The Lindenwood track and field programs kicked off their outdoor season Friday at the Billiken Invitational across the river in St. Louis. The meet was a team scoring event and the Lindenwood men edged out host SLU 169-166 to earn the win, while the women placed third.  There were eight schools participating in the meet.

The men won seven races or events on Friday, including senior Jacob Opdahl who threw the javelin a school record 67.43 meters which is a NCAA provisional mark and a distance that would have placed him fifth at the 2021 NCAA D2 Outdoor Championships.  Sprinters Jameel Walkes-Miller (10.31) and Dorian Leda (10.55) set the tone for the sprinters with a 1-2 finish in the 100 meters, both times are NCAA provisional marks.  Although very early in the year, Opdahl and Walkes-Miller's performances are currently the top in the nation.

On the women's side Ashley Shoemake and Rachael Morrison continued the momentum from outstanding indoor seasons with first place finishes in the hammer and 800 meters respectively.

Here are some of the Lions' top performances from the season opening event:

Men's Top Performances:

• Hammer – Logan Kulinski (55.83m) – 1^st place
• Javelin – Jacob Opdahl (67.43m) – 1^st place (NCAA Provisional Mark)
• Discus – Kulinski (38.75m) – 2^nd place
• Long Jump – Jarom Alexander (6.52m) – 1^st place; Ju'Qui Womack (6.41m) – 3^rd place
• Pole Vault – Gage Rowland (4.40m) – 1^st place
• Triple Jump – TJ Tolliver (12.07m) – 2^nd place; Chad Casey (11.96m) – 3^rd place
• 400 meters – Romon Logan (50.34) – 3^rd place
• 100 meters – Jameel Walkes-Miller (10.31) – 1^st place (NCAA Provisional Mark); Dorian Leda (10.55) – 2^nd place (NCAA Provisional Mark)
• 400 meter hurdles – Thomas Sonntag (57.95) – 1^st place; Benjamin Evers (1:01.42) – 2^nd place; Rasheed Samuels (1:02.38) – 3^rd place
• 200 meters – Samuel Yaro (21.51) – 1^st place

Women's Top Performances:

• Hammer – Ashley Shoemake (48.63m) – 1^st place; Halo Kanengiser (44.53m) – 2^nd place
• Discus – Alea Farmer (33.77m) – 3^rd place
• 400 meters – Rosette Hoyte (1:01.07) – 2^nd place
• 800 meters – Rachael Morrison (2:20.88) – 1^st place
• 200 meters – Gabby Russina (25.81) – 2^nd place; Olivia Alexandre (26.00) – 3^rd place

The Lions return to the track April 1-2 for a modified two-day event at Washington University with the Distance Carnival on Friday, April 1 and the WashU Invitational on Saturday, April 2.