Southern Illinois Salukis Men's Track & Field | Southern Illinois University Athletics
Southern Illinois Salukis Men's Track & Field | Southern Illinois University Athletics
Southern Illinois Track and Field secured impressive finishes at the prestigious Drake Relays held in Des Moines, Iowa. The competition drew strong participants from across the country, and the Salukis demonstrated commendable performances, setting the tone as the season approaches its final month.
"The return to Drake Relays for the sprint group was a good one," expressed Richard Jones, the Track and Field Director. The men's 4x200 relay team, consisting of Nadir Langston, Andre Jackson II, Christian Donatelli, and Xavier Preston, clinched first place with a time of 1:25.49. The men's 4x100 relay team, composed of Caleb Massiah, Andre Jackson II, Christian Donatelli, and Xavier Preston, also performed well. They initially secured first place in the qualifying round with a time of 40.28 seconds and ultimately claimed second place in the finals with a time of 40.41 seconds.
In the women's events, the 4x100 team, including Trinity Cleaver, Leah Thames, Teanna Bell, and KeyAnn Wilson, qualified with a fifth-place finish at 46.03 seconds in the preliminaries, culminating in a fourth-place conclusion with 46.12 seconds in the finals. Additionally, in the 4x200 relay, the women's team finished in second place, recording a time of 1:36.43.
Leah Thames excelled in the 400m dash, earning second place with a time of 54.62 seconds, closely followed by Teanna Bell in fifth place at 56.12 seconds. Both women concluded their respective heats in second place. In the men's 400m dash, Andre Jackson finished third, clocking in at 46.66 seconds, a mere 0.22 seconds behind the leaders of his heat.
Full results from the Drake Relays are available for those interested in a detailed breakdown of performances.
Looking ahead, the Salukis will compete at the UK Invitational, hosted by the University of Kentucky, on May 1, in Lexington, Kentucky. For ongoing updates on the team's activities and results, Southern Illinois Track and Field can be followed on their Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook platforms under the handle @SIUTrackXC.
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