March 18, 2006
NORMAL, Ill. -
Although Kimberli Smudde and Derek Sargent were the only event-winners for the Illinois State track and field squad, the Redbirds had a successful day at the track at the Alabama Relays in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
In the 800-meters, Smudde took the title in 2:10.21, while Sargent threw 200-09.00 in the javelin for first-place. Also competing in the javelin with Sargent, Darren Price took fifth-place in 173-11.00.
Megan Reese and Betsy McDonald each placed second in their respective events. In the high jump Reese jumped 5-07.00, while McDonald ran a 4:36.12 in the 1,500-meters. Kathleen Thompson competed in the 1,500 as well, taking 15th in 4:49.31. Laura Kennedy, back in action for the Redbirds, having only outdoor eligibility this season, ran close to a personal-best in the 5,000-meters in 17:11.36 on her way to another second-place finish for the `Birds. Suzy Turner also competed with Kennedy taking fifth-place in 18:11.72.
In the sprinting events, Devon Williams set a personal-best in the 100-meter dash in 11.95 for fifth-place and came back in the 200-meters clocking in at 24.84. Anna Lovell performed well in the 400-meters with a personal-best time of 55.91 and turned in a time of 24.83 in the 200.
Brittney Hourd, who placed third in the heptathlon during the first two days of the meet came back to compete in the 100-meter hurdles recording a personal-best time of 14.84 for 10th-place.
Turning in good performances in the throwing events, freshman Samantha Springer took third-place in the discus with a throw of 144-08.00, while Taylor Carbaugh was 11th in 133-04.00.
Forde was pleased with what he saw from the women's team and see it as a good indication of what the future holds for this squad.
"On the women's side I thought we had a very good day," said Forde. "We picked up right where we left off at the indoor season and jumped right into outdoor. This is a good sign of what is to come for the rest of the season."
Notable performances from the men's team include an outstanding effort by Jeremy Johnson in the 200-meters. Johnson took sixth-place in the event, turning in a time of 21.70. He also recorded another sixth-place finish in the 100-meters in 10.99. Maxwell Mkwezalamba (sixth-place) and Bronco Meeks (seventh-place) competed in the 400-meters recording times of 48.66 and 48.72 respectively. Meeks also competed in the 800-meters turning in a time of 1:54.74. Dan Tripp doubled-up in the 800 (1:55.63) and 1,500-meters (4:00.78) taking 11th and sixth-places. Mike Richardson also recorded a sixth-place finish with a time of 15:18.68 in the 5,000-meters, while Jeremy Doherty was 12th in the same event.
In the hammer throw Mark Jackson placed third with a toss of 169-00.00, while Bryan Chancellor was 12th with 150-01.00. Samuel Watts (seventh-place) and Alex Struaghn (15th) recorded jumps of 23-03.25 and 21-08.25.
Pleased with some of the performances on the men's squad, Forde feels the team needs to focus on the road ahead and begin competing at a higher level.
"We're going to have to make some improvements on the men's side," added Forde. "We need to go back to work and pick up the intensity. As the season goes on we need to keep working hard to make a better impression at the conference championships."
The final day of competition, Sunday's events, are dedicated to only relays and field events. The Redbirds will forgo the relays to get back to Illinois and prepare for classes Monday morning. However, a select few `Birds have stayed behind to compete in the last of the field events that will be contested Sunday. Those events will begin at 8:00 a.m. at the Sam Bailey Track and Field Complex.
