EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – SIUE track and field began its first day of competition in the Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championship on Thursday. Junior Roland Prenzler's third place finish in the men's 10,000m highlighted day one for the Cougars at Ralph Korte Stadium.
Sophomore Allison Sanders represented SIUE in the women's javelin, finishing 10th with a 27.82m toss. Sophomore Gabby Yaccino took on the women's discus, placing ninth with a 38.77m throw. Junior Stephanie Montenegro (38.70m) and Sanders (37.11m) also competed in the discus.
In the men's 400m hurdles, junior Cole Knapp led the Cougars with an 11th place finish, crossing the line at 55.19 while setting a PR. Sophomore Taylor Lehman (55.78) and freshman Caden Belcher (57.07) also set career best marks in the event. On the women's side of the 400m hurdles, Aseanti Boone placed ninth and set a personal best time at 1:11.30.
Senior Bobby Nuzzo placed fifth in the men's 200m dash with a 21.67 time, moving onto Saturday's finals. Freshman Konrad Sacha also competed in the event, placing ninth at 21.98.
Roland Prenzler took the podium in the men's 10,000m, crossing the finish line at 31:20.92 for third place. Spencer Hielkema collected ninth in the 10k at 32:50.31. On the women's side, Alexis Fischer (41:22.36) and Chessy Nikonowicz (41:39.67) finished back-to-back in the 10k.
The continuation of the decathlon opens Friday's action at 9:00 am while the heptathlon resumes at 9:30 am. Track and field final events begin at 2:30 pm and conclude with the women's 3000m steeple at 8:10 pm. ESPN+ coverage begins at 5:20 pm and live stats will be provided throughout the day.
