdoor season Friday, March 27, at the Vanderbilt Black and Gold Invitational.
