Illinois State was well represented atop the leader board Saturday during the Lee Calhoun Memorial. The Redbirds finished first in seven events, while also winning an additional event at the Sea Ray Relays in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Rhett Hillard was champion in the shot put (55-9 3/4) at the University of Tennessee over the weekend, while the other seven first place finishers came on the campus of Western Illinois. Overall, assistant track and field coach Chris Bailey looked upon this Easter weekend as another step in the right direction.
The weather conditions today werent bad, but they werent favorable for a track and field meet, Bailey said. I thought both teams dealt with the situation and competed really well.
On the womens side, Lian Lucas continued her progression in the sprints, winning the 100 dash with a time of 12.05, while Jen Klostermann was tops in the 800 run at 2:14.01. Laura Kennedy won the 3,000-meter steeplechase (11:30.18) and the 4x100 relay team of Lucas, Lindsey Arnold, Cherise Devers and Brittney Hourd came in first with a time of 47.09. Brittney Hourd won the long jump with a distance of 18-1.
Other notable performances for the women included Devers second place finishes in the 100 (12.05) and 200 (25.33), and Betsy McDonalds third place finish in the 800 (2:16.98). Arnold placed third in the 200 with a time of 25.50, while Mary Risius was a third place finisher in the high jump with a height of 5-3. The 4x400 relay team of Amy Dian, Hourd, Devers and Klostermann took second with a time of 3:54.85, while Latisha Johnson was a sixth place finisher in the shot put (48-8 3/4) at the Sea Ray Relays.
The women saw what the men accomplished during the indoor season and I believe they realized they were capable of the same type of performance, Bailey said. People like Lian, Jen and Betsy have really stepped up and if they continue to do well, they will have success at the conference meet.
The men also had a successful day as Miklos Konkoly came in first in the 800 with a time of 1:54.25, while Jeremy Doherty, fresh off a second place finish at last Saturdays Texas Relays, won the 1,500 with a time of 3:52.19.
Jeremy is a tough competitor and he likes to go against the best, Bailey said. Obviously the competition wasnt as tough as last week, but he ran a smart race today and still competed against some talented runners.
Taiwo Sodeyi finished second in the 110 hurdles with a time of 15.02. Tyler Gaumer also placed second in his event, finishing the pole vault with a height of 14-11. Camari Brown placed fifth in both the 100 (10.88) and 200 (21.97).
The Redbirds will be at home next weekend when they host the Redbird Classic at the Redbird Outdoor Track complex. It will be the first home meet since 1997.
