CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – SIUE men's and women's track and field competed Saturday at the Fighting Illini Challenge. Several athletes earned top 10 finishes and set personal bests in their respective events.
Throws:
In the women's discuss, Gabby Yaccino earned fifth place with a 40.33m toss. Dominika Baranska led the Cougars in the hammer throw with a 47.97m mark. Allison Sanders set a PR in the javelin throw with a 30.39m finish. Alexis Hutchins also set a personal best in the shot put with a 14.32m throw.
Luke Hatten competed in the men's discuss and finished with a 39.25m throw. Hatten also led the men in the shot put at 13.65m. In the men's hammer, Joel Degracia led SIUE with a 45.77m toss.
Jumps:
Harper Smith collected 10th in the women's high jump, setting a PR at 1.60m. Savannah Sullivan took fifth in the long jump with a 5.54m leap. In the triple jump, Izzy Kennedy earned fifth place with an 11.59m jump.
Sprints and Hurdles:
Bobby Nuzzo grabbed 16th in the men's 100m dash with a 10.75 time. Tyler Bell took on the men's 110m hurdles and finished with a 17.68 mark.
Nuzzo led the men in the 200m dash, finishing seventh and crossing the finish line at 21.77. Konrad Sacha collected fourth place in the men's 400m with a 48.61 mark. In the men's 400m hurdles, Cole Knapp SIUE with an 11th place, 57.00 finish.
Folasade Oladipupo led SIUE with a 12.31 time in the 100m dash, good for a new personal best. In the women's 100m hurdles, Vashanti Reynolds led the Cougars with a 14.74 time, good for a career best time.
Kailah Carter led the women's pack in the 200m dash with a 25.70 finish, setting a new personal best. Oladipupo also set a personal best mark in the event at 25.72.
Carter earned fifth in the women's 400m and crossed the finish line at 56.74. Her time was good for a personal best. Aseanti Boone (1:13.72) and Vashanti Reynolds (1:14.71) finished back-to-back in the women's 400m hurdles.
Mid-Distance and Distance:
Gabrielle Horton competed in the women's 800m race and set a personal best time in the event at 2:16.37. Freshman Peyton Tieffel represented the Cougars in the women's 1500m and finished with a 5:21.46 mark. Nathalia Rodriguez went on to set a PR in the women's 5000m with an 18:26.70 time.
Freshman D'Andre Watson competed in the men's 1500m and crossed the finish line at 4:17.58. In the men's 5000m race, junior Zach Walters set a PR with a 15:20.08 mark.
Up Next: The Cougars return home to host the Cougar Classic on Saturday, Apr. 15 at Ralph Korte Stadium.
