2006 Track and Field - Readies for Illinois

		Track and Field	Women's Track and Field SIUE Athletics

April 19, 2006

Cougars Look to Build on Strong Performances
        With the outdoor track and field season coming to its midpoint, the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville men's and women's track and field teams have reason to be excited.
        SIUE women placed second at the recent Division II Challenge in Emporia, Kan., while the SIUE men took sixth. Both had to maneuver through a difficult field.
        "This meet had some of the best Division II teams in the nation, and we performed well while placing high in numerous events. I really liked the way our athletes came to compete against quality competition," said SIUE men's coach David Astrauskas.
        SIUE's next action is Saturday when it travels to Champaign for Illinois Invitational.
        Several SIUE Cougars provisionally qualified for the NCAA Championships with the performances at the Division II Challenge.
        Tairisha Sawyer (Chicago), Kimetha Williams (Bellevue, Neb.), and Deserea Brown (Flossmoor) all qualified in the 400-meter dash. Sawyer's time of 55.47 seconds was second in the event.
        "Her 400 time was a big personal record, and that time will likely get her invited to the national meet in that event," said SIUE women's coach Ben Beyers. "She’s been more of a 100 meter or 200 meter runner since she got here, so she might be surprising a lot of people with her abilities in the 400m as well, but she isn’t surprising me."
        Brown also broke the school record in the 400-meter hurdles by more than a second. Brown's time of 1:00.86 eclipsed the record set by Valerie Simmons in 2004.
        "Dez had a very good 400 hurdle race," said Beyers. "Her time broke our school record by over one second and should place her about third in the nation right now. That’s pretty impressive in only her third race in this event in her life. I think she’ll continue to feel more comfortable in this race and we’ll be looking for even faster times later this season."
        SIUE's 400-meter and 1,600-meter relay also posted season best times that position the Cougars on the national list.
        Holly Noller (Pawnee) improved her mark in the javelin to 143 feet, 11 inches. Currently No. 6 on the national qualifying list, she is aiming for the school record at 150-5.
        On the men's side, Anthony Weber (Marengo) posted his season best with a pole vault of 16-0.75.
        Two Cougar posted qualifying marks in the javelin. Phil Freimuth (Effingham) threw the javelin 202-9 despite a mild abdominal strain, according to Astrauskas. Dustin Bilbruck (Gillespie) also connected on a 201-7 throw.
        Steve Landers (Auburn) also broke the qualifying mark in the discus, passing the 160 feet barrier with a throw of 166-6.
        "Steve has been due for a big throw in the discus for quite some time. One hundred sixty has definitely been a barrier for him. This should help Steve’s confidence and I look for longer throws from him in weeks to come. This performance should get Steve into the Division II national meet in May," said Astrauskas.
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