Complete Notes 
May 8, 2008
NORMAL, Ill. -
The Illinois State track and field team has one stop left before the 2008 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships (Carbondale, Ill., May 16-18). The Redbirds head to the Billy Hayes Invitational, held on the Billy Hayes Track inside the Robert C. Haugh Track and Field Complex in Bloomington, Ind., Friday. The meet is set to begin at 3 p.m., EST with the women's hammer throw and the women's 100-meter hurdles.
Host Indiana as well as Eastern Illinois, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, Miami (Ohio), Ball State, Chicago State, Indiana State, Western Michigan, and Purdue will be competing this weekend.
Illinois State head track and field coach Elvis Forde feels that if the weather cooperates that his student-athletes are ready to have strong performances.
"One of the main reasons for us to compete is to get a day where the weather is nice and will allow for a strong performance," said Forde. "I think our team really needs a race that will send a message to our student-athletes that the work that we have done all year long has prepared them for conference. To get in a good race before conference would be a plus. We are just banking on the weather to be one of those factors that will give us some of those performances that we are looking for."
While a vast majority of the Illinois State track and field team will be sent to the Billy Hayes Invitational, some will stay behind to rest up before the championships. Seniors Devon Williams and Anna Lovell as well as junior Mike Richardson, sophomore Scott Krapf and freshman Matt Mroczynski will not be racing.
"Most of the individuals that we are not taking have had a few more races than their team members," said Forde. "We feel that if they don't race this weekend they will still be ready to go. For everyone competing, this is a good way to get a final touch on all the little things that we have been working on as well as solidify what races we are going to run our kids in next weekend."
Senior Suzy Turner will be one of those competing to solidify their performance. The Palatine, Ill., native could potentially run the1,500-, the 5,000- or the 10,000-meter run at the conference championships. This weekend she will be running the 1,500-meter to see if she can break her personal-best 4:34.74, a time she achieved earlier this year, to be a contender for a conference title.
Seniors DeAndre Tillman, Diondre Williams, Kelley Anderson and junior Luke Henrichs will look to improve their performances in the 4x100-meter relay. The quartet will look to improve their handoff technique and shave time off their performance.
On the women's sprints side, senior Melissa Clarke and junior Brianna Officer are competing in the 400-meter dash. The two hold top-times for the Redbird this season but need to take at least two seconds off their current season-best performances in order to be a contender for a top spot at the conference championships.
"I think that our whole team is ready to come around and hit the big performances we want," said Forde. "We want to have those big performances for each of our kids because their confidence would sky rocket from that. As I look back at the emotional roller coaster that we have had this spring some good weather would be a huge boost for us and help us reach that potential."
