Southern Illinois University
Saluki Open
Track & Field dominates on first day of Saluki Open
01/14/2011 | 12:00:00 | Track and Field
Jan. 14, 2011
By Michael Benson
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - The Southern Illinois track & field team notched three first place finishes, while Gwen Berry set an NCAA qualifying mark in the weight throw Friday at the first day of the Saluki Open.
"It was a really good day," said head coach Connie Price-Smith. "The women threw well. The men, in the weight throw, all threw `PRs' but one. It was a good start."
The Salukis dominated the women's weight throw, capturing the top four spots and five of the top six. While junior Jeneva McCall extended her NCAA qualifying mark with a throw of 73-00.00 to win the weight throw, Berry punched her ticket to the 2011 NCAA Indoor Championships with a toss of 69-06.00.
Not only did she earn a spot to nationals, but the senior also set a new personal best and moved up to third all-time in SIU track history in the weight throw.
Meanwhile, the men were equally as dominant in the weight throw, as J.C. Lambert and Jake Deiters took first and second with throws of 66-10.00 and 60-08.50, respectively.
Malaikah Love garnered SIU's third event win of the evening with a mark of 19-06.75 in the long jump, outdistancing UAB's Kelli Smith by over eight inches to claim the title.
In the women's pole vault, Miracle Thompson came just inches short of taking first, but ultimately finished tied for second with a mark of 11-09.25. The men's pole vault saw Tim Robberstad take second at 15-02.75, while Ryan Sidwell took third at 14-08.75.
"They'll come back," Price-Smith said. "Even though there isn't a score, when the other athletes see performances from yesterday, they step up."
The Saluki Open will continue Saturday morning at 10 a.m. with the shot put, high jump, and triple jump competitions.
Players Mentioned
