Saturdays Illinois Open at the Armory in Champaign was a chance for every member of the Illinois State track and field team to compete in at least one event.
Since the team had not competed since the Early Bird Invite on December 6, head coach Elvis Forde was a little worried coming into the Illinois Open about the long layoff, especially since the Birds had only one week of practice leading up to the meet.
We didnt do as well as I would have liked, but I guess thats to be expected since we only had one week of practice, Forde said of his teams performance in Champaign. All in all, we still have a lot of work to do, and not just in one area of the team.
Jeremy Doherty, JaRod Tobler and Latisha Johnson all highlighted the afternoon by finishing first in their respective events. Doherty was a first place finisher in the 3,000-meter run with a time of 8:35.05, while Tobler took the top spot in the long jump with a distance of 24-3 feet. Johnson was first in the shot put with a throw of 49-3 3/4.
Those were some decent performances by JaRod, Jeremy and Tish (Johnson), Forde said. I saw some good things happen today.
Other highlights on the womens side included freshman Abby Heinholds third place finish in the 400, as she clocked in with a time of 59.36. Heinhold was also part of a second place 4 x 400 relay team (3:56.64) that included Lindsey Arnold, Cherise Devers and Andrea Mosher. Lauren Maul also performed well for the Birds, placing third in both the long jump (19-4 3/4) and 60-meter hurdles (8.78). Diana Ainsley placed third in the 3,000 with a time of 10:17.33, while teammate Laura Kennedy was fourth with a time of 10:25.68.
On the mens side, Gergely Bata placed second in the high jump with a height of 6-8 3/4, while Dan Tripp was second in the mile with a time of 4:14.87. Other second place finishes included Tyler Gaumer in the pole vault (14-11), Brian Krantz in the shot put (51-3 1/2) and Mark Jackson in the weight throw (57-10 1/2).
The Redbirds continue their season next Saturday when they travel to Madison, Wis., for the Badger Elite Invitational. Forde believes that several members of the team need to raise their level of play if they are going to travel with the Redbirds this season.
Just because someone is on the roster doesnt mean they are going to be traveling with us, Forde said. We are going to take the best kids on the road with us. We brought everyone this week, but some are going to have to work harder if they are going to travel.
