Carbondale Reporter

The Southern Illinois Track and Field team had a successful first day at the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Championship, with notable performances in the long jump. The men's team is currently in sixth place with 11 points, while the women's team holds ninth place with nine points.

"Hosting the meet at home has benefits and challenges," said Richard Jones, Director of Track and Field. "Today I believe we benefited from being at home. Great weather and atmosphere with great support from the community helped bring the Salukis to some great marks and advance to the finals tomorrow. I am excited to see the finale of this weekend and the fruits of their labor."

The team's jumps crew secured a gold and silver medal in Saturday's long jump event. Darrione "DW" Williams took home the gold with a personal best jump of 7.55 meters (24'-9.25"). Reflecting on his performance, Williams stated, "I show up when the heat gets turned on, pressure makes diamonds." His coach Jacob Brydson commented on Williams' achievement: "Round five was special though, his best jump of his life came in the biggest moment."

Na'Kyrah Cooks earned a silver medal with her personal best mark of 5.89 meters (19'-4") in her final round jump. Coach Brydson praised her ability to handle pressure: "Her ability to recenter launched her into second place with her furthest jump of the year which was remarkable for a freshman."

Several athletes qualified for upcoming events based on their performances:

- Weston Jokerst qualified for the 1500M with a time of 3:57.21.

- Briana Nieset also qualified for the 1500M clocking in at 4:35.68.

- Christian Coleman made it through in the 110M Hurdles at 14.45 seconds.

- Nadir Langston advanced in both hurdles events with personal records.

- Triniti Douglas achieved a personal record in qualifying for the 100M Hurdles.

Notable results included Elise Green setting a personal record in discus throw at 35.02 meters and Trinity Cleaver achieving personal records in both sprint events.

The Salukis will aim to secure more podium finishes on Sunday, May 18, during the final day of competition.

For updates on their progress, follow them on Twitter (@SIUTrackXC), Instagram (@SIUTrackXC), and Facebook (@SalukiTrackAndField).