Lian Lucas was champion in the 60 and 200-meter dashes at the Badger Elite Invite Saturday, leading the way for a strong outing by the Redbird sprinters.
Lucas won the 60 with a time of 7.74 and the 200 with a time of 25.24, but she wasnt the only bright spot for the Redbirds on this day. Freshman Anna Lovell tied Lucas for the top spot in the 60 (7.74), while freshmen Kyndra Curtin and Devon Williams tied for third, both achieving times of 7.82 respectively.
Lindsey Arnold finished second behind Lucas in the 200 with a time of 25.40. In the 400-meter dash, Andrea Mosher was first with a time of 56.97, while Arnold (57.45) and Cherise Devers (59.30) finished second and third respectively.
The womens 4x400-meter relay team of Mosher, Lucas, Lovell and Arnold took first place, edging out the University of Wisconsin with a time of 3:51.77.
In the mens sprints, freshmen Kelly Anderson and Jorge Prez advanced to the finals of the 60-meter dash, with Anderson finishing third (7.00) and Prez placing seventh (7.19). Anderson also gave a decent showing in the 200-meter dash, placing fifth with a time of 22.99, while Prez was third in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.37.
Everyone on both teams performed well as a whole, Illinois State track and field head coach Elvis Forde said. It was a solid day and I feel very excited about what we accomplished. We have to continue getting better over this next month because other teams in the conference are going to improve as well.
The mens throws again showed why they are leading the way in the Missouri Valley Conference as Rhett Hillard won the shot put with a throw of 56-1, while Brian Krantz was third with a toss of 54-0 1/2. Mark Jackson finished second in the weight throw, going over 60 feet for the second time this season with a distance of 60-7 1/4. Hillard placed fourth with a toss of 54-7 1/2.
Dan Tripp established a new personal best in the mile by finishing third with a time of 4:07.22, two seconds better than his winning time at the MVC Championships last season.
Dan showed that he can compete against the conference, but also top opponents like Wisconsin, Forde said. I believe he has the ability to making a showing on the national level.
Geoff Houtman (1:21.27) and Bronco Meeks (1:21.93) placed second and third in the 600-meter run, while Joe Marcin was second in the 800 with a time of 1:55.67.
On the womens side, Laura Kennedy placed second in the mile with a time of 5:01.64, while Brittney Hourd won the long jump with a distance of 18-2 1/2. Freshman Janine Zylinski finished second in the shot put, throwing a distance of 45-5 3/4.
Both the Illinois State men and women return home for the Redbird Invitational at 10:00 a.m. next Saturday in Horton Field House.
