CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – SIUE track and field opened the outdoor portion of its schedule at the Joey Haines Invitational at the Abe Stuber Track and Field Complex. Several athletes finished inside the top three of their respective events while setting career best marks in the opening meet of the season. The weekend was highlighted by Tyler Bell's 14.75 finish in the men's 110m hurdles, good for fifth in program history.
Throws:
Grant Milbrath represented the men in the discus, tossing a 44.62m mark for 13th. For the women, Kaitlin Morningstar earned eighth at 41.00m while Allison Sanders placed 12th at 38.47m. Stephanie Montenegro finished 14th at 36.47m.
Milbrath also led the men in the hammer, placing 11th at 52.43m. Luke Hatten earned 12th at 49.98m.
Gabby Yaccino placed second in the women's hammer with a 51.42m toss, good for a PR. Allison Sanders earned third at 51.08m, also good for a PR. Stephanie Montenegro (11th/44.10m), Kaitlyn Morningstar (15th/40.95m), and Maryiah Menicucci (16th/40.78m) also threw in the event.
Morningstar also led the Cougars in the women's javelin with a 29.35m toss for 13th. Jamirah Meeks earned 15th at 28.90m.
Milbrath earned eighth in the men's shot put at 15.34m. Luke Hatten finished 13th at 14.55m. Alexis Hutchins finished seventh in the women's shot put with a 13.05m toss. Menicucci earned 10th at 12.19m while Montenegro took 12th 11.51m.
Jumps:
Freshman Drew Tucker picked up a second-place finish in the men's high jump at 2.00m. Caden Belcher recorded a 1.85m mark for eighth. For the women, Aseanti Boone took 13th at 1.55m, good for an outdoor PR. Zaria Searcy (15th/1.55m) and Harper Smith (17th/1.55m) also jumped in the event.
In the women's long jump, Folasade Oladipupo earned a fourth-place finish at 5.69m. Dakota Krone finished fifth at 5.63m, good for a PR. Sheena Cumberbatch placed 12th at 5.20m.
Nyah Williams finished inside the top three at third place with an 11.73m leap in the women's triple jump. Cumberbatch finished sixth at 11.29.
Sprints and Hurdles:
Kaylee Allen paced the Cougars in the women's 100m, posting a 12.25 time for sixth overall and PR. Jada Fryer also competed, crossing the finish line at 12.95 for 26th. Konnor Bouman competed in the men's 100m dash, placing 25th at 11.19.
In the women's 100m hurdles, Vashanti Reynolds earned third place at 14.58. Mia Jackson took seventh at 14.99.
The men had a trio place in the top 10 of the 110m hurdles, led by Tyler Bell's 14.75 mark. His time was good for a career best mark and ranks fifth in program history. Taylor Lehman (seventh/15.36) and Simon McLaine (ninth/15.52) also competed in the event.
Bell also led SIUE in the men's 200m dash and posted a PR, finishing at 21.85 for ninth place. Konrad Sacha finished 16th at 22.31. Allen led the women in the 200m at 25.33 for ninth, good for an outdoor PR. Kailah Carter (19th/25.88), Jada Fryer (39th/27.37), and Alise Simon (46th/27.74) also competed in the event.
Sacha also earned seventh in the men's 400m, crossing the finish line at 50.34. For the women, Simon placed 17th at 1:04.85.
In the 400m hurdles, Cole Knapp recorded a fifth-place finish at 56.27. Taylor Lehman earned seventh at 56.33 and McLaine earned ninth at 56.80. Aseanti Boone took 11th in the 400m hurdles at 1:14.46.
Mid-Distance and Distance:
D'Andre Watson placed 17th in the men's 800m, crossing the finish line at 2:03.37. On the women's side of the 800m, Courtney Anthonies finished 19th at 2:35.05. Megan Derrick (20th/2:38.18) and Jasmyn Zurita (23rd/2:45.94) also competed in the event.
Watson also led SIUE in the men's 1500m, posting a 4:17.50 mark for 18th. Blake Panagos (33rd/4:32.83) and (36th/4:35.73) also ran in the event. Alexis Kampwerth earned 18th in the women's 1500m at 5:17.24 while Gabrielle Horton finished 20th at 5:22.04.
In the men's 5000m, Tyler Guthrie earned a first-place finish at 15:30.48. Zach Walters earned third at 15:45.04 while Jackson Edwards took ninth at 17:00.50. On the women's side, Riley Doyle led the Cougars with a fifth-place finish at 19:36.42. Ana Keller (eighth/20:01.60), Natalia Rodriguez (ninth/20:16.18), Olivia Wolf (10th/20:33.45), Caroline Gwaltney (11th/20:40.98), and Alexis Edgar (13th/21:30.26) also competed in the race.
At the WashU Distance Carnival at Francis Field, Kaitlyn Walker placed 77th in the women's 5000m 18:32.68. In the women's 10000m, Chessy Nikonowicz placed 66th at 42:15.98 while Alexis Fischer took 72nd at 43:31.93. In the women's 3000m steeplechase, freshman Mia Loafman earned 26th at 12:19.48.
For the men, Roland Prenzler earned 44th at 31.02.58 while Spencer Hielkema took 48th at 31:08.75.
Relays:
The men's 4x100m relay team of Chase Burston, Simon McLaine, Tyler Bell, and Konrad Sacha finished fifth at 42.69. The women's 4x100m relay squad of Vashanti Reynolds, Folasade Oladipupo, Kailah Carter, and Kaylee Allen took third at 47.98.
Up Next:
SIUE track and field travels to St. Louis, Missouri for the SLU Billiken Invitational on Friday, Apr. 5.
Stay connected with the Cougars all season long by following @SIUETrackandField on Instagram and @SIUETrackField on X.
