Personal Bests and New Records: Salukis’ Success at DeNoon Continues

Personal Bests and New Records: Salukis’ Success at DeNoon Continues

01/24/2026 | 12:42:00 | Track and Field

By: Dante Green

The Salukis had an impressive showing at the DeNoon Classic on Thursday and Friday. The team won sixteen events, two more than last year, in spectacular fashion.

Weston Jokerst set a new school record in the 1000 meter, beating the previous mark by four seconds. Jordan Smith recorded six personal bests and won both the men's shot put and long jump events. Leah Thames won the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.36.

"The team adjusted to the new schedule and performed well," Coach Richard Jones said. "We were able to get some good performances and even broke a school record, so that's great to see."

SPRINTS
Leah Thames won the 200-meter dash with a time of 24.36. Trinity Cleaver finished right behind her at 24.98. Courtney McDonald placed fourth with a time of 25.08, while Vashti Grey followed closely in fifth at 25.26. KeyAnn Wilson finished sixth with a time of 25.64.

Monroe Thompson Jr. won his first event as a Saluki, claiming the men's 60-meter dash with a time of 6.96. Donte Long finished third at 6.97. Long went on to win the 200-meter dash with a time of 21.97. Shane Ashton finished second at 22.06, and Kwame Smith placed third at 22.16.

Jacob Morrison finished eighth in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.19. Ben Chance posted a personal best in the men's 800-meter run, finishing with a time of 2:00.43. Drew Tyman finished right behind him at 2:03.43. Kyla Engel recorded a lifetime best in the women's 800-meter run with a time of 2:22.10, while Eislee Moore finished eighth at 2:26.00. Jalen Dickerson finished second in the 400-meter dash with a time of 50.49. Marius Coleman placed fourth at 50.99. Courtney McDonald finished seventh in the 60-meter dash with a qualifying time of 7.73.

In the heptathlon 60-meter dash, Dom Martin finished third with a time of 7.40.

DISTANCE
Hannah Meiser won the women's one mile run with a time of 5:10.85. Riley Linville finished third at 5:23.78. Ben Chance placed third in the men's one mile run with a time of 4:30.43, while Brady Faulkner finished fourth at 4:30.67.

JUMPS
Jackson Lee won the pole vault with a height of 4.30 meters (14'1.25"). Mason Watts and Christian Coleman competed in the men's 60-meter hurdles, with Coleman winning the event in a time of 8.38.
Jordan Smith won the heptathlon long jump with a mark of 6.85 meters, while Dom Martin finished second at 6.74 meters. Smith finished second overall in the heptathlon, and Martin placed third.

Na'Kyrah Cooks finished fourth in the women's long jump with a jump of 5.08 meters. Ella McDonell placed second in the high jump with a height of 1.68 meters. Mackenzie Fodrey finished second in the triple jump with a mark of 10.97 meters. Triniti Douglas finished second in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.86. Jack Helms placed second in the men's heptathlon 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.02. Smith also finished second in the heptathlon pole vault.

Darius Fuller won the men's triple jump with a mark of 14.49 meters. Malik Allen finished second at 14.40 meters, with both jumps translating to roughly 47 feet.

THROWS
Mali Thornton won the women's weight throw with a mark of 16.48 meters. Elise Green finished second at 15.86 meters, while Maya Rounds placed eighth.
Dallas Hodge won the men's weight throw with a mark of 19.18 meters. Ryan Bell finished fifth at 17.01 meters.

Elise Green finished fourth in the shot put final with a mark of 11.68 meters (38'4.00"). Maya Rounds finished seventh at 11.06 meters, and Kaylee King placed eighth at 10.91 meters. Ryan Bell finished second in the men's shot put with a mark of 16.10 meters. Mark Ishman recorded a personal best of 14.16 meters. He also set a personal best in the weight throw with a mark of 16.60 meters.

TEAM RELAYS
The men's 4x400-meter relay team of Marius Coleman, Shane Ashton, Kwame Smith, and Jalen Dickerson won the event with a time of 3:23.83. The women's 4x400-meter relay team of Vashti Grey, Layla Watson, Trinity Cleaver, and Leah Thames won their race with a time of 3:52.00.

Coach Jones was impressed with his team's performance and already looking ahead. "We are now going to transition to the middle of our season and look to improve over the next few weeks in preparation for the MVC Championship."

FULL RESULTS

UP NEXT
The Salukis will head to Louisville, KY to participate in the PNC Lenny Lyles Invitational on January 30, 2026.

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