BIRMINGHAM – McNeese track and field placed five more student-athletes on the medal stand during Monday's final day of the 2019 Southland Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships as the Cowgirls ended the competition in fourth place while the Cowboys placed 10^th.
 
Cowgirls runner Aleyah Donald (60-meters) and Alex Eykelbosch (3,000m) each took home a silver medal in their events while Grace McKenzie won a bronze medal in the high jump with a mark of 5-7.75.
 
Other scoring for the Cowgirls saw McKenzie placing fifth in the 800-meters (2:15.29) and in the 60-meter hurdles (8.82); Donald finishing sixth in the 200-meters (24.58); Malaiya Jedkins finished seventh in the triple jump (39-7.75); Alanna Arvie was eighth in the shot put (PR of 46-8.25); and the 4x400 relay team made up of Donald, Jedkins, Shania Anthony and Victoria Pierson who finished fifth with a time of 3:48.65 and just missing out on the school record by .64 seconds.
 
"The women came to compete," said head coach Brendon Gilroy. "The leadership was key with Alanna, Alex and Aleyah. They willed the others to do better."
 
McKenzie will move on to compete at the NCAA Indoor Championships March 8-9 right here in Birmingham when she'll take part in the pentathlon.
 
"Grace turned in a super human performance the last two days," said Gilroy. "She was very busy, scoring in every event she competed. She turned around and finished third in the high jump right after running the 800-meters.
 
On the men's side, sprinter Tyler Smith set a new school record in the 200-meters with a bronze medal time of 21.03. He, along with the first and second place finishers, ran faster than the previous SLC meet record.
 
A day after breaking a 16-year old school record in the 60-meter hurdles, Darion Dunn broke his own record while winning a bronze medal with a time of 7.92.
 
A third Cowboys' school record was broken on the day when the 4x400 relay team of Blake Comeaux, Terrill Banks, Ethan Rapp and Kobe Nevills clocked a time of 3:15.43 to finish fourth and break the previous record by .51 seconds, a mark that was set by these same four runners at last year's conference meet.
 
The Cowboys also got points on the day from Smith after a fourth place finish in the 60-meters; Aaron Gilliam with a fourth place finish in the mile run at 4:16.55 and Niall Holt finishing seventh at 4:18.57.
 
Also, Jelle De Jong placed sixth in the heptathlon with 5,048 points.
 
"When you lose as many key people as we did last year to graduation, youth and a few miscues cost us on the men's side," said Gilroy. "But they were a scrappy group and left it all out on the track."
 
Stephen F. Austin won the women's team title with 141 points while Sam Houston State took home the men's championship with 104 points.
 
Women's Team Scoring: 1, SFA 141; 2, Northwestern State 85; 3, UIW 81; 4, McNeese 72; 5, ACU 65; 6, Lamar 48; T7, SHSU 43; T7, UCA 43; 9, AMCC 38; 10, SLU 24; 11, HBU 16; 12, UNO 7
 
Men's Team Scoring: 1, SHSU 104; 2, SLU 85; 3, ACU 77; 4, Lamar 74; 5, Northwestern State 63; 6, SFA 57.5; 7, UIW 46; 8, AMCC 42.5; 9, UCA 39; 10, McNeese 35; 11, HBU 32; 12, UNO 6
 
Women's Events:
60m: 2, Aleyah Donald 7.54
200m: 6, Aleyah Donald 24.58
800m: 5, Grace McKenzie 2:15.29
3000m: 2, Alex Eykelbosch 9:53.77 (PR); 18, Alissa Lander 10:34.76 (PR); 19, Sally Hughes 10:35.07 (PR); 30, Jessica Fox 10:48.11
60m hurdles: 5, Grace McKenzie 8.82
Triple jump: 7, Malaiya Jedkins 39-7.75; 11, Shaelyn Hines 38-7.50 (PR); 16, Morgan Talley 36-11.75
High jump: 3, Grace McKenzie 5-7.75; 14, Crystal Coulter 5-3.75
Shot put: 8, Alanna Arvie 46-8.25 (PR)
4x400 relay: 5, 3:48.65 (Aleyah Donald, Shania Anthony, Victoria Pierson, Malaiya Jedkins)
 
Men's Events:
60m: 4, Tyler Smith 6.74
200m: 3, Tyler Smith 21.03 (PR, School Record)
Mile: 4, Aaron Gilliam 4:16.55 (PR); 7, Niall Holt 4:18.57
3000m: 10, Brian Flanagan 8:37.47 (PR); 14, Joey Croft 8:38.34 (PR); 25, Markus Kopp 8:46.61; 35, Daniel Saina 9:00.97; 36, Aaron Gilliam 9:05.18
60m hurdles: 3, Darion Dunn 7.92 (PR, School Record)
Triple jump: 12, Nemanja Koviljac 47-0.25; 13, Lentz Similien 46-9
Shot put: 13, Garrett Dietert 47-5 (PR)
4x400 relay: 4, 3:15.43 (School Record; Blake Comeaux, Terrill Banks, Ethan Rapp, Kobe Nevills)
Heptathlon: 6, Jelle De Jong 5048; 17, Lewis Cain 4420; 19, Marcellus Boykins 4389 (PR)