Jan. 27, 2007
Results
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -
For the fourth consecutive meet, junior Devon Williams recorded victories in both the 60-meter and 200-meter dashes, however, the Illinois State track and field team found itself in fourth place in both the men's and women's meets after competing Saturday at the 12th Annual Gene Edmonds Cup at Lambert Fieldhouse in West Lafayette, Ind.
Purdue, the cup's host, swept both sides of competition as the Boilermakers retained the cup for the 12 consecutive year. Purdue won the women's side of competition with 57 points, followed by Missouri (40 points) and Indiana State (38 points), while the Redbirds finished in fourth with 29 points. The Boilermaker men's squad placed first with 70.16 points, as Indiana State finished second (41.83 points), followed by Missouri (38 points), while the `Birds again finished in fourth with 14 points.
While the Redbirds may have not finished in an ideal position, head coach Elvis Forde was pleased with the overall effort exerted by the `Birds, feeling that the team is making strides every time they head to the track to compete.
"I think that we are getting better every weekend," said Forde. "We have continued to get better and make improvements. I felt much better with the effort level today, and I think that we are starting to find our form in some of the events that will help us as we get ready for the Missouri Valley Conference Championships."
Williams led the women's team by finishing in first in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.57 seconds, while also finishing in first in the 200-meter dash with a time of 25.14. Junior Anna Lovell secured a victory in the 400-meter dash, recording a season-best time of 56.65. Other notable finishers for the women included sophomore Kim Smudde, who finished in second in the 800-meter run (2:13.54), junior Suzy Turner placed second in the 3,000-meter run (10:36.98) and senior Betsy McDonald posted a season-best time in the one mile run (5:02.1).
On the men's side, the Redbirds were unable to secure a victory, however, clinched three second-place finishes. Sophomore Sam Watts finished in second place in the long jump, posting a score of 22-01.00, junior DeAndre Tillman also finished in second in the 400-meter dash (49.45), while sophomore Maxwell Mkwezalamba placed second in the 200-meter dash (22.74).
The Redbirds will be back in action on February 2-3, when they compete at the Hoosier Relays in Bloomington, Ind. The meet is scheduled to begin on Feb. 2 at 3 p.m. and at 9 a.m. on Feb. 3.
