Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
Bill Cornell Classic
Salukis win 17 event titles at Bill Cornell Spring Classic
03/25/2017 | 10:38:00 | Track and Field
Southern honored its 13 seniors following the meet Saturday.
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Southern Illinois track & field racked up 17 first-place finishes and broke a 13-year old school record to open the 2017 outdoor season at the Bill Cornell Spring Classic on Saturday, March 25, inside the Lew Hartzog Track & Field Complex.
The meet was highlighted by the Saluki women's 4x100m relay team. The quartet of Mystique Thompson, Shafiqua Maloney, Tyjuana Eason and Bri'Anna Branch broke a school record that had stood since 2004 as they finished in 45.53, breaking the previous mark of 45.76.
Southern was led by its seniors, many of whom were competing for the final time in front of their home crowd.
Freya Block had a big day in the ring for the Saluki throwers, as she set personal-bests in both the discus and the hammer throw en route to her first win of the season in the hammer. The Neposet, Ill. native opened the meet with a more than 12-foot PR in the discus Friday night. She followed with a win in the hammer throw on Saturday with a toss of 207'-04" (63.19m). In doing so, she moved up to sixth on SIU's all-time list.
Kyle Landon was a double winner for the Salukis Saturday, as he won both the high and the long jumps and was also the top collegiate finisher in the triple jump. The five-time All-American tied his outdoor personal-best in the long jump with a mark of 24'-5.5" (7.45m) and cleared 7'-2.5" (2.20m) in the high jump to open the outdoor season with a pair of wins.
Katie Trupp won the pole vault with a clearance of 12'-8.25" (3.87m) on her second attempt, while Cara Engel took second after she cleared the same height on her third attempt. On the men's side, Nathan Schuck cleared 16'-5.25" (5.01m) to pick up the win, while Chad Weaver took second after he sailed over 16'-1.25" (4.91m) unscathed. Six of SIU's 13 seniors that were honored Saturday are vaulters.
The Saluki sprinters won five events, including both relays. In the 100m dash, Mystique Thompson edged out Tyjuana Eason to win with a time of 11.83. Eason later won the 200m dash with a mark of 24.83, while Alicia Reed took home her first collegiate event title with a win in the 400m.
The Saluki women hurdlers swept their first two races of the outdoor season, with Kilee Hagerstrand running 14.51 to win the 100m hurdles, while Savannah Long won the 400m hurdles in her collegiate debut in the event. The DeKalb, Ill. native finished with a time of 1:03.31.
Southern notched yet another top-10 school mark in the women's 3000m steeplechase, as Kelly O'Shea finished in third with a time of 11:14.48. It was the ninth-best mark in the event in school history.
Kezia Martin picked right up where she left off at the end of the indoor season, as she took second in both the long and the triple jumps Saturday. The Jefferson City, Mo. native tied an outdoor personal-best in the long jump with a mark of 19'-2" (5.84m) and later leaped 40'-3.25" (12.27m) to finish runner-up to Western Illinois' Jasmine Brown.
Josh Maier also chipped in a win for the Salukis, as he cruised to a win in the 5000m. The Alsip, Ill. native won with a time of 14:48.49.
Over in the circle, Kyle Kling was the top collegiate finisher in the men's shot put, as he threw 55'-11.75" (17.06m) to open the outdoor season. The night prior, Kling set a lifetime-best in the discus with a toss of 165'-7" (50.48m) to finish third.
The Salukis are back in action on Saturday, April 1, when they take part in the SEMO Invite in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Players Mentioned
