Staying true to his values and beliefs, Illinois State track and field head coach Elvis Forde was high expectations about his teams trip to Madison, Wisc., Saturday for the Badger Elite Invite.
Forde is known for his high standards and lofty goals, and this weekends competition will be no different, especially since Missouri Valley Conference opponents Northern Iowa and Indiana State will be competing against the Birds. Both schools finished ahead of Illinois State during last years Valley Indoor Championships. Iowa State and host Wisconsin will also be competing this weekend.
We need to redeem ourselves after last years performance, Forde said. I expect much better performances this weekend. My expectations are much higher.
Forde feels that the team needs to give a better effort this weekend than the one they gave during competition last week at the Illinois Open in Champaign. Because it was their first meet, Forde thinks the team wasnt physically ready for competition. However, Forde said the effort needs to be greater this time around.
I think the kids felt because it was our first meet in a month, they didnt have to push themselves, Forde said. Im a believer that even when youre not at your fittest, there is still a certain effort that has to be given. I felt they didnt give that effort.
During the Illinois Open, freshman Abby Heinhold gave a decent showing in her first meet as a Redbird. The Eureka, Ill., native placed third in the 400-meter dash with a time of 59.36, and was part of the second place 4x400-meter relay team that clocked in with a time of 3:56.64.
She (Heinhold) was able to get her first 400 under her belt and I think with time and training, she is going to be a very good track and field athlete, Forde said. Once she gets used to competing on a regular basis, shes going to do very well for us.
On the mens side, Forde feels that another young athlete has many great days ahead of him. Freshman Camari Brown has been making progress in the 60-meter dash, running the event in 7.14 seconds last Saturday.
Camari is running well in the short events, and being a freshman, I think hes handled himself very well, Forde said.
Last week, Forde took his entire squad to the University of Illinois campus. This time around, however, he will be taking a much smaller group with him and many will be competing in multiple events.
Were going to step up the work load a little bit and see how they respond, Forde said. We had a very good week of practice and we hope that translates into something positive. I get the sense that the decision to leave some people home has really picked up some steam. I think if youve got pride, youll work hard in practice and be rewarded with the chance to travel.
