MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Savannah Sullivan, Izzy Kennedy, and Konrad Sacha earned gold in their respective events at the Memphis Invitational on Friday and Saturday at the Billy J. Murphy Athletic Complex. In its final meet before hosting the Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship, several SIUE athletes also set PRs in their respective events.
Throws:
In the men's shot put, Luke Hatten finished 12th with a 14.37m toss. Joel Degracia placed 11th in the men's hammer with a 44.24m throw.
Alexis Hutchins led the women in the shot put with a 13.14m mark. In the discus, Stephanie Montenegro placed eighth at 38.54m. Senior Dominika Baranska finished fifth and set a career best mark in the hammer at 53.96. Allison Sanders also set a PR and placed sixth in the hammer with a 49.93m toss. Sanders also placed fifth and set a PR in the javelin at 31.72m.
Jumps:
Freshman Caden Belcher took seventh in the men's high jump with a 1.85m leap. Aseanti Boone placed eighth in the women's high jump at 1.54m, good for a season best mark.
Savannah Sullivan collected first in the women's long jump with a 5.73m mark. Her leap ranks fourth in the conference this season. In the triple jump, Izzy Kennedy also took gold with at 11.79. The senior's mark was also good for a PR.
Hurdles and Sprints:
Junior Cole Knapp earned a fourth-place finish while setting a career best time in the men's 400m hurdles at 55.54. Taylor Lehman also set a PR in the 400m hurdles with a 56.77 mark.
Vashanti Reynolds took fifth in the women's 100m hurdles at 14.74. Freshman Aseanti Boone also placed fifth in the 400m hurdles with a 1:13.69 time.
Bobby Nuzzo placed fifth in the men's 100m dash at 10.83. He also led the Cougars in the 200m dash with a 21.97 time, good for second place. Freshman Konrad Sacha placed sixth in the 200m, crossing the finish line at 22.49. Sacha also took gold in the men's 400m dash while setting a PR at 48.04. His time ranks second in the OVC this season. Chase Burston also earned a top-five finish while setting a career best time in the 400m at 49.33. His time ranks seventh in the conference this season.
Hanna Anderson led the women in the 100m dash and set a PR with a 12.49 mark for fifth place. Kaylee Allen also set a career best time at 12.59. Anderson also collected fourth in the 200m dash at 25.70. Kailah Carter earned second and set a PR in the 400m, crossing the finish line at 55.87. Carter's time stacks up fifth in the OVC this season.
Mid-Distance and Distance:
Junior Gabrielle Horton placed fourth in the women's 800m with a 2:15.60 mark, good for a career best. Horton's time is good for ninth in the league this season. Kaitlyn Walker also collected third in the 5000m with an 18:25.17 mark.
Roland Prenzler led SIUE in the men's 5000m and crossed the finish line at 14:46.79. His time was a PR and ranks fourth in SIUE program history. Spencer Hielkema (15:06.66) and Jackson Edwards (16:09.57) finished sixth and eight respectively.
Relays:
The women's 4x100m relay team of Vashanti Reynolds, Priscilla Jones, Kaylee Allen, and Nyah Williams earned second at 49:02. The 4x400m team of Kailah Carter, Gabrielle Horton, Kaylee Allen, and Hanna Anderson also placed second at 3:51.38.
Up Next:
The Cougars are off until the OVC Outdoor Track and Field Championship beginning on Thursday, May 11th. The three-day meet will be held in Edwardsville at Ralph Korte Stadium, marking the second time SIUE has hosted the conference championship (2014).
Tickets are available now. Click here to purchase an All-Session pay for $25. Single Day tickets are $10 per day and can be purchased on site.
