TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - It was a rainy day two of the Crimson Tide Invitational at Alabama on Friday, but that didn't stop the Sycamore Track & Field teams from putting on several gutsy performances.
 
"We had a mix of results this week," Head Coach Angela Martin said. "We came to this meet to see some high caliber competition and several of our athletes stepped up to the challenge. The women's throws were a huge highlight for us, along with the men's and women's 1500-meter races. We won several events and we are going to focus on the positives from the trip."
 
Friday's competition got started early in the morning with the women's discus throw and once again Erin Reese made her presence known. After winning the hammer throw yesterday, Reese turned around and claimed victory in the discus with a toss of 54.58m (179-01) on her final throw of the day. Reese still owns the second-best mark in the Missouri Valley Conference of 55.91m (183-05) which is also 4th in the NCAA East Region and 11th in the nation.
 
Once the discus throw conclude, the focus shifted to the women's shot put and Cassaundra Roper did not disappoint. The redshirt senior put on her best performance in an ISU uniform, recording a phenomenal throw of 16.44m (53-11.25) en route to bronze in the event. After her performance at the Crimson Tide Invite she sits atop the conference, is seventh in the East and is 15th in the NCAA. Her mark is also fourth in school history.
 
Concluding an incredible two days of competition, Reese ended her day with a lifetime-best mark of 15.29m (50-02.00) which gave her a seventh place finish and is eighth in ISU history. With that mark, Reese is now third in the Valley and 30th in the East Region.  
 
Elsewhere in the field for the women, Caitlyn Redmon performed well as she earned a finals birth in the women's long jump. Redmon jumped to a distance of 5.75m (18-10.50) which was rewarded with a seventh place finish. Her mark of 5.90m (19-04.25) from the Ole Miss Classic is third in the MVC.
 
On the track for the women, the Friday's section of the 1500-meter run was a bright spot for the blue and white. Jessi Conley ran a strong race to finish second with a time of 4:35.27, just .03 away from first, and she retains the fourth-fastest time in the conference. Alli Workman also placed in the top-10, crossing the line in sixth at 4:37.89.
 
Later on in the day Imani Davis hustled her way to a top-five finish in the 800-meter run. Davis placed fourth in the event with a time of 2:14.15 and her time of 2:12.17 from the Gibson Invite is still fifth in the Valley. Rebecca Odusola followed her in the race, recording a time of 2:16.56 for seventh place.
 
Facing staunch competition, Ayanna Morgan represented the Trees will in the 100-meter hurdles. The Barbados native hurdled to a time of 13.87 en route to a fifth place finish and she was the only non-Power Five finisher in the top-five of the event. Morgan's time of 13.67 from the Ole Miss Classic is still atop the conference standings and is 29th in the East Region.
 
The men also competed hard against top-level competition on Friday. One impressive performance came during the Friday section of the men's 1500-meter run where Cale Kilian was the top finisher. The sophomore raced across the finish line with a time of 3:56.37. His time of 3:55.60 from the Gibson Invite is ninth in the MVC.
 
In the 3000-meter steeplechase, Luke Kerstiens raced well against solid competitors. Crossing the line in second place, the junior recorded a season-best time of 9:36.79 for the fifth-best time in the Missouri Valley Conference.
 
Freshman hurdler Matthew Lewis-Banks continued his impressive outdoor campaign by claiming a fifth place finish in the 110-meter hurdles. He ended up clocking a time of 14.32 and his time of 14.12 from the Ole Miss Classic is second in the conference and 24th in the East.
 
The field events were good to the men as well, specifically Sam Overton in the men's shot put. Much like the women, Overton threw to a season-best mark of 15.91m (52-02.50) for a fifth place finish and he is now eighth in the MVC.
 
Also performing well in the field for the Trees was Dearis Herron. Herron jumped well in the men's long jump, earning a mark of 6.78m (22-03.00) which gave him a fifth place finish. His mark of 7.04m (23-01.25) from the Gibson Invite is third in the Valley.
 
Next up both teams will return home to host the Pacesetter Sports Invitational on Thursday, April 18 at the Gibson Track & Field Complex.
 
Other Notable Performances
Women's 100-Meter Dash:
9. Faith Lindsey - 11.95, PR
 
Men's 110-Meter Hurdles:
10. Avery Taylor - 14.89
 
Women's 100-Meter Hurdles:
9. Caitlyn Redmon - 14.54
 
Women's 400-Meter Dash:
9. Jezel Martin - 56.06
 
Men's 400-Meter Hurdles:
6. Kaleb Budde - 54.60
 
Women's 400-Meter Hurdles:
5. Emily Robertson - 1:03.38, PR
 
Men's 1500-Meter Run:
5. Isaac Bentz - 3:59.26
8. Justin Niederhaus - 4:02.03, PR
 
Women's 4x100-Meter Relay:
Morgan, Lindsey, Cooper, Buggs - 46.73
 
Women's 4x400-Meter Relay:
5. Hall, Davis, Martin, Odusola - 3:46.86
 
Men's High Jump:
7. Nathan Kiger - 2.00m (6-06.75)
 
Women's Long Jump:
10. Kaitlyn Davis - 5.60m (18-04.50), PR
 
Men's Triple Jump:
9. Dearis Herron - 14.25m (46-09.00)
 
Men's Pole Vault:
5. Antoine Howard - 4.70m (15-05.00)
5. Callan Whitehouse - 4.70m (15-05.00)
7. Riley Smith - 4.55m (14-11.00)
 
Women's Pole Vault:
10. Emily Brady - 3.57m (11-08.50)
 
Men's Shot Put:
8. Vince Laconi - 14.99m (49-02.25)
 
Men's Discus Throw:
6. Grant Harris - 45.89m (150-06)
9. Kannon Sams - 43.02m (141-02)
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Track & Field teams, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook and Twitter.