VERMILLION, S.D. - Jamario Taylor and Dana LaRue each earned individual conference titles as Western Illinois track & field concluded competition at the Summit League Championships inside the DakotaDome on Monday (Feb. 25).
The men's team finished in fifth place, while the women's team ended in seventh. North Dakota State won the title on the women's side, while host school South Dakota won on the men's side.
In the high jump, Taylor cleared 7-01.50 to set a new program and meet record, edging his previous best of 7-00.50. The mark is currently tied for 26th-best in Division I this season, and also earns Taylor his first indoor conference crown.
LaRue earned her second league title in as many days. After winning the weight throw yesterday, LaRue won the shot put with a throw of 49-11.00, three feet better than the next closest competitor.
The team's four event champions is the most for the program since tallying eight in 2006-07.
"This was one of the best indoor meets we've had," head coach David Beauchem said. "It's been a very difficult indoor season for us, and to come to the conference championship and compete like we did, it bodes well for what lies ahead for us in the outdoor season. Our coaching staff did a very good job of preparing our team for this weekend, and our best student-athletes performed great."
In addititon to Taylor and LaRue, Zach Glasebrook, Justin Kilpatrick, Talisa Watson and Tynan Murray also earned All-Summit League honors on Monday. With Nathaniel Marshall winning the weight throw yesterday, a total of five men earned All-Summit League honors, the most since the 2008-09 season.
Glasebrook broke the program record with a second-place heptathlon finish, notching 4,899 points, bettering Brian Pinta's five-year-old record of 4,791 points.
After setting a personal best mark in the 60-meter dash yesterday, Kilpatrick neared that mark again today, finishing second in 6.92 to earn a spot on the podium.
Watson set a new personal best in the high jump by clearing 5-08.00, fifth-best in program history and the best mark at Western since 1998.
Murray joined Taylor on the podium after the high jump, finishing third by clearing 6-06.00.
Glenn Powell narrowly missed a top-three finish in 60-meter hurdles, tying his program record mark of 8.18 to finish fourth, just .02 seconds behind the second- and third-place finishers.
Myelle Vann added a seventh-place finish in the 400-meter dash, finishing in 58.62.
"Our best people are as good as anybody. They're conference champions, they're conference record-holders," Beauchem added. "When you're a meet record-holder, you're an all-time champion. Nobody's ever performed in the conference championship better than you have, and for Dana and Jamario, that's where they are. They're the best the conference has ever had in their event."
Women's Standings
1. North Dakota State - 186
2. Omaha - 118
3. South Dakota - 114
4. Kansas City - 86
5. South Dakota State - 73
6. Oakland - 43
7. Western Illinois - 34
8. Fort Wayne - 9
Men's Standings
1. South Dakota - 190
2. North Dakota State - 176.5
3. Kansas City - 118
4. South Dakota State - 85.33
5. Western Illinois - 64.66
6. Oakland - 22.5
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