Southern Illinois University's track and field team began its indoor season with the Saluki Fast Start event at the SIU Recreation Center in Carbondale, Illinois. The first day featured strong performances from both the women's pentathlon and men's heptathlon participants.
In the women's pentathlon, Finja Lorsbach and Kelsey Pacha placed in the top ten for three of five events. Jumps coach Jake Brydson expressed satisfaction with their performance, stating, "I am very proud of the passion they competed with through five events, both had results that we are very excited about." He noted Pacha's improvement by 250 points from her previous school and praised Lorsbach's mental strength.
The men's heptathlon saw a standout performance from Jadon Robertson, who secured first place in three out of four events. Coach Brydson commented on Robertson's achievements: "Jadon has done so much as a Saluki but is still new to the combined events. I am excited to see how he does in the events tomorrow." Brydson highlighted hurdles as Robertson's best event while mentioning pole vaulting as an area of focus this fall.
In men's weight throw, Dallas Hodge showed resilience despite an injury, achieving a third-round distance of 17.07 meters. He narrowly missed taking the lead by just 0.13 meters.
The women's weight throw concluded day one with impressive results as well. The Salukis claimed five top-seven finishes, led by Halaya Woodson's leading throw of 16.38 meters.
Day two of the Saluki Fast Start is set to begin at 9 a.m., continuing with further competitions.
For updates on Southern Illinois University's track and field team, follow them on Twitter (@SIUTrackXC), Instagram (@SIUTrackXC), and Facebook (@SalukiTrackAndField).
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