Jan. 30, 2008
NORMAL, Ill. -
Illinois State men's track and field senior Alex Straughn was named the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Field Athlete of the Week for his season-best height of 6-10.25 feet to win the high jump at the Carle/Health Alliance Classic Jan. 26 in Champaign, Ill., inside the University of Illinois Armory, as announced by the league office Tuesday afternoon.
Straughn shares this award with Northern Iowa's Ehi Oamen. The St. Philip, Barbados, native and Oamen both achieved the top high jump in The Valley (6-10.25) over the weekend and shared the No. 1 position on the conference leader boards.
Head track and field coach Elvis Forde feels Straughn's confidence is high and that the senior is doing as much as he can to contribute in the high jump, triple jump and long jump.
"Alex had a good weekend, even though he was competing in between two events," said Forde. "He was able to reach a height that was just under his personal best. We expect some special things from him this year, especially since last year, he was an NCAA qualifier, which puts him in an elite category.
"I know there are going to be some tough duals this year in the high jump. When you look at the conference best list, you see UNI's (Ehi) Oamen and Alex (Straughn), as well as our own Drew Holl (freshman at ISU), who will be pushing Alex to higher levels. I think that the high jump is going to be a highly competitive event this year in our conference."
Straughn is a triple threat in the jumps, as he competes in the high jump, long jump and triple jump for the Redbirds. Not only does he hold the top high jump, but he also holds the top triple jump in The Valley with a distance of 48-00. Last season, he achieved a personal-best high jump at the NCAA Mideast Regional with a height of 6-11 (4th) and qualified for the national meet, where he placed 16th.
The Illinois State men's and women's track and field teams are scheduled to compete again at the Hoosier Relays Feb. 1-2 in Bloomington, Ind. The meet is scheduled to begin with the running of the 60-meter hurdles at 2 p.m. CST.
