Three Salukis punch ticket to nationals on day two of West Prelims
05/26/2022 | 9:28:00 | Track and Field
Three Salukis punched their ticket to the 2022 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon on day two of the NCAAA West Preliminary Round in Fayetteville, Arkansas. A'veun Moore-Jones qualified in the shot put, while Elisia Lancaster and Shauniece O'Neal moved on in the hammer throw.
Lancaster qualified for the NCAA Championships for the first time in her career after placing 9th in the hammer throw. Her top mark came on her second throw, which measured in at 65.38m (214' 6"). O'Neal finished once spot behind her teammate in 10th. She makes her third trip to nationals after marking at 65.34m (214' 4").
Emily Kern narrowly missed the top-12 after a personal best mark of 63.10m (207' 0"). Southern California's Joy McArthur also marked at 63.10m, but won the tiebreaker off of her second throw distance. Kern's 13th place finish in the hammer was 25 spots better than her 2021 West Prelims performance. Kaitlyn Burson placed 30th in the event in what was her first trip to the regional meet (58.33m | 191' 4").
A'veun Moore-Jones will make her return to Eugene after finishing fourth in the shot put. She recorded a new outdoor personal best mark of 17.33m (56' 10.25") on her second heave of the event. That improves on her previous fourth best mark in SIU history.
Bri'Yanna Robinson improved on her best finish at the NCAA Prelims meet by placing 18th this year. She also recorded a new outdoor personal best mark, this one measuring in at 16.32m (53' 6.5").  Kayleigh Conlon wrapped up her senior season with a 23rd place finish. Her longest mark of the event was 16.07m (52' 8.75").
Iaunia Pointer kicked off her Prelims meet with the 100m on Thursday evening. Her time of 11.74 landed her in 37th place and outside of the top-24 qualifiers. Less than 90 minutes later she ran in the 200m dash and clocked in at 23.33. That was the fourth best time in her heat, but was good enough to place 15th overall. With that time Pointer advances to Saturday's quarterfinal where she will vie for the chance to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
On Wednesday, Darrione Williams saw his season come to end after making his first trip to regionals in the long jump. Williams jumped 6.84m (22' 5.25") and finished in 46th. Omar Rodgers was a dual event qualifier for the meet in both the 110m and 400m hurdles. He kicked off the night with the 110m and finished in 14.49. Later in the 400m, he narrowly missed the top-24 qualifiers by finishing in 51.91, which was good enough for 27th place.Â
Both Trevor Thompson and Dawson Plab will compete in the high jump on Friday in hopes of making their way to Eugene. Kayla Schiera will run in the 3000m Steeplechase on Saturday. Â
Players Mentioned
