Salukis tally two wins on day one of Lenny Lyles Invitational

04/26/2019 | 9:30:00 | Track and Field

Josh Maier, Willie Rodgers picked up wins on day one in Louisville.

By: Will Becque, SIUSalukis.com

The Southern Illinois track and field program got off to a solid start on day one of the Lenny Lyles Invitational, hosted by the University of Louisville, with two wins Friday night.

Josh Maier won for the second-straight meet, this time in the 5,000 meter run, while Willie Rodgers picked up his first win of the outdoor season in the long jump.

Maier won the 5K at the Lenny Lyles Invitational with a personal-best time of 14:17.73. Maier's time was .62 of a second off the best time in the MVC and gives him his first 5K win of the outdoor season.

Rodgers set a personal-best by more than a foot to win the long jump Friday night. Rodgers' winning mark of 23'-6" (7.16m) is currently the third-best clearance in the MVC.

Madison Meyer also set a personal-best in the long jump, as she cleared 19'-8.25" to finish third out of 29 competitors. Meyer's jump is more than four inches further than her previous personal-best and moves the Carterville, Ill. native from into third in the MVC rankings.

On the oval, two Salukis advanced to Saturday's 100m dash final. Both Bri'Anna Branch and Tyjuana Eason won their heats and both turned in season-best times to boot. Branch ran 11.70 to post the third-fastest qualifying time while Eason clocked the fifth-best qualifying time at 11.84.

In the circle, Nate Dyer and Ricky Hurley finished 2-3 in the seeded division of the men's hammer throw. Dyer threw 204'-1" (62.21m) while Hurley recorded a season-best toss of 198'-11". Sam Sikon, competing in the hammer for just the third time this season, set a PR at 182'-9" (55.71m) to place eighth.

In the shot put, Kayleigh Conlon finished fourth with a mark of 48'-00.75" (14.65m) while Peyton Taylor added a fourth place finish on the men's side with a toss of 47'-5" (14.45m).

Day two of the Lenny Lyles Invitational gets underway at 9 a.m. with the men's javelin competition. Running events begin at Noon with the women's 3000m steeplechase.