May 16, 2006
NORMAL, Ill. -
After the Illinois State women's team took third-place at the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships and the men finished sixth, 16 Redbirds were recognized as all-conference performers for their accomplishments over the weekend.
To earn all-conference honors, an athlete must place in the top three in their event at the conference championship meet. Anna Lovell may have had one of the most impressive showings for the `Birds, as she was named all-conference in three different events. She anchored the 4x400-meter relay to a first-place finish, while also running on the winning 4x100-meter relay. She also tried to go for a third conference championship in the 400-meters, but fell short to Missouri State's Tanya Cyrus.
Devon Williams also earned all-conference plaudits in three events as she was the conference champion in the 100-meters, led-off the winning 4x100-meter relay and took third-place in the 200-meters. Williams' time of 11.52 tied the school record, set by teammate Lian Lucas in 2004. Lucas' all-conference honors came in the 100 and 200-meters, where she placed second in both events and also ran on the winning 4x100-meter relay. Andrea Mosher, Brianna Officer and Cherise Devers were also among the all-conference honorees as they teamed up with Lovell in the 4x400-meter relay. Devers also ran on the first-place 4x100-meter relay.
Laura Kennedy, who broke her own school-record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase earlier this season, took second-place at the conference meet, while Brittney Hourd was second in both the heptathlon and the triple jump. Lauren Maul was recognized by the Valley as well with her third-place finish in the high jump.
Wichita State and Missouri State were the two teams to top the `Birds at the championships and it was their well-balanced teams and all-round performances that bested the Redbirds.
"When we look at the women's team, the two teams that beat us were more balanced and well-rounded than we were," said head coach Elvis Forde. "The difference between an all-conference performer and an athlete competing in the championships is the hard work, the work in the weight room and how the individual takes care of themselves. To be an all-conference performer is quite a tribute."
On the men's team, the 4x400-meter relay team of DeAndre Tillman, Geoff Houtman, Maxwell Mkwezalamba and Bronco Meeks were honored by the league for their second-place finish in the relay. Jeremy Doherty recorded a second-place finish as well in the 1,500-meters, while Alex Straugh and Olutola Fakehinde were second and third in the high jump.
Forde would have liked to see more names on the men's all-conference list, but the `Birds didn't do as well as expected in certain areas at the conference meet.
"I certainly wish we would have some more on the men's side," said Forde. "Again it's a tribute to those athletes who have paid their dues and have done the little things all year long. We still have to be happy and excited for the things we've done, but we fell short of our expectations. We had some areas we didn't do as well as we expected and it hurt us this weekend."
All 16 all-conference performers have qualified for the NCAA Mideast Regional and will have a chance to qualify for the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in June, as they travel to Knoxville, Tenn., to compete in the regional meet on May 26-27. To qualify for the championships, the athlete must place in the top five of their respective event at the regional meet or earn an at-large bid based on their best performance of the season.
