Track and Field posts 12 top-five finishes on day one of Don DeNoon Invitational

Photo by: Harold David Rials

Track and Field posts 12 top-five finishes on day one of Don DeNoon Invitational

02/03/2018 | 12:22:00 | Track and Field

Ingram, Fletcher win event titles on day one of SIU's final home indoor meet of the season.

By: Will Becque, SIUSalukis.com

The Southern Illinois track and field team tallied 12 top-five finishes and won two of the seven events contested on day one of the third-annual Don DeNoon Invitational Friday night.

Isaac Ingram won the weight throw for the fifth-straight meet Friday night. Ingram led from start to finish, as he opened his series with a toss of 69'-8" (21.23m). On his sixth and final throw of the evening, Ingram threw 70'-5" (21.46m) to record his fourth toss of 70-plus feet. Ricky Hurley finished fourth at 62'-0.50" (18.91m) while Adam Kessler set a PR with a toss of 60'-5" (18.41m) to take fifth.

Marcellus Fletcher won the long jump with a six-inch PR. Fletcher jumped 22'-7.75" (6.90m) to win the event for the first time in his collegiate career. Fletcher was one of four Salukis to finish in the top-6 of the long jump, as Louis Dotson set a lifetime-best with a mark of 22'-3.50" (6.79m) to take fourth while Matthew Bigelow and Theo Phipps placed fifth and sixth, respectively.

Kilee Hagerstrand finished second in the pentathlon. Hagerstrand's 3493 points were second to Michaela Busch of Western Illinois, who tallied 3614 points. Hagerstrand opened with a win in the 60m hurdles, and followed with a PR in the high jump to finish third in the event. She finished top-3 in all five events, which included third place finishes in the shot put, the long jump and the 800m run.

The Salukis took two of the top-five spots in the women's weight throw as Alexis Roberson threw 63'-7.75" (19.40m) to finish second while Nikki Freeman threw 56'-4.50" (17.18m) to place third.

Over at the pole vault pit, Erin Diemer became the eighth female in school history to clear 12' in the pole vault. Diemer cleared a personal-best 12' on her first attempt at the height to finish third.

Southern added two more top-three finishes in the men's pole vault. Jacob Wells cleared a season-best 15'-1" (4.60m) to take second, while Kyle Zeinemann set a personal-best by clearing 14'-1.25" (4.30m) to claim third. Bigelow also set a PR in the event, as he cleared 13'-7.25" (4.15m) on his second attempt at the height to finish sixth.

Day two of the Don DeNoon Invitational gets underway Saturday at 10 a.m. inside the SIU Rec Center.