Saluki Track and Field Ranks Among Nation’s Best in Throwing Events, Triple Jump

Saluki Track and Field Ranks Among Nation’s Best in Throwing Events, Triple Jump

01/30/2018 | 3:14:00 | Track and Field

The Southern Illinois track and field team is ranked among the best in the nation in several events, according to the latest event squad rankings released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) this week.

The Saluki men lead all Division I teams in the shot put and rank fourth in the nation in the weight throw. The men also ranked 15th in the triple jump, while the Saluki women are ranked 12th in the weight throw and 15th in the shot put.

In the men's shot put, Jared Kern, Adam Kessler, Ricky Hurley and Sam Sikon have a cumulative mark of 241'-1" (73.48m) – the top combined mark in the country. The Salukis are the only team in the nation with four throwers ranked in the top-65.

In the women's shot put, A'veun Moore-Jones, Nikki Freeman, Sian Person and Shauniece O'Neal rank 15th in the nation with their combined mark of 186'-5" (56.82m). Of the 16 teams ranked in the event, Southern has the youngest quartet with two sophomores (Freeman, Person) and two freshmen (Moore-Jones, O'Neal).

SIU ranks fourth in the men's weight throw with Isaac Ingram, Ricky Hurley, Adam Kessler and Nate Dyer, who together have a mark of 249'-11" (76.17m). The group is led by Ingram, who is up to seventh in the nation in the event after he threw 71'-7.5" (21.83m) to win the weight at the Indiana Relays on Jan. 27.

On the women's side, Alexis Roberson, Nikki Freeman, Sian Person and Shauneice O'Neal are ranked 12th in the weight throw with a combined mark of 231'-11" (70.69m). Roberson is ranked 21st in the nation with her mark of 66'-3" (20.19m) from the Illini Open on Jan. 13.

The men's triple jump is the final event squad to be ranked in the top-15 nationally. Marcellus Fletcher, Mitchell Bland, Louis Dotson and Caleb Vogel have a combined mark of 183'-6" (55.95m).

The Salukis are back in action on Feb. 2-3 when they host the Don DeNoon Invitational. The third annual meet gets underway Friday with the weight throw, pole vault, long jump and the women's high jump.