Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Track and Field	Women's SIUE Track and Field SIUE Athletics

May 8, 2006 SIUE Track Victorious at GLVC Outdoor Championships         The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville men’s and women’s track teams claimed Great Lakes Valley Conference outdoor titles this past weekend. For the men’s team, it was their third consecutive title, while being the second straight title for the women’s team.         The Cougars will be at last chance meets this week at Missouri Southern, North Central College, and Emporia State trying to qualify more athletes for the NCAA Track and Field Outdoor Championships.         SIUE’s men’s team finished 16 points ahead of second place Indianapolis with 246 points at the GLVC Championships. The women’s team notched 229.50 points, finishing 15 points in front of Missouri-Rolla.         “This was an extremely tough meet,” said SIUE women’s track and field coach Ben Beyers. “It was certainly a fight until the very end, and I’m very proud of how our athletes stepped up in a big way to pull out yet another conference victory.”         Both of SIUE’s track teams won the GLVC indoor championships back in March.         “We’ve had quite a bit of success in recent years, but this is the first time in school history we’ve won all four track and field titles in the same year,” said Beyers. “That was one of our goals this year, and I’m ecstatic that we were able to get that done.”         Beyers and SIUE men’s track and field coach Dave Astrauskas collected conference coach of the year honors.         On the women’s side, Tairisha Sawyer (Chicago) won the 100-meter dash and the 200-meter dash on her way to being named GLVC Athlete of the Year. Sawyer finished the 100 meters in a time 11.80 seconds, setting a new SIUE school record in that event. Sawyer notched a time of 24.53 in the 200 meters.         “Tai really stepped up big,” said Beyers. “She won athlete of the year for the third time in her career. That says a lot about her competitive spirit.”         Valerie Simmons (St. Louis) won the 100-meter hurdles in a time of 14.80. Simmons came in second in both the triple jump and the 400-meter hurdles.         “Val is like Wonder Woman when you put her in the big meets,” said Beyers. “She repeatedly steps up to challenges. I’m still amazed every time she performs like she did this weekend.”         Deserea Brown (Flossmoor) placed first in the 400-meter hurdles in front of Simmons. Brown paced the pack with a time of 1:01.11. She also placed third in the 400-meter dash with a mark of 57.81.         “Dez was all over the place this weekend,” said Beyers. “We ask her to carry us through so many events and she just constantly lines up and gives it her all.”         Christine Butler (Matteson) won both the triple jump and the long jump at the conference championships. Butler notched a mark of 39 feet, 2.25 inches (11.94 meters) in the triple jump, and 18 feet, 3.75 inches (5.58 meters) in the long jump.         “Christine was another one of the ‘must-haves’,” said Beyers. “We really needed her to win both the long and triple jumps, and she came through big when we needed her.”         Kimetha Williams (Bellevue, Neb.) won the 400-meter dash in a time of 56.31.         “Kimetha stepped up big yet again, leading the way in the 400, our biggest event,” said Beyers. “We had to score big points in that event, and I knew I could count on her to defend her title from last year.”         Callie Glover (Bartlett) claimed the conference championship in the hammer throw with a toss of 181 feet, four inches (55.27 meters). Glover placed fourth in the shot put.         The Cougars’ 1,600 meter relay team placed first with a mark of 3:50.87.         On the men’s side, Kyle Rose (Kankakee) won the 200-meter dash and at 400 meters. Rose finished the 200 meters in a time of 21.60 and the 400 meters with a mark of 47.23.         “Kyle simply outdid himself,” said Beyers. “I’m glad he is starting to see what he is really capable of accomplishing.”         Brian Taghon (East Moline) won conference championships in both the 5,000 meters and the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Taghon notched a mark of 14:55.95 in the 5,000 meters and a time of 9:12.32 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.         “Brian ran some very smart and solid races,” said Beyers. “He’s a fierce competitor, and he’s so race savvy now as a veteran. It’s definitely a luxury having a guy like that on your team.”         Ben Willard (Manito) placed first in the shot put with a career-best throw of 51 feet, 0.75 inches (15.56 meters). Willard’s throw was two feet better than his previous best.         -siue cougars-