Salukis resume indoor season at Kentucky Invitational

01/15/2015 | 12:00:00 | Track and Field

Jan. 15, 2015

Kentucky Invitational
Dates	January 16-17, 2015
Location	Lexington, Ky. -- Nutter Field House
Meet Info	Meet Central \| Schedule \| Heat Sheets
Live Results	None
Live Video	None
Rankings	Men's Poll \| Women's Poll
Performance Lists	Men's National \| Women's National
Records	SIU Record Book
SIU Social Media	@SIU_TrackXC \| Saluki Track and Field Saluki Athletics \| Saluki Athletics \| Saluki Athletics
MVC Social Media	@MVCSports \| Missouri Valley \| MVC Sports MVC Social Media Directory

By Tyler Wooten
SIUSalukis.com

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- After a month-long hiatus for the holiday break, the men's and women's Saluki track and field squads will return to action at the Kentucky Invitational this Friday and Saturday at the Nutter Field House.

The 23rd-ranked Saluki women will look to improve upon their national standing, and they should have a simpler time doing that with some key student-athletes returning from injury. Senior thrower DeAnna Price, who missed all of the 2014 outdoor season due to a knee injury, will return at full strength in the weight and shot.

Price, who returns owning the fifth-best shot put throw (53-05.50) and seventh-best weight throw mark (68-01.00) in SIU history, should immediately help bolster an already stacked Saluki women's throws unit that features the No. 1 weight throw (Sophia Lozano, 21.57m (70-09.25)) and No. 2 shot put (Raven Saunders, 17.16m (56-03.75)) marks in the nation. Also returning from injury is outdoor national qualifier and Honorable Mention All-American Ashley Gaston, who missed SIU's first meet on Dec. 6.

While the throws will be a significant facet of SIU's game this weekend and this season, Southern isn't limited to its success in the ring. Freshman Lindsey Murray will look to improve on her school-record pole vault mark of 4.02m (13-02.25), which she set in her very first meet as a Saluki and which currently ranks No. 8 nationally. Also ranked in the top-20 nationally is senior Lauren Cheadle's long jump mark of 5.96m (19-06.75) and junior Remy Abrought's 60-meter hurdle time of 8.49, which rank 12th and 15th in the country, respectively.

The Saluki men -- falling outside of the initial national top-25 in 39th -- also return a key piece. Junior Bradley Sauer, who missed both the indoor and outdoor seasons in 2014, will return to the ring for the first time since his trip to the NCAA Indoor Championships as a sophomore in 2013. Sauer returns with the third-best weight throw mark in Saluki history at 69-05.50, trailing only Mark Milleville (70-04.25) and J.C. Lambert (74-04.25).

Sauer also joins a formidable group of throwers in junior Josh Freeman and senior Curtis Wideman. Freeman, the all-time SIU indoor and outdoor shot put record holder, currently sits at sixth nationally at 18.87m (61-11.00) -- nearly two feet off his indoor PR (63-09.00) and more than three feet shy of his overall PR set outdoors at the MVC championships last season (65-02.00). Wideman ranks in the top-10 in both events, sitting at seventh in the weight throw at 20.91m (68-07.25) and ninth in the shot put at 18.31m (60-01.00).

Returning All-American and sophomore Kyle Landon -- the nation's No. 1 ranked high jumper at 2.20m (7-02.50) -- will be looking to wreak some havoc of his own. Landon, who finished tied for third at the national meet outdoors, currently holds a three-quarter inch lead over East Carolina's Avion Jones (2.18m/7-01.75) on the national leaderboard. Even after a busy slate of competition last weekend, Landon's mark has remained supreme in the nation; only 12 jumpers bested that mark all of last season.

Day One on Friday will feature only the men's and women's weight throw, which will begin at 3 p.m. CST.

NCAA Women's Track and Field Top-25 - Preseason, Jan. 6
School - Points
1. Florida - 196.37
2. Texas A&M - 170.73
3. Oregon (defending indoor champions) - 140.45
4. Georgia - 131.71
5. Texas - 113.93
6. Kentucky - 104.09
7. Arkansas - 96.31
8. Providence - 87.12
9. Florida State - 68.25
10. Georgetown - 68.21
11. Stanford - 66.67
12. Kansas State - 62.01
13. Oklahoma State - 51.33
14. Maryland - 50.63
15. Michigan - 48.94
16. UCLA - 47.58
17. Texas Tech - 46.69
18. Auburn - 44.09
19. Michigan State - 39.69
20. Mississippi State - 39.41
21. Clemson - 39.27
22. Wisconsin - 38.76
23. Southern Illinois - 37.29
24. Missouri - 37.11
25. North Carolina - 35.39

Women's National Rankings (Top-50):
1. Sophia Lozano - Weight Throw - 21.57m (70-09.25)
2. Raven Saunders - Shot Put - 17.16m (56-03.75)
8. Lindsey Murray - Pole Vault - 4.02m (13-02.25)
12. Lauren Cheadle - Long Jump - 5.96m (19-06.75)
15. Remy Abrought - 60 meter hurdles - 8.49
19. Alexus Scott - Weight Throw - 18.97m (62-03.00)
26. Freya Block - Weight Throw - 18.56m (60-10.75)
27. Alexus Scott - Shot Put - 14.74m (48-04.50)
31. Cara Engel - Pole Vault - 3.82m (12-06.25)
31. Caselyn Harding - Pole Vault - 3.82m (12-06.25)
47. Alauna Ray - Triple Jump - 11.90m (39-00.50)

Men's National Rankings (Top-50):
1. Kyle Landon - High Jump - 2.20m (7-02.25)
6. Josh Freeman - Shot Put - 18.87m (61-11.00)
7. Luke James - Triple Jump - 15.39m (50-06.00)
7. Curtis Wideman - Weight Throw - 20.91m (68-07.25)
9. Curtis Wideman - Shot Put - 18.31m (60-01.00)
20. Franklin Adams - Long Jump - 7.25m (23-09.50)
20. Kyle Landon - Long Jump - 7.25m (23-09.50)