Junior thrower Gwen Berry winds up for a throw during the McDonald’s Invitational Feb. 5 in the SIU Arena. The Salukis competed in Charleston over the weekend where Berry won the shot put event with a throw of 53-05.75, making a NCAA provisional mark. - - Genna Ord | Daily Egyptian
The SIU track and field teams returned from their short trip to Charleston, with four first-place finishes, two NCAA provisional marks and two personal records in the Friday Night Special, held at Eastern Illinois’ Lantz Indoor Fieldhouse.
Coming up big for the Salukis again were both the men and women’s weight throw teams, grabbing three of the Salukis four first-place finishes.
Sophomore J.C. Lambert took first-place victories in both the men’s weight throw and shot put events, earning his first NCAA provisional mark of the season in the latter. His winning mark of 58-09.50 not only gave him a personal record, but now ranks eighth highest in SIU history.
Lambert’s winning throw of 66-08.50 in the weight throw event crushed a throw by Brandon Pounds of Indiana State by more than six feet.
“The throwers are really strong right now,” throws coach John Smith said. “J.C. (Lambert) throwing far in both the weight and shot, and Gwen (Berry) throwing far in the shot is a great indicator of our physical strength.”
Senior Ryan Shumaker and sophomores Matt Eader and Brad Foote all finished in the top 10 as well for the weight throw, with Shumaker taking fourth, and Eader and Foote grabbing seventh and 10th, respectively.
Following Lambert in the shot put, Shumaker, Eader and senior Joe Paradiso placed third through fifth, respectively.
Junior Gwen Berry continued her success for the women’s team by winning the shot put event with a throw of 53-05.75, setting a personal record and earning an NCAA provisional mark, a feat she has accomplished in two straight meets.
“I threw big. It feels great,” Berry said. “Shot put is not my favorite, but to try to make it to Nationals in the event would be a big accomplishment for me.”
Junior Rickael Roach took sixth place in the event, and freshman Kim Fortney came in 10th.
The women fared similarly well in the weight throw event, with senior Sasha Leeth gaining the highest finish for the Salukis at second, and Roach close behind in third. Junior Olga Ciura and Fortney rounded out the Salukis’ top-10 finishers, placing fifth and ninth, respectively.
Junior Meredith Hayes, senior Terri Counts, junior Miracle Thompson and freshman Laquitsha Bejoile dominated the 60-meter hurdles event, with Hayes taking first, and Counts, Thompson and Bejoile taking third through fifth, respectively.
Senior Kendra Deck and junior Katherine Burton took second and third in the women’s 400-meter dash, respectively.
Senior Neferteri Williams took third place in the women’s 800-meter run.
The women’s jumps team had a top-five finisher in each event. Freshman Kiera Mallett ranked highest for the women in the triple jump, earning third place with a jump of 35-10.50. Sophomore Mercedes Dunn was the highest finisher in the long jump, taking fourth place. Freshman Kasey Oceguera took fifth in the high jump.
Sophomore Brandon Deloney took fifth place for the men in the 60-meter dash, and fellow sophomore Quincy Shelton received a sixth-place finish in the 400-meter dash.
“There were some really good performances, especially in the throw,” pole vault coach Dan Digman said. “We are right where we want to be going into conference.”
A few top athletes were missing from the Friday Night Special. Sophomore Jeneva McCall sat out from the meet to rest up for the upcoming Missouri Valley Conference Championships. Meredith Hayes did not compete in her normal sprinting events and opted for hurdles. Sophomore Malaikah Love did not compete in the long and triple jump events, choosing to race in the 60-meter dash.
Timothy Hehn can be reached at thehn@dailyegyptian.com or 536-3311 ext. 256.
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I believe that Brandon Pounds is from Indiana State, not Illinois State.
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