Saluki track and field concludes regular season at EIU Friday Night Special

While most of the Southern Illinois track and field team rested in anticipation of next weekend's Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championships, several Salukis notched impressive performances at the 2018 Friday Night Special, hosted by Eastern Illinois University.

The Salukis sent 22 student-athletes to the last chance meet that featured teams from all three NCAA divisions competing in an attempt to get marks necessary for inclusion in their respective conference meets.

The Saluki men's shot putters tallied two season-best tosses at the last chance meet, led by Jared Kern. Kern moved up to fourth on the NCAA performance list after he threw 65'-5.5" (19.95m) on his final attempt to win the event. Adam Kessler threw 62'-0.5" (18.91m) to place second while Ricky Hurley set a PR in the event for the fourth time in his last five meets. Hurley, the reigning MVC Men's Field Athlete of the Week, threw 61'-5.5" (18.73m) to take third and move past Olympian George Woods for eighth on SIU's all-time list.

In the weight throw, Nate Dyer threw a personal-best 59'-0.75" (18.00m) to finish second to Hurley. The Salukis now have four of the top-eight marks in the weight heading into next weekend's MVC Indoor Championships. On the women's side, Alexis Roberson threw 65' (19.81m) on both her third and fifth throws to win the event. She has now thrown 65-plus feet four times this season, having also done so twice at the Illini Open on Jan. 13. Nikki Freeman added a personal-best throw of 57'-0.75" (17.39m) to place fourth.

Southern registered a pair of top-10 school marks in the 60m hurdles Friday. Mesha Newbold moved from seventh to sixth on SIU's all-time list after she ran 8.58 to finish fourth. Theo Phipps, meanwhile, ran the ninth-fastest time in school history at 8.30 to place second.

Jewell Bolden tallied three jumps that either tied or surpassed her season-best mark in the long jump to finish third. Bolden leaped a lifetime-best 18'-1.5" (5.52m), which was not only the best jump by a Saluki this season but it was a more than nine-inch improvement upon her previous best mark.

The Salukis will now shift their focus to the MVC Indoor Championships, hosted by the University of Northern Iowa, beginning Saturday, Feb. 24.

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