CHARLESTON, Ill. – Southeast Missouri track & field secured a trio of medals to open the 2021 Ohio Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championship Thursday at O'Brien Field. Donald Hatfield Jackson and Dylan Clark grabbed a pair of Gold medals for the Redhawk men while Nicole Humphreys captured Bronze to lead the SEMO women.
 
Hatfield Jackson won Gold in the long jump with a mark of 25-2.50 (7.68m) in his first attempt Thursday. He is the first SEMO athlete to win the Outdoor Championship since Blake Carter topped the field event in 2013 with 25-0.75.
 
Isaac Readnour finished eighth to score for SEMO with a personal-best jump of 22-11.25 (6.99m). Victor Mathuthu concluded the event with 22-6.50 (6.87m, ninth) and Brock Wood notched a mark of 21-10.75 (6.67m, 11th).
 
Clark captured Gold in the men's hammer throw with a career-best mark of 208-7 (63.59m). Clark achieved the PR in his fifth and final attempt.
 
With the heave, Clark moved up to 26th in the NCAA West Region after securing the Championship. He also now ranks third overall in SEMO program history for the field event.
 
The SEMO men have won the individual hammer championship at each of the past two OVC Outdoor Championships with Logan Blomquist setting a Redhawk and league Championship record of 213-5 (65.06m) at the 2019 edition in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
 
Clay Alewelt also scored for the Redhawks in the hammer with a toss of 163-1 (49.70m, eighth).
 
On the women's side, Humphreys grabbed Bronze with a career-best 191-11 (58.50). She now ranks 46th in the NCAA West Region. In the SEMO record books, Humphreys ranks second with the mark.
 
Anya Tonga was sixth (166-8, 50.80m) and Makenzie Williams was eighth (165-4, 50.40m, PR) to also earn points for the Redhawks.
 
The SEMO men placed fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively in the pole vault. Jack Rinehart overcame a height of 15-1.5 (4.61m) for fourth. Shea DeGraaf (14-3.5, 4.36m, first attempt) and Jon Bissell (14-3.5, 4.36m, second attempt) also earned points for the Redhawks men for their fifth and sixth place finishes.
 
Lauryn James and Ciara Potter took fifth and sixth in the long jump. James posted a mark of 19-3.25 (5.87m) and Potter added a personal-best feat of 18-7.25 (5.67m) to score for the SEMO women.
 
Jane Boessen finished seventh in the 10,000 meters in a personal-best 39:04.00 in the second-to-last event of the opening day.
 
Aaron Modrow led the Redhawk men in the 10,000 meters, concluding the race in 31:54.14 (13th). Seth Gleason (32:08.08, 15th) and Schuyler Ogden (33:05.93, 16th) also represented SEMO in the final race of the day.       
 
After four men's events scored, SEMO is second in the team competition with 34 points. Eastern Illinois, the host, is first with 40 points and Belmont is third with 27.
 
The Redhawk women are third with 18 points after three scored events. Belmont leads the women's team competition with 33 points followed by EIU at 26.
 
Decathlon
On the men's side, SEMO has the second, third and fourth slots in the decathlon standings, respectively, after five events. Shea DeGraaf, the 2020 OVC Indoor Heptathlon Silver Medalist, is second with 3,607 points followed by Isaac Readnour (3,317) and Jon Bissell (3,305).
 
The trio opened Thursday, fourth (11.48, PR, DeGraaf), fifth (11.49, Readnour) and sixth (11.62, PR, Bissell) in the 100 meters.
 
DeGraaf then placed first in long jump (22-11.25, 6.99m, PR). Readnour was third (21-10.75, 6.67m) and Bissell had a personal-best mark of 20-10 (6.35m) for fifth.
 
In the shot put, DeGraaf was the runner-up (39-2.5, 11.95m) followed by Bissell in third (36-5.75, 11.12m, PR). Readnour notched a personal-best throw of 32-1 (9.78m) for fifth.
 
DeGraaf overcame a high jump height of 6-4.75 (1.95m) for first in the fourth decathlon event. Bissell was third overall with 6-2.25 (1.89m) and Readnour achieved a PR mark of 5-9.75 (1.775m, sixth).
 
Readnour led the trio in the 400 meters, finishing fourth in 51.39, followed by DeGraaf (53.08, PR, fifth) and Bissell (53.63, sixth).
 
Day 2 of the decathlon features the 110-meter hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1,500 meters to wrap up the 10-event competition.
 
Heptathlon
After four heptathlon events, Serena Williams is eighth with 2,687 points and Briann Jenkins is 10th, having accumulated 2,654.
 
Tayler Gudde has 2,022 points (14th) after the first day of competition.
 
Serena Williams was fourth in the 100-meter hurdles, crossing the finish line in 15.35. Jenkins concluded the event in 15.92 (11th) and Gudde tallied a personal-best time of 19.44 (15th).
 
Jenkins surpassed a high jump mark of 5-1 (1.55m, eighth). Serena Williams added a height of 4-10.50 (1.49m, ninth). Gudde compiled a feat of 4-6 (1.37m, 14th).
 
Gudde led the women in the shot put with a personal-best distance of 29-8.75 (9.06m, 10th) followed by Jenkins (29-3.75, 8.93m, PR, 11th). Serena Williams posted a personal-best heave of 24-9.75 (7.56m, 14th).
 
Serena Williams won the 200 meters in a personal-best 24.75 to conclude the first day of the heptathlon competition. Jenkins finished the race in fifth in 26.06 (PR) and Gudde finished in 26.87 (PR, 11th).
 
The second day of the heptathlon wraps up Friday with long jump, javelin and the 800 meters.
 
Preliminaries
 
Kendall Long qualified second overall in the 400 meter hurdles after she won the first of two heats in 1:01.56.
 
In the men's 400-meter hurdles, Brock Wood was the second fastest qualifier. Wood placed first in the second and final heat in 54.62. Dillon Lay will join Wood in the finals on Saturday, after grabbing the seventh qualifying spot in 56.27.
 
Kaitlyn Shea (#7), Carli Knott (#8), Taylor Fox (#11) and Brianna Payton (#12) all qualified for the women's 1,500 meters finals on Saturday.
 
Shea and Knott went second and third in the second of two 1,500 meters heats in 4:49.35 and 4:49.62, respectively, Thursday. Fox (4:52.56) and Payton (4:52.61) were sixth overall in both the first and second prelim races, respectively.
 
Noah Little grabbed the final qualifying spot in the men's 1,500 meters finals with a time of 3:58.98 (12th). Byron Sowerby (3:59.86, 13th), Justin Splitt (4:03.78, 15th) and Thomas Doss (4:07.76, 16th) also ran in the prelim for SEMO.
 
Breanna Miles (24.66, 10th) and Sandrea Cogio (25.95, 19th) both represented the Redhawks in the prelims of the 200 meters. Miles finished third in the third of three heats.
 
Nick Bryant has qualified for Saturday's 200 meters final. The 2020 OVC Indoor Male Freshman of the Year, finished in 21.93 for fourth in the second heat for the sixth qualifying spot in the finals. Colin Schwab had a time of 22.41 (13th) in the first preliminary heat.
 
Friday will open with the final day of the decathlon and heptathlon competitions at 9 a.m., CT followed by field events at 2:30 p.m. Running events will conclude the second day of the Championships, starting at 5 p.m.