March 1, 2006
NORMAL, Ill. -
After the Illinois State women's track and field team took second-place at the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championships and a fourth-place finish by the men's team last weekend at Northern Iowa, 12 Redbirds were selected to the all-conference team, while Lian Lucas was selected as this week's Prairie Farms Missouri Valley Conference female athlete of the week.
"It's always great to know that the athletes are recognized in that manner," said head track and field coach Elvis Forde. "It's always an honor because it not only reflects the athletes but the University as well. It is fantastic that we have this number of athletes selected in terms of the relatively small number in comparison to the other teams that we took to the championships."
Lucas' performance not only earned her female scholar-athlete of the week honors, but the St. James, Barbados native was also an all-conference honoree. On her way to two conference championship titles and a second-place finish in the 60-meter dash, Lucas broke the school record in the 200-meters in a new time of 24.00, while also anchoring the 4x400-meter relay to another school record (3:43.70). In the 200-meters, she was runner-up to teammate and all-conference selection, Devon Williams. Lucas, a senior finance major, holds a 3.17 grade point average.
Williams earned her spot on the all-conference team with a first-place finish in the 60-meter dash, breaking the school record and setting the standard at 7.43. She was also the runner-up in the 200-meter dash behind Lucas. Relay team members, Andrea Mosher, Kimberli Smudde, Anna Lovell along with Lucas, were also named to the all-conference team for their performance in the 4x4.
Betsy McDonald, Mosher, Smudde and Suzy Turner earned all-conference plaudits, finishing first in the distance medley relay, while McDonald came back on Saturday to take third place in the mile. Brittney Hourd took second in the heptathlon, achieving all-conference status.
Bronco Meeks first-place performance in the 800-meters garnered him all-conference honors, as well as T.J. Fakehinde's second-place finish in the high jump and Brian Glaza (third) in the mile run. Mark Jackson recorded two second-place finishes on the weekend in the shot put and weight throw for all-conference honors.
Many of the athletes who were named to the all-conference team will travel to Ames, Iowa this weekend to compete in the Cyclone Track and Field National Qualifier. This meet gives those individuals who are close to provisionally or automatically qualifying for the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships one last chance to compete and achieve those times or distances.
At the Valley Championships, Williams provisionally qualified in the 60-meters, as did Lucas in the 200-meters. The two of them will look to improve their times in hopes of moving up the NCAA list in their respective events to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Mosher will try a different strategy this weekend, as she will compete in the 800-meters. Based on the times she has run this season, Forde believes this will give her a chance to go out and compete stress-free and give her an opportunity to see how well she can compete in the event. Much different from last weekend, Hourd will only compete in the long jump to try to surpass the 20 foot mark, while Lovell will compete in the 400-meters.
Mark Jackson, who has already provisionally qualified in the weight throw, will look to move up on the NCAA list, competing at Iowa State. Meeks, who was out early in the season has come on strong here at the end and will have one more chance to break the 1:50.00 barrier and get on the NCAA list this weekend.
The Cyclone Track and Field National Qualifier is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. with field events followed by running events at 10:25 a.m.
