ST. LOUIS/CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – SIUE men's and women's track and field competed Friday and Saturday at the WashU Distance Carnival and the SEMO Joey Haines Invitational. Several athletes earned top-five finishes and personal bests in their respective events.
"Our team battled through tough weather this week and the hard work brought great performances this weekend," Head Coach Marcus Evans said. "I really like where the groups are going. They are hitting PRs and moving up the conference list. It feels like we are primed to hit perfectly while hosting at home for OVCs."
WashU Distance Carnival:
Alexis Fischer placed 10th in the women's 10000m run at 42:22.35 while Chessy Nikonowicz finished 15th at 43:27.78.
Spencer Hielkema's 31:02.17 time in the men's 10000m set a new personal best. His time ranks fifth in program history. Junior Roland Prenzler, who holds the second best 10k result in program history, ran the event at 30:22.82, improving personal best.
Joey Haines Invitational
Throws:
Sophomore Luke Hatten led the men in the shot put and discus at 13.31m and 38.88m respectively. Joel Degracia placed eighth in the men's hammer at 47.12m.
Alexis Hutchins finished second in the women's shot put with a 13.45m mark. Maryiah Menicucci placed fifth in the event at 12.24m.
Gabby Yaccino earned 10th in the discuss with a 39.96m toss. Senior Dominika Baranska collected sixth and led the Cougars in the women's hammer with a 51.42m throw. Allison Sanders finished 10th in the javelin at 28.25m.
Jumps:
Caden Belcher took eighth in the men's high jump with a 1.85m mark. For the women, Aseanti Boone and Harper Smith tied for 13th at 1.49m.
Savannah Sullivan placed fifth in the women's long jump with a 5.69m leap. Izzy Kennedy earned third in the triple jump at 11.67m.
Sprints and Hurdles:
Senior Bobby Nuzzo placed fourth in the men's 100m at 10.80 and took first in the 200m dash, crossing the finish line at 22.02.
Tyler Bell placed 10th in the men's 110m hurdles with a 15.61 time, setting a new personal best. Taylor Lehman took seventh in the men's 400m hurdles at 58.11, also good for a personal best. In the men's 400m, freshman Konrad Sacha placed third finishing in 49.45.
Sophomore Folasade Oladipupo led the women in the 100m with a ninth-place finish at 12.70. Senior Hanna Anderson took seventh in the women's 200m dash, crossing the finish line at 25.56 for a career best time.
In the women's 400m, Kailah Carter earned fifth with a time of 57.32. Anderson followed Carter with a sixth-place finish at 57.92.
In the women's 100m hurdles, Paris Somerville took third place with a 14.89 time. Vashanti Reynolds earned eighth place in the 400m hurdles.
Mid-Distance and Distance:
Gabby Horton grabbed a third-place finish in the women's 800m at 2:18.46. The junior's time was good for a PR. In the women's 5000m run, Natalia Rodriguez earned 11th place at 18:39.64, also good for a personal best.
Freshman D'Andre Watson finished eighth in the men's 1500m with a 4:17.19 time.
Cameron Woodard earned gold in the men's 3000m steeplechase, finishing at 10:02.04.
Relay:
The men's 4x100m relay team of Tyler Bell, Konrad Sacha, Chase Burston, and Bobby Nuzzo placed fourth with a 42:48 mark.
The women's 4x100 relay squad of Kaylee Allen, Hanna Anderson, Gabby Horton, and Kailah Carter collected fourth, crossing the finish line at 49.48. The same Cougars' 4x400 team earned third place with a 4:00.85 time
Up Next: The Cougars will travel to Urbana-Champaign, Illinois on Apr. 8 to compete at the Fighting Illini Challenge.
