CHARLESTON, Ill. – SIUE men's and women's indoor track and field opened its 2023 season with the EIU John Craft Invite at Lantz Indoor Fieldhouse. Four Cougars finished in first place of their respective events.
Women's Results
Allison Sanders posted a first-place finish in the women's weight throw. The sophomore's 15.89m (52'1.75") throw set a career best in the event. Stephanie Montenegro also set a career high with a 14.96m (49'1") toss, placing second behind Sanders.
Junior Jamie Tabron (12.43m, 40'9.50") and freshmen Maryiah Menicucci (12.33m, 40'5.50") placed first and second in the women's shot put. Tabron's throw set a new indoor PR.
Izzy Kennedy (5.42m, 17'9.50") , Savannah Sullivan (5.39m, 17'8.25"), Dakota Krone (5.24m, 17'2.25"), and Folasade Oladipupo (5.18m, 17'0") took the top four spots in the long jump. Kennedy's jump marked a personal best in the event.
Oladipupo also took second in the 200m race with a 27:04 time while Krone took home a first-place finish in the triple jump. Her 11.29m (37'0.50") jump was good for a new PR.
Freshmen Aseanti Boone and Harper Smith made their SIUE debuts, both finishing with 1.48m (4'10.25") in the high jump.
In the women's mile, Alexis Fischer (5:44.49), Chessy Nikonowicz (5:56.11), and Ana Keller (5:59.54) all had top ten finishes. Kaitlyn Walker led the Cougars in the 3000m run with a second place and 11:01.11 time.
Kailah Carter's 58.21 time and first place finish in the 400m event set a PR for the junior. Gabrielle Horton also took the top spot in the 600m with a 1:43.59 time.
The Cougars' women's 4x400m relay team of Hannah Anderson, Kaylee Allen, Gabrielle Horton, and Kailah Carter finished second behind Eastern Illinois with a 4:06.82 time.
Men's Results
Joel Degracia set a PR in the men's weight throw at 15.29m (50'2") while placing third. Luke Hatten also set a career-best in the event at 14.24m (46'8.75"), finishing fourth. Hatten also placed third in the men's shot put with a throw of 13.99m (45'10.75").
Freshman Caden Belcher made his SIUE debut, placing third in the high jump with a 1.88m (6'2") leap. Freshman Konrad Sacha placed third in the 400m with a 51.63 time.
In the men's 60m, senior Bobby Nuzzo placed fourth with a 7.00 time. Nuzzo capped off his day with a second-place finish and 22.63 time in the 200m event.
Roland Prenzler highlighted the men in the mile run with a 4:30.92 finish, placing seventh. He also placed seventh in the 3000m event with an 8:55.80 finish.
SIUE's men's 4x400m team of Konrad Sacha, Cole Knapp, Caden Belcher, and Tyler Bell took second place behind host Eastern Illinois with a 3:35.79 time.
"Always a great day when we can come home with multiple event wins," Assistant Coach Josh Wolfe said. "It was evident our groups put in serious work over break
Up Next: SIUE returns to action on Friday, Jan. 20 at the Gladstein Invitational in Bloomington, Indiana.
"We are taking a small group to a high-level meet at Indiana next week," Head Coach Marcus Evans said. "It will be exciting to see how well we continue to progress."
