Carbondale Reporter

Southern Illinois Track and Field had a successful performance at the Missouri Invite held at the Hearnes Center Fieldhouse in Columbia, Mo. Director of Track and Field Richard Jones expressed satisfaction with the team's progress as they prepare for their upcoming conference meet. "It was a great meet with some good performances sprinkled throughout all event groups," Jones stated.

In track events, Andre Jackson II excelled in the 400-meter dash, setting a personal best time of 47.44 seconds, which ranks him seventh in school history. Leah Thames also won the women's 400-meter dash with a time of 56.09 seconds. The men's 4x400 relay team, including Marius Coleman, Xavier Preston, Josh Delgado, and Andre Jackson II, secured victory with a time of 3:14.33.

Jadon Robertson triumphed in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.32 seconds despite stumbling at the start. Coach Jacob Brydson praised Robertson's recovery during the race.

In field events, Darius Fuller won the triple jump with a distance of 14.06 meters (46'1.5"), while Na'Kyrah Cooks claimed victory in the long jump at 5.51 meters (18'1"). The men's high jump saw Grant Spicer finish second and Jadon Robertson third.

The Salukis achieved several personal bests during the meet across various events including Weston Jokerst's lifetime indoor personal best and Hannah Meiser's significant improvement in the 3000-meter race.

Looking ahead, Southern Illinois will compete at home in the Don DeNoon Invite on February 15th at SIU Recreation Center in Carbondale, Ill.

For updates on Southern Illinois Track and Field, follow them on Twitter (@SIUTrackXC), Instagram (@SIUTrackXC), and Facebook (@SalukiTrackAndField).