NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State men's track and field team claim a spot in the indoor top-10 Midwest Regional rankings at the No. 9 spot announced by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) on Monday.
This is a historical improvement for the Redbirds as they have not been in the top-10 regional rankings in the past five years. The closest ranking was set on Feb. 11, 2014 when ISU was ranked 12th in the Midwest Region.
There are five Redbirds that are regionally ranked, which includes Anderson Devonish, Ryan Rutherford, Kyle Mattes, JD LaFayette, and Shandall Thomas. Not only is Devonish leading the Missouri Valley in the 400-meter dash with a time of 46.83, but he is leading the Midwest Region as well. He is also ranked fifth in the men's 200-meter dash (21.36).
Rutherford holds rankings in the men's 3,000-meter (8:04.73) and 5,000-meter (14:17.94) where he is second, respectively. Mattes is ranked sixth in the region in the men's 5,000-meter with a time of 14:33.75, while LaFayette is fourth in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:49.99, respectively. Freshman Shandall Thomas is ranked seventh in the men's 60-meter dash with a time of 6.74.
On the women's side, the Redbirds are ranked 18th with Kelly McShea ranked seventh in the women's mile with a time of 4:48.68. The women's 4x400-meter relay squad is also ranked seventh with a time of 3:43.92, which was earned by Ally Christiani, Amanda McClain, Ashleigh Wilson and Sarah Mussallem. The foursome is leading the Valley in the women's 4x400-meter relay.
The Redbirds look to continue their success this weekend as half the team travels to Allendale, Michigan to compete in the Grand Valley State Big Meet, and a select few of student-athletes travel to Ames, Iowa to compete in the Iowa State Classic.
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