Dec. 6, 2008
Results
NORMAL, Ill. -
The Illinois State men's and women's track and field teams opened their season with a combined 10 first-place finishes and set a school record at the Early Bird Open Saturday, inside Horton Field House. Senior Kristin Brinkman highlighted those performances, as she set a personal-best and school record in the pole vault by clearing a height of 11 feet, 10 inches (first-place finish).
"For the first meet of the year, I have to be happy with how the kids did," said Head track and field coach Elvis Forde. "As a coach, you don't always know what to expect from the first meet of the season, but I am pleased. There is still room for improvement, and I hope that the kids spend their time off over the break wisely.
"I think Kristin is starting to find her way again. Last year, Kristin struggled quite a bit, so to see her do so well in her first meet makes us ecstatic for her. Hopefully, that will continue, and hopefully, by the end of the indoor season, we will see her over the 12-foot mark."
Senior Megan Thompson got the day off to a fast start after she won the 60-meter hurdles in a personal-best 8.71 seconds.
"Megan looked very good in the hurdles (Saturday)," said Forde. "We have been wanting her to be more aggressive in the event, and (Saturday), she seemed like she was understanding what being aggressive means, getting out of the blocks and running real well."
Freshman Alia McAfee got her collegiate career off to an impressive start with two first-place finishes. In her very first 400-meter race, McAfee clocked a time of 58.97 seconds and later anchored the 4x400-meter relay team that finished in a time of 4:02.24.
"I think that Alia is going to be a fine athlete by the time she leaves Illinois State," said Forde. "She has the drive and determination and she wants to know as much as possible about the 400 in order to get better. What I enjoyed most about her race is that she was aggressive getting out off the starting line and going after the performance. I know that there is still a lot of work to be done, but the results will show at the end of February next year."
Both the men's and women's 800-meter runners took the top-three finishes in the event. The women led the charge, as senior Kim Smudde (2:18.10), sophomore Katie Cooper (2:20.64) and freshman Jil Kerkman (2:22.28) crossed the finish line one right after another. The men rose to the challenge, as freshmen Steve Regan (1:55.43), junior John Neisler (1:58.23) and sophomore Yosef Tewolde (1:59.93) took first through third, respectively.
Senior Samuel Watts had a strong performance Saturday after he won the long jump with a distance of 23-6.75 feet. Watts also took second in the 60-meter dash, crossing the finish line with a personal-best time of 6.94.
"I think that Sam is going to be outstanding this year if we can keep him healthy," said Forde. "If he continues to train like he does, we can count on him in the short sprints as well as in the long jump. It is expected that Sam will go over 24 feet by the end of the season, and I hope that he has even higher aspirations for himself. He should be thinking along the line of qualifying for the NCAA Championships."
Illinois State had two first-place finishes in the high jump. Sophomore Amanda Albrecht cleared a personal-best height of 5-7 for the women, while sophomore Drew Holl won the event on the men's side, clearing a height of 6-8.
"Drew looked very comfortable and relaxed out there (Saturday) in the high jump," said Forde. "In his second year, he looked a little more relaxed, and we just have to hope that he can continue to believe and back off some on the intensity that he always brings and enjoy the event a little bit more."
In the men's triple jump, freshman Tyler Knight took top honors, jumping a personal-best distance of 47-5.74. Junior Nick Ragusa placed second in the pole vault, clearing a height of 16-00.75.
The Illinois State men's and women's track and field teams will not compete again until Jan. 16, when Redbirds face Indiana Sate in a dual meet in Terre Haute, Ind.
