Despite cold and windy weather conditions, the Illinois State track and field team fought through the unseasonable climate at the Central Collegiate Championships, as the women won the meet with 192 points, while the men were third with 88 points respectively.
In addition, head coach Elvis Forde was named Womens Coach of the Championships, while junior sprinter Lyn Cox was named Womens Athlete of the Championships.
Cox and the rest of the sprinters were instrumental in helping the Birds to a first place finish on the afternoon. She won the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.92, but was not the only Redbird to place high. Illinois State held seven of the top eight spots, including third place finisher Lian Lucas (12.03), fourth place finisher Kyndra Curtin (12.04), fifth place finisher Devon Williams (12.06), sixth place finisher Anna Lovell (12.06), seventh place finisher Cherise Devers (12.22) and eighth place finisher Melissa Clarke (12.31).
Right now the sprints are the key and backbone of the womens program, and hopefully in time we will be looking to add more depth across the board, Forde said. We want to be the best at conference championship time, but we need to keep having top performances like this.
In the womens 200, Cox also took home first place with a time of 25.16, while Curtin was second (25.35), Williams was third (25.42) and Devers was fourth (25.67). Betsy McDonald was champion in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 4:42.53, while teammate Suzy Turner was third with a time of 4:49.05.
Lauren Maul placed first in two events, including the long jump (18-11 1/4) and the 100-meter hurdles (14.60).
On the mens side, the throwing combination of Rhett Hillard and Brian Krantz again dominated with Hillard winning the shot put with a distance of 58-0 1/4, while Krantz was champion in the hammer, adding to his regional qualifying mark with a distance of 195-0.
Bronco Meeks took home first place honors in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:54.07, while teammate Geoff Houtman was fourth, clocking in at 1:56.07.
I really appreciated everyones efforts today, Forde said. Everyone came out and performed under the conditions they were dealt with and did a great job. The throwers were out here all day from 9 until about 6:30 and that shows great mental toughness.
The Redbirds return to action next weekend as Forde will send a group to the Drake Relays Friday and Saturday, while the rest of the team will host its only home meet of the season on Saturday when they compete in the Redbird Invitational.
