On Friday, the SIU track and field team traveled to Charleston to compete in the Eastern Illinois University Friday Night Special, its final meet of the regular season.

While most of the team stayed home to rest in preparation for next weekend’s meet, the Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championships, 22 Salukis traveled to get marks necessary for inclusion in their respective conference meets.

Senior thrower Jared Kern kicked things off for SIU in the shot put. He placed first in the event with a season-best toss of 65′-5.5″ and moved to fourth on the NCAA performance list.

Junior teammates Adam Kessler and Ricky Hurley finished in second and third behind Kern with tosses of 62′-0.5″ and 61’5.5″, respectively.

Hurley continued to shine as he took first in the weight throw with a toss of 63′-7″. Behind Hurley was senior teammate Nate Dyer, who took second in the event with a personal-best throw of 59′-0.75″.

Sophomore thrower Alexis Roberson took first in the women’s weight throw with a toss of 65′.

In the 60-meter hurdles, freshman Theo Phipps finished second with a time of 8.30, the ninth-fastest time in school history.

Freshman Jewell Bolden showed her potential in the long jump with a leap of 18′-1.5″. The distance was good enough for third place and the best score for any Saluki this season.

Up next, SIU will head to Northern Iowa on Feb. 24 to compete in the MVC Indoor Championships.

Sports reporter Dillon Gilliland can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @DillonGilliland.

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