Recap | Track and Field puts together strong performance on rainy day in Terre Haute

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Southern Illinois Track and Field is putting it all together with a strong showing at the Gibson Invitational on Saturday. The Salukis battled against rainy conditions but finished second place in the event with 89 points.

"We handled some adverse weather to get some good marks at this meet," said Director of track and field, Richard Jones. "We ran against some of the top teams in the conference, so it showed us how we fare."

TRACK
The men's and women's 4x100m relay squads won both races. The women were up first: Trinity Cleaver, Leah Thames, Teanna Bell, and Keyann Wilson raced to the finish line with a time of 44.91 seconds. The ladies' squad improved their time during the season by .36 seconds, putting them within striking distance of first place in the Valley, trailing the leaders by .04 seconds.

The men's squad, coming off a win at the Cougar Classic, were in an extremely tight race, but were able to pull off the win. Finishing with a time of 40.39, they were able to beat 14 other teams, who all finished within 2.58 seconds of each other. The men's squad currently sits in second place in the Valley.

The men's 4x400m Relay squad took home the third win of the relay squads with a time of 3:10.57. The squad comprised of Marius Coleman, Andre Jackson II, Xavier Preston, and Shane Ashton held on to get the win, beating the second-place finisher by .03 seconds.

"We are in a great position at this point in the season to do great things down the line," Jones said. "History is being rewritten and I am excited to be a part of where we are going, the team is rounding into form at the right time."

Teanna Bell solidified a strong showing at the Gibson Invitational, picking up the win in the 400m dash with a time of 55.49 seconds. Bell puts herself in third place in the event, joining Leah Thames atop the Valley leaderboard.

KeyAnn Wilson picked up her second win of the day, this time in the 100m dash with a time of 11.93 seconds. This mark is a season-best for Wilson.

Leah Thames collected her second win of the day in the 200m dash, setting a personal best time of 23.90 seconds. This time improves her third-place standing in the Valley and puts her in fifth place in school history. KeyAnn Wilson was right behind Thames, setting a personal best time herself, 24.25 seconds, and taking home second place.

Shane Ashton is getting back to championship form, picking up the win in the 400m hurdles with a time of 51.96 seconds. This time is a season-best mark for Ashton, improving his time by 1.42 seconds at the Cougar Classic on April 12. This time puts Ashton in sole possession of first place in the Valley.

Andre Jackson II keeps improving with each showing in his freshman year. He finished in second place in the 200m dash with a time of 21.01 seconds. This sets a personal best time in the event and puts him in a tie for ninth place in school history. Xavier Preston wasn't far behind, finishing in third place with a time of 21.21 seconds.

Christian Coleman finished in third place in the 110m hurdle event with a time of 14.44, .14 seconds behind second place and .37 seconds behind the leader. This time also sets his season-best time in the event.

FIELD
Darrione Williams picks up another win in the long jump event with a distance of 6.98m (22'-10.75").

Kyan Bell claimed second place in the shot put event with a throw distance of 16.48m (54'-1"). He followed suit with another second-place finish, this time in the hammer throw event with a throw distance of 52.90m (173'-6"). Both throw distances are personal bests in each event.

Adrian Przestrzelski keeps adding accolades to a strong freshman campaign with a third-place finish in the triple jump event with a distance of 14.33m (47'-0.25")

Jalynn Wood set her season-best mark in the pole vault event and finished in a tie for third place with a height of 3.60m (11'-9.75").

Full Results for the Gibson Invitational can be seen here.

NOTABLE FINISHES

Xavier Preston – 100M – 10.76 Seconds (Season Best)
Trinity Cleaver – 100M – 12.05 Seconds (Personal Best)
Trinti Douglas - 100M Hurdles – 14.12 Seconds (Personal Best)
Nadir Langston – 110M Hurdles – 14.76 Seconds (Personal Best)
Christian Donatelli – 200M – 21.71 Seconds (Season Best)
Vashti Grey – 400M – 56.14 Seconds (Personal Best)
Kasha Neilly – 400M Hurdles – 1:02.54 (Personal Best)
Weston Jokerst – 1500M – 3:53.44 (Season Best)
Dallas Hodge – Discus – 48.78M (160') (Personal Best)
Jalynn Wood – Javelin Throw – 35.95M (117'- 11") (Season Best)
Kylee Weber – Pole Vault – 3.60M (11"- 9.75") (Season Best)
Audrey Boles - 5000M - 18:07.25 (Personal Best)

UP NEXT
The Salukis will head to the Drake Relays hosted by MVC foe Drake on Wednesday, April 23.

FOLLOW THE SALUKIS
For the latest updates on the Salukis, follow the team on Twitter (@SIUTrackXC), Instagram (@SIUTrackXC) and Facebook (@SalukiTrackAndField).

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