A trip to the East Coast proved quite successful for the track and field team. Several Billikens performed well and some even broke school records at the Thundering Herd Invitational at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia.
Senior Griffin McCurren broke the school record in the men’s 400-meter with a time of 49.54, which edges out the previous record of 49.61. The time was set last year by senior Nathan Hall. Sophomore field athlete Jaryn Blackshear-Bryant recorded 4,272 points in the heptathlon, squeaking past his own school record, set last year, of 4,268 points.
SLU head coach Jon Bell was pleased with the performances. “This was a good weekend for our student athletes. The men were able to set two new school records and achieve numerous other PRs. The women’s team followed suit with a large collection of PRs and seasonal best performances. We are looking forward to a good week of practice and concluding our regular season at Notre Dame and SIUC this next weekend,” Bell said.
On the men’s side, sophomore Tannock Blair finished fourth in the 800-meter with a time of 1:53.86. Sophomore Colton Nettleton finished eighth in the mile with a time of 4:20.42. SLU men’s 4×400 relay team, composed of senior Kyle Clinkingbeard, sophomore Will Moore, senior Josh Freivogel and McCurren recorded a time of 3:21.21. Sophomore Bobby Jansen finished fourth in the high jump jumping 1.95 meters. Senior Michael Reader finished fifth with a recorded jump that was also 1.95 meters. Blackshear-Bryant’s score of 4,272 was good enough for sixth in the heptathlon event.
The women also had top-eight performances. Junior Elise Moore finished third in the 800-meter with a time of 2:15.17 and senior Emma Kidd finished fifth with a time of 2:15.67. The 800 proved to be a strong event for the women, as the sixth place finisher was SLU junior Katherine Kelly, with a time of 2:15.93. Finally, the 4×400 relay team of senior Hannah Rohde, sophomore Ann Harlos, senior Marina White and sophomore Avery Pacella finished eighth in the event with a time of 3:58.28.
Next up for the Billikens will be meets at Eastern Illinois and Notre Dame. The team will be split between the two meets on Friday, Feb. 3.
