Ever since the day Illinois State track and field head coach Elvis Forde was hired, he has talked about building a championship program. If Saturdays performances at the Badger Elite Invite in Madison, Wis., were any indication, the Redbirds are well on their way to achieving that goal.
Both the men and the women turned in several memorable performances over the weekend, putting forth a much better effort than the one last week according to Forde.
It was a much better day, Forde said of his teams performance at the Badger Elite. We as coaches are much happier all around.
JaRod Tobler again won the long jump, this time with an NCAA provisional qualifying mark of 25-1 1/4, tying his own school record. In the throws competitions, Rhett Hillard turned in a first place finish in the shot put, winning with a mark of 58-0 1/2. The throw tied Tom Barrett for the second best mark in school history. Pierre Woods was champion in the high jump, finishing with a height of 6-8, while Tyler Gaumer had a personal best in the pole vault with a height of 15-1.
The women were equally impressive, as Latisha Johnson won the shot put for the second week in a row, finishing with a mark of 48-1 1/4. Johnson also placed third in the weight throw with a mark of 54-1 3/4. Lauren Maul took first place in the long jump with a distance of 19-11. Maul was also a second place finisher in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.76.
Diana Ainsley finished second in the mile, clocking in at 5:04.63, while Lian Lucas placed second in the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.87.
After a subpar showing at the Illinois Open in Champaign last weekend, Forde felt the team showcased a much better effort this time around.
The entire team realized that last week was well below what we were capable of, Forde said. This is the kind of weekend that makes you feel good because of all the hard work the athletes and coaches put in to prepare for the meet.
The Redbirds continue their season next week when they travel to Columbus, Ohio for the Ohio State Invitational.
