With 10 first place finishes between the mens and womens squads, the Illinois State track and field team each placed second at the Saluki Invite Saturday. The women totaled 137.50 points, while the men scored 144 points.
The mens throws had three first place finishers including Brian Krantz in the hammer (191-0), Rhett Hillard in the shot put (53-10 1/2) and Derek Sargent in the javelin (182-11). Krantz was also second in the discus with a throw of 154-6, while Mark Jackson was second in the shot with a throw of 52-10 1/4.
The throws had a very impressive day, Illinois State head coach Elvis Forde said. Brian hit another regional mark in the hammer, while our newcomer Derek Sargent came in and had a very impressive throw in the hammer.
The middle distance squad also responded Saturday with Dan Tripp winning the 1,500-meter run with a time of 3:54.97. Bronco Meeks was first in the 800-meter dash (1:51.87), while Geoff Houtman was second (1:52.04). In the sprints, Kelley Anderson was second in the 100 dash with a time of 10.86.
On the womens side, Andrea Mosher took first in two events including the 400 dash (55.59) and 400 hurdles (1:01.99). Lauren Maul was first in the high jump with a leap of 5-7, and the 100 hurdles with a time of 14.40.
In the 3,000-meter steeplechase, Laura Kennedy qualified for the NCAA Regional by finishing second with a time of 10:47.21.
The 4x100-meter relay team of Anna Lovell, Kyndra Curtin, Devon Williams and Lian Lucas won with a time of 46.76, while Brittney Hourd was second in the 100 hurdles (15.22). Maul was third in the long jump with a leap of 18-7 3/4, while Frannie Epps placed third in the javelin (121-1).
I was very impressed with both teams performances today despite the bad weather, Forde said. The kids came in focused and because of that, we had some solid performances across the board.
The Redbirds return to action next Friday and Saturday when they travel to the campus of Southeast Missouri State for the Gatorade Classic.
