Salukis win team titles at Don DeNoon Invitational

Friday, February 2

TBA

Southern Illinois University

Don DeNoon Invitational

Photo by: Madison Case

02/03/2018 | 8:34:00 | Track and Field

Results (PDF)

It marked the third-straight season that the Salukis have swept the team titles at the Don DeNoon Invitational.

By: Will Becque, SIUSalukis.com

The Southern Illinois track and field team protected its house on Saturday, as the Salukis won both the men's and women's team competitions at the Don DeNoon Invitational.

The Saluki men won the team competition, scoring 118 points to defeat Arkansas-Pine Bluff (57), Memphis (54), Central Arkansas (42), UT Martin (40), Ole Miss (34), SIUE (32), Lipscomb (21), Saint Louis (18), Arkansas State (16), SEMO (15) and Western Illinois (8).

SIU's women won their second team title of the season, tallying 111.5 points to defeat Murray State (92), Austin Peay (45), Ole Miss (45), Memphis (44), SIUE (32.5), Central Arkansas (25), Western Illinois (24), Lipscomb (21), Arkansas-Pine Bluff (18), Arkansas State (18), UT Martin (10), SEMO (6) and Saint Louis (6).

It marked the third-straight season in which the Salukis have swept the team titles at the Don DeNoon Invitational and Southern did so on the strength of 24 top-five finishes, including five wins. Jared Kern, Tyjuana Eason, Josh Maier, Alexandra Martel, and SIU's women's relay team all won event titles Saturday.

Kern got the day started for Southern with a win in the men's shot put, as he threw 62'-8.25" (19.10m) to win for the third time this season. Kern was one of four Salukis to finish in the top-five of the men's shot put, as SIU's depth in the event was on full display. Adam Kessler took third with a toss of 60'-2.75" (18.35m) and Ricky Hurley placed fourth at 58'-10.25" (17.93m). Sam Sikon set a PR with his throw of 57'-8.75" (17.59m) to finish fifth.

Eason won for the fifth time this season, and the third time in the 60m dash. The reigning MVC Women's Track Athlete of the Week won with a time of 7.51 while Bri'Anna Branch (7.66) added six points with her third place finish.

Maier ran a personal-best 4:13.92 to win the mile for the first time in his career. While it marked his first career win in the mile, it is his sixth career victory, which includes last season's win in the 5K at the MVC Outdoor Championships. On the women's side, Megan Krolak ran 5:11.37 to set a lifetime-best and finish fifth.

Sticking with the distance runners, Alex Martel posted her first win of the season in the 1000m, winning with a time of 3:00.60. Her time was less than six seconds off the school record of 2:54.76, set by Rosanne Vincent in 1989. The win is the fourth of Martel's career. Amber Ruiz-Bueno tallied her best finish of the season, as she crossed the finish line less than a second after Martel to place second at 3:01.38. SIU's men tallied two top-five finishes in the event, as Luke Horton ran 3:31.93 to take third and Tony Newbern placed fifth with a time of 2:34.59.

The women's 4x400 relay won for the third time this season, as Alicia Reed, Genesis Ewell, Mesha Newbold and Shafiqua Maloney ran 3:50.05 to finish more than seven seconds ahead of second-place Arkansas-Pine Bluff and more than 12 seconds ahead of third-place Austin Peay. The men's relay team of Kevin Turner, Canoy Tyree, BJ Croft and Warren Hazel ran 3:20.63 to finish second and score eight team points.

In the 60m hurdles, Kilee Hagerstrand ran 8.67 to place second, while Newbold set a PR in the prelims at 8.68 to advance and place third. On the men's side, Southern posted two top-five finishes in the event led by Kevin Turner's runner-up finish. Turner ran 8.30 to finish second, while Theo Phipps ran a personal-best 8.37 to take fourth.

Hagerstrand added a runner-up finish in the pentathlon with 3493 points while Kezia Martin finished second in the triple jump with her mark of 39'-2.25" (11.94m). For the men, Marcellus Fletcher took third in the triple jump with his mark of 46'-4" (14.12m).

The Salukis will next travel to Nashville, Tenn. on Feb. 9-10 to compete at the two-day Music City Classic, hosted by Vanderbilt University.