Otahkians claim first at McDonald's meet

Southeast Missouri State University junior Heather Jenkins set a school record while scoring two first-place finishes and lifting the Otahkians women's track team to a first-place finish in the McDonald's Invitational. The two-day event, hosted by Southern Illinois-Carbondale, concluded Saturday.

Jenkins' record-setting mark in the 20-pound weight throw and her first-place showing in the shot put were two of five top performances for Southeast.

The Otahkians racked up 137 points, six better than second-place SIU. Louisville was third with 99 points.

Jenkins recorded a distance of 61 feet 5 inches in the weight throw, which provisionally qualified her for the NCAA Indoor Championships. She won the shot put with a mark of 47-7.

Lyndsey Stevenson was first for Southeast in the 60-meter hurdles (8.82 seconds), Lindsey Zeiler won the mile (5:05.43) and Brooke Woodruff captured the 800-meter run (2:14.00).

The Otahkians put away the team title with the final event, as Lindsey Meyr and Meleissa Greene finished second and third in the long jump.

The Southeast men's team settled for third in the seven-team field, finishing well behind SIU (141) and three points behind Memphis (88).

Dan Jones was the lone first-place finisher for the Indians, taking the 35-pound weight throw with a mark of 52-11 1/2. Teammate Jay Heddell was second at 47-11.

Southeast results

WomenShot put -- Heather Jenkins, first place, 47-7.

Weight throw (20 pounds) -- Jenkins, first place, 61-5.

60-meter hurdles -- Lyndsey Stevenson, first place, 8.82.

Mile run -- Lindsey Zeiler, first place, 5:05.43.

800-meter run -- Brooke Woodruff, first place, 2:14.00.

Pole vault -- Michelle Jett, second place, 10-6.

Long jump -- Lindsey Meyr, second place, 18-4; Meleissa Greene, third place, 18-1 3/4.

400-meter dash -- Juanita Coleman, second place, 58.71; LaQuita Andrews, third place, 59.22.

3,000-meter run -- Kaci Pilcher, second place, 10:19.31.

Triple jump -- Heather West, third place, 38-11 3/4.

200-meter dash -- Andrews, third place, 26.04.

1,600-meter relay -- second place (Coleman, Woodruff, Andrews, Nyisha Porter), 3:52.15.

MenWeight throw (35 pounds) -- Dan Jones, first place, 52-11 1/2; Jay Heddell, second place, 47-11.

High jump -- Andrew Lambert, third place, 6-4 3/4.

60-meter hurdles -- David Herman, third place, 8.20.

Pole vault -- Jordan Willi, third place, 14-7 1/4.

Shot put -- Heddell, third place, 51-5 1/2.

400-meter dash -- Miles Smith, third place, 49.44.

Long jump -- Shawn Statler, third place, 22-0.

1,600-meter relay -- third place (Smith, Zoe Nelson, Chaz Brown, Seth Schuster).