SLU’s track and field team took home five golds among the 10 podium spots they secured at the Samford Open on Saturday, Jan. 20, in Birmingham, Alabama.

Graduate student Indya Jackson clocked in at 55.38 seconds in the 400m and claimed the only individual gold title for the women. The women’s 4x400m relay team consisting of Jackson, Esther Nwanze, Onyah Favour and Miriam Kauer finished first in their competition with a time of 3:50.52.

Newcomer Tim Anstett placed first in the 800-meter run with a blistering time of 1:55:96. In the field events, graduate student Lara Zupanc topped 3.56 meters in the pole vault and grasped the gold.

Serbian sensation Slavko Stevic ended in second but placed in the nation’s top 10 in the high jump, successfully managing 2.19 meters.

Stevic was named SLC Male Track and Field Athlete of the Week for his performance.

Webb continued to shine in the weight throw, as his best toss of the day went 19.86 m. The distance set the pace for the rest of the competition with the Canadian javelin thrower taking yet another gold for Southeastern.

Stevic, fresh from competing at the World Championships in Serbia, shared his thoughts on his goals: to be better than last year, win indoor nationals and make the Olympics.

“I perform on a high level because I treat every meet like it’s a championship. I am always trying to be better than myself,” Stevic said.

The Lions’ recent achievements were preceded by their success at the LSU Purple Tiger meet on Friday, Jan. 12, achieving new personal bests and podium finishes in multiple events. Senior hurdler Olu Ogunyemi kicked off the meet strongly by matching his school record, earning the title of Male Track Athlete of the Week and catching the Southland Conference’s attention.

Other top performers included Webb, who beat out his competition with a new personal best of 20.44 meters, high jumper Stevic who claimed silver and junior Donroy Brown who threw 16.88 meters in shot put, rounding off with a third-place finish.

Stevic’s efforts placed him 14th in the nation for high jumpers with a score of 2.12 meters. Webb held the 6th position in the weight throw, while Brown secured the 49th spot nationally in shotput.

Head Coach Michael Rheams spoke on the positive takeaway from the way his team has entered the season.

“We entered so strong this year. There are so many personal bests and so many great performances from the entire team and every single group,” Rheams said.

After a back-to-back weekend battle, the Lions returned home to recover and rest. The season will resume on Feb. 9, when they travel back to Birmingham for the Bulldog Invitational hosted by Samford.

To follow along with the Green and Gold track and field, tune into lionsports.net for more information.