Complete Track and Field Notes | April 23, 2008 
April 23, 2008
NORMAL, Ill. -
The Illinois State men's and women's track and field teams will head to the prestigious 99th Annual Drake Relays, one of the most popular track and field venues in the world; and hosted by Missouri Valley Conference foe, Drake, in Des Moines, Iowa, in Drake Stadium on the Jim Duncan Track. The Relays are set to get underway Thursday through Saturday.
The Drake Relays, which are also known as "America's Athletic Classic", attract world-class athletes, including many Olympic gold medalists.
Over the years, the Redbirds have fared well at the Drake Relays, and Illinois State head track and field coach Elvis Forde is hoping that this year is no exception.
"The last couple of years, we have done well in many of the events, and this year, we hope that the group that we are taking (to the Drake Relays) can do the same," said Forde. "This is an opportunity for our athletes to step up and represent Illinois State."
The Redbird women will be sending six relays which will be comprised of the programs top runners. Individuals competing include senior Suzy Turner in the 5,000-meter run, senior Devon Williams in the 100-meter dash, sophomore Kim Ebbesen and freshman Sarah Glowacki in the 10,000-meter run and Samantha Springer in the discus.
"We are going to expect a strong showing from our women's relays," said Forde. "Our 4x100- and 4x200-meter relays have done well over the past three years, and we look to improve our performance in the distance medley and sprint medley relays. This is the first time since I have been here that we are going to have a shot at the 4x1,600-meter relay. With a core of all freshmen running that relay, I am going to remain optimistic that it will be a good stepping stone for them and help them realize what the big time is all about.
"We are also going to look for Suzy (Turner) in the 5,000 (meter run) and Devon (Williams) in the 100 (meter dash) to get out there on the national stage and really showcase their skills in their individual events. The competition is going to be there, and I think that they are ready to get their regional qualification marks out of the way."
The Redbird men are entered in three distance relays. In addition to the relay events, senior Alex Straughn will be competing in the high jump and triple jump, junior Mike Richardson qualified for the 3,000-meter steeplechase and senior Anton Walczak is an alternate in the hammer throw.
"Relay running is one of those finicky things," said Forde. "You take some of your best runners and combine them together and hope that they mesh. By the way Scott (Krapf), Matt (Mroczynski), Nick (Geyer) and DeAndre Tillman have been running individually, I think that that foursome should mesh well in the distance medley relay. I think that the distance is going to be a step down in terms of what Scott is used to running, but he is a competitive young man, and I don't see why he couldn't run one of his fastest races yet.
The Illinois State women's distance runners will kick off the first day of competition, Thursday April 24, with the "distance carnival." Ebbesen and Glowacki are scheduled to run at 4 p.m., while Turner's race is slated for 6:09 p.m.
