Lester, Blackburn Win Events at Joe Walker Invite

Friday, April 10

Oxford, Miss

TBA

Southeast Missouri State University

Joe Walker Invite

Photo by: SEMO Creative Media

4/11/2026 7:59:00 PM | Track and Field

The Southeast Missouri Track and Field teams had two event winners as the Joe Walker Invite hosted by Ole Miss wrapped up Saturday.

Liberty Blackburn led the way with a first-place finish in the women's high jump clearing 5-7, while Alaina Lester captured gold in the women's triple jump with a personal best jump of 40-0.75.

The Redhawks recorded several second and third place finishes across the meet. Zavier Winton took second in the men's discus with a throw of 168-2, while Matt Pluff cleared 6-8.75 to finish second in the men's high jump. The women's 4x400m relay team of Sydney Burdine, Kale Clements, Jasmine McClelland, and Lester also earned a runner-up finish, clocking 3:51.42. On the track, Cole Reinders led the distance crew with a third-place finish and PR time of 3:50.99 in the men's 1500m, while Kayla Vogelsang added a third place showing in the women's 5,000m with a time of 18:26.53.

Trey Mygatt (3:52.10) and Tyler Anderson (3:52.76) both ran PRs to finish fourth and sixth, respectively, in the men's 1500m, while Mattea Pearsall clocked a PR 4:43.67 to take fourth in the women's 1500m. Madalyn Gray added a fourth-place finish in the women's 800m (2:15.34), and Nick Cimmarusti placed fifth in the men's 5k (15:17.76). Lester also contributed a fifth-place finish in the women's 100m (12.13), alongside Jasmine McClelland (6th, 12.18) and Makayla Jones (8th, 12.22), giving SEMO a strong sprint showing. Andreese Ortiz added a pair of sixth place finishes in the shot put (44-5.5) and discus (150-5).

Top 10 performances were spread across both track and field events. Cole Bruenderman (7th, 45-1) and Aarion Jackson (9th, 42-9) competed in the men's triple jump, while Ian Schwierjohn (7th, 16:00.93) and Zach Thoman (9th, 16:23.64) added solid finishes in the men's 5k. Evan Fuller ran a PR 1:52.60 to finish eighth in the men's 800m, and Lauren Eftink placed sixth with a PR 2:17.43 in the women's 800m. In hurdles, Luis Schladlich (8th, 14.99) and Jon'David White (9th, 15.07) competed in the 110m hurdles, with White also placing seventh in the 400m hurdles (58.58). Jonas Davis recorded a PR time of 10.78 to finish ninth in the men's 100m, while Erika Mellor added a ninth-place finish in the women's 400m (57.78). Alyssa Repke also secured a ninth-place finish in the women's discus (141-6).

Other finishes rounded out the meet for Southeast Missouri. Sydney Burdine ran 12.33 to finish 13th in the women's 100m, while Alyssa Repke (11th, 38-2) and Quinton Maxwell (13th, 46-2.75) competed in the shot put. In the discus, Mark Goldman (12th, 142-2) and Maxwell (13th, 140-9) added depth on the men's side. Brooklyn Bender placed ninth (18:55.95) and Daphne Bishop 11th (19:27.77) in the women's 5k, while Pearsall added a 10th-place finish and PR in the women's 800m (2:26.16). Trey Mygatt also recorded a PR of 1:54.15 to finish 15th in the men's 800m. The men's 4x400m relay team of Reinders, Smith, Witvoet, and Davis closed out the meet with a fifth-place finish in 3:16.71.

Up next for the Redhawks will be the Georgia Tech Invite in Atlanta Friday and Saturday.