BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – SIUE men's and women's track and field saw 11 top-five finishes from the Cougars in day two of the WKU Hilltopper Relays, including five total from Braxton Klavins, Ahmad Evans, and Jessica Oranika.
"It was a fantastic meet all around," said Head Coach Eileen McAllister. "They kept me busy with all the good performances."
Braxton Klavins had the top finish for the Cougars at the meet, finishing second in the 400 meters with a time of 47.45. Klavins holds the top time in the Ohio Valley Conference and is No. 24 on the NCAA West qualifying list. Ahmad Evans came right behind Klavins in 48.13 and a third-place finish.
Evans also finished third at 200 meters. His time of 21.10 is now second-best all-time at SIUE and a personal best for the senior. Evans also moves to No. 2 in the OVC and No. 16 in the NCAA West.
Top finishes for the women include Jessica Oranika's second-place in the 400, finishing in a time of 53.94. That time solidifies her spot in the post season at the NCAA West round as she is currently ranked No. 13. Her 400 time is just .01 away from being the top time in the OVC. Oranika also placed third in the 200 meters, running the race in 24.40.
"The only time she ran faster was May of last year," said McAllister. "She is so much farther ahead this year which is exciting."
Darius Smith's time of 21.39 in the 200 meters placed him eighth and is also his personal best with legal wind.
Freshman Martinus Mitchell notched a personal best in the discus with a 159 feet, 2 inch, throw and a third-place finish. Mitchell also set a personal best in the shot put at 51-1.75.
Mladen Hristov finished third in the triple jump, matching his personal best 46-6.75.
Another top-notch performance came from freshman Brittany Thomas, fresh off breaking the SIUE 100-meter record a week ago. She finished second in the 100 with a time of 11.79. Thomas also ran the 200 meters in 24.75, placing her seventh.
LaDonna Caston took a break from her usual events to run the 400. She placed fourth and ran the race in 57.50.
Erin Kennedy, running the 1,500 for the first time, ran the race in 4:50.95, placing her third.
Megan Lauzon, after setting a personal best in the hammer during day one, came out on day two to throw a personal best in the discus. She placed fourth with a mark of 142-2.
"I'm happy with where the throwers are right now," said Throws Coach Scott Block. "It's a young squad, and they are progressing nicely."
Other notable performances from the Cougars came from freshman Justin Agustin, setting a personal best in the 400 hurdles at 55.28, placing him sixth. Dalton Oakes, running the 110 hurdles, set a personal best with a time of 16.01.
Distance runners Jessy Glaub, Luke Padesky, and Haley Briggs also notched solid performances during day two. Glaub broke the two-minute mark in the 800 at 1:59.04, which is a career best for him, placing him 11th.
Padesky and Briggs, running the 1,500 meters for the first time, came in sixth and seventh in their respective races. Padesky finished with a time of 4:04.24, while Briggs ran the race in 5:05.96.
More Cougar throwers set personal bests in day two. Freshman Lizzie Virgl, coming off a personal best in the hammer in day one, threw a 122-8 personal best during day two of the meet. Caleb Seagren set a personal best in the discus as well with a 138-1 toss.
"This was another step forward," said McAllister. "I'm looking forward to our home meet, competing in front of our home crowd in our fabulous facility. The team is in an excellent place right now."
The Cougars return to Edwardsville April 18 for their home meet, the Gateway Invite, at Ralph Korte Stadium. More information is available at siuecougars.com.
