Carbondale Reporter

Southern Illinois University's track and field team is set to participate in the NCAA West Preliminary round starting Wednesday, May 28, in College Station, Texas. The men's events are scheduled for Wednesday and Friday, while the women's events will take place on Thursday and Saturday.

The Salukis will be represented by nine athletes: Darrione Williams, Andre Jackson II, Leah Thames, Teanna Bell, Shane Ashton, Trinity Cleaver, KeyAnn Wilson, Xavier Preston, and Josh Delgado.

In the relay category, the women's 4x100 relay team consisting of Leah Thames, Teanna Bell, KeyAnn Wilson, and Trinity Cleaver will compete on Saturday at 5 p.m. They recently secured a victory at the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Championships with a time of 44.62 seconds. The men's 4x400 relay team made up of Shane Ashton, Xavier Preston, Josh Delgado, and Andre Jackson II will compete on Friday at 8:45 p.m., having won their event at the MVC Championship with a time of 3:06.17.

Darrione Williams is set to compete in the long jump on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. He recently achieved a gold medal in this event at the MVC Championship with a jump of 7.55 meters.

Leah Thames will participate in multiple events including the 4x100 relay as well as individual races such as the 200M and 400M dashes. She claimed four gold medals at the MVC Championship and was named MVC Most Valuable Female Athlete. Her personal best times are 23.38 seconds for the 200M dash and 53.04 seconds for the 400M dash.

Teanna Bell will also run in the 400M dash alongside Thames after securing second place in this event at the MVC Championship with a personal best time of 53.15 seconds.

Andre Jackson II aims to continue his impressive freshman year by competing in the 400M dash on Wednesday at 7:25 p.m., following his first-place finish at the MVC Championship where he set an MVC Record with a time of 45.75 seconds.

Shane Ashton is scheduled to race in the 400M hurdles on Wednesday at 8:20 p.m., defending his title from last year's MVC Championship where he clocked a winning time of 50.54 seconds.

Live results can be followed online during these events which will also be streamed live on ESPN+ across all four days starting each day between late afternoon to early evening hours.

For ongoing updates about Southern Illinois University's track team performances and news follow them on social media platforms like Twitter (@SIUTrackXC), Instagram (@SIUTrackXC), and Facebook (@SalukiTrackAndField).