MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama track and field teams recognized this year's senior class Friday night as the Jaguars completed their outdoor home schedule at the South Alabama Invitational held at the Jaguar Track. 

Multiple Jaguars recorded career-best times in the meet, including seven who entered the all-time USA record books in various running events.  

MEET INFORMATION
Event: South Alabama Invitational 
Date: April 6-7
Host: University of South Alabama
Site: Jaguar Track 
Results

NOTES AND RESULTS
Men's Field Events
-Niel Giliomee recorded a personal-best pole vault mark for the second consecutive week. The runner-up, 5.40m (17-08.50) mark is the second-highest in school history and in this year's conference standings. The senior is tied for sixth in the NCAA Division I East rankings and tied for 12th overall on the NCAA Division I performance list. Sean Collins matched his season-high 5.30m (17-04.50) measurement to place third in the event and remain third in the conference.  
-Thad Porter won the triple jump event with a personal-best 13.64m (44-09.00) mark; he remains seventh in the Sun Belt Conference rankings.  
-Sam Brown won the men's high jump with a 1.84m (6-00.25) mark. 
-Thomas Boyd (16.08m, 52-09.00) and Matt Weinhold (15.01m, 49-02.75) earned the top two spots in the shot put event. 
-Jobi Finau won the men's discus event with a season-best 49.44m (162-02.25) throw that ranks sixth in the league. Matt Weinhold also recorded a season-long throw of 49.39m (162-00.25) to take the runner-up spot in the event and the eighth-place spot on the Sun Belt performance list.
-David Reinhardt competed in the javelin event for the first time this season. He recorded a 59.17m (194-01.50) throw to win his first competition after returning from injury and enter the conference rankings at sixth. Andrew Allen's 58.00m (190-03.25) throw earned him the runner-up spot in the event.  
-Allen (56.72m, 186-01.00), Boyd (54.41m, 178-06.00) and Finau (51.05m, 167-05.75) took the top three spots in the hammer throw. 

Women's Field Events
-Olivia Swan tied her career-best 1.79m (5-10.50) mark to win the high jump event. The measurement is tied for second in the Sun Belt and tied for ninth on the NCAA Division I performance list. Taylor Dames earned second place in the event with a 1.74m (5-08.50) mark. 
-Caitlyn Dressler's season-best 34.59m (113-05.75) javelin throw earned her a second-place finish and moved her to 16th in the conference rankings.   
-Megan James recorded a season-best 3.80m (12-05.50) pole vault mark to win the event. Dressler finished second with a 3.65m (11-11.50) measurement. 
-Michaela Preachuk led the hammer competition with a 58.43m (191-08.25) throw. Meagan Hall (51.37m, 168-06.25) and Jessie Droogsma (42.49m, 139-04.75) finished second and third, respectively. 
-Droogsma moved to seventh in the conference rankings after a runner-up, 44.76m (146-10.00) discus throw. Angeline Smit finished third with a 44.42m (145-08.75) mark, while Esherika Hawkins' 40.32m (132-03.25) throw earned her fourth place in the event.  
-Michella Obijiaku moved from sixth to third on the all-time Jaguar shot put performance list with a 14.56m (47-09.00) throw; it is the fourth-longest discus mark in the conference this season. Smit earned second place with a 13.78m (45-02.50) effort and Hawkins took third place with a 13.41m (43-11.75) mark.  

Men's Running Events
-Alex Elam ran the 100m dash in a personal-best 10.33 seconds, a time which ties for second in program history. It is the second-fastest time in this season's conference rankings and is among the top-20 times in the NCAA Division I standings. The junior entered the USA 200m record books at 9th after shattering his career-best mark and finishing the race in 21.55 seconds. 
-Porter's 10.43-second time in the 100m dash is the third-fastest in school history. It is tied for third in the Sun Belt season standings and is one of the top-50 times in the NCAA Division I standings this season. 
-Keith Davis finished second in the 200m race with a time of 21.13 seconds. The personal-best mark is fifth in Jaguar program history and fourth in the conference season rankings. 
-DJ Taylor entered the USA 200m record books at eighth after recording a fifth-place, 21.41-second finish. The freshman bested his previous personal-best mark by 1.88 seconds and entered the Sun Belt top-10 season rankings. He also recorded a career-low 10.80-second time in the 100m dash.   
-Migael Strydom crossed the finish line in 1:55.76 to finish second in the 800m race.  
-A trio of Jaguars earned top-five finishes in the 1,500m and 3,000m races. Ben Rolader ran the 1,500m for the first time this season and claimed first place with a time of 3:56.01, the seventh-fastest time in the Sun Belt Conference. The junior also won the 3,000m race in his first time running the event, crossing the line in 8:52.10. Warno Potgieter finished second in the 1,500m with a 3:58.35 time and third in the 3,000m with a 8:57.88 mark; it was his first career 3,000m race. Luke Fielding placed third in the 1,500m with a season-best 4:01.50 and moved from 23rd to 13th in the conference standings. The sophomore ran the 3,000m in 8:59.52 to earn a fifth-place finish. 
-Larry Lombard ran the 400m hurdles in a season-best 54.26 seconds and finished third. The time moved him from 15th to 9th in the Sun Belt rankings and is currently tied for 76th in the NCAA Division I East standings. Javen Jackson earned a fourth-place finish after completing the event in 55.37 seconds.   
-The 4 x 100m relay team finished the race in 41.93 seconds. 

Women's Running Events
-Cierra Hedrick and Elysa Griffin recorded personal-best times in the 100m dash to finish fourth and fifth, respectively. Hedrick's 11.74-second mark is the top time in the Sun Belt and among the top 100 times in the NCAA Division I rankings. She enters the all-time Jaguar record books with the third-best time in school history. Griffin's 11.90-second time moves her from seventh to tied for fourth on the USA outdoor performance list and is currently tied for sixth in the conference. 
-Griffin ran the 200m race in 24.72 seconds, the ninth-fastest time in the league this season. 
-Cindy von Ahlefeldt finished fourth in the 400m dash after completing the race in 59.61 seconds.
-Carolien Millenaar placed second and entered the all-time USA 800m record books at ninth after finishing the race in 2:15.93 on her first career attempt. It is the eighth-fastest time in the conference this season. Laura Labuschaigne ranks 14th in the league after a third-place, 2:18.24 effort. 
-Millenaar claimed the runner-up spot in the 1,500m with a time of 4:44.90. Gillianne Sharp's 4:59.34 time earned her a fourth-place finish.  
-Ashley Heitling won the 3,000m in her first career attempt, covering the distance in 10:32.74.
-Dames entered the all-time USA records and jumped to the top of the Sun Belt rankings with a personal-best, 13.94-second 100m hurdles time. The time ties for third in school history and currently ties for 59th in the NCAA Division I East rankings. Swan finished third with a career-low 14.43-second time which ties for 12th in the conference. Darnesha Harris also recorded a career-best 15.10-second time in the race.    
-Swan won the 400m hurdles competition with a time of 1:01.06.  
-The women's 4 x 400m relay team ran a season-best 3:57.52 and finished second. 

UP NEXT
USA Track & Field will travel to Auburn, Ala. for the Tiger Classic April 13-14.

QUOTES FROM COACH BRUESKE
On overall performance… "I thought it was a good meet. Conditions were pretty poor this morning and we had to rearrange the schedule of events to try to avoid the bad weather, but I thought the kids handled it pretty well. We had some excellent performances in some instances. Overall, it was a good meet and we look forward to continuing that trend at Auburn."

On this year's senior class… "Great group. Not only have they been solid student-athletes, but they're good people too. They have good character. I'm very proud of all of them and I think you're going to see them continue their success in their careers and their lives. They're just winners." 

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