May 8, 2009
Results
NORMAL, Ill. -
Samantha Springer hit her fourth NCAA Regional qualifying mark and won the discus throw to highlight the Illinois State men's and women's track and field teams performances in its final regular season meet at the Billy Hayes Invitational at the Robert C. Haugh Complex Friday evening.
Springer toss of 167 feet, improves her to No. 2 all-time at Illinois State in the discus. The record in the event at ISU is held by Angie Joy who tossed the discus 181-00 in 1998.
"I think that the kids really stepped up today," said head coach Elvis Forde. "We had a two hour rain delay and the track was slippery, but I thought we did well. We didn't bring too many kids with us, but I was happy with the effort I saw."
Michelle Brunk posted a personal-best performance in the 800-meter run with a time of 2:10.22. The sophomore took fifth place and missed the NCAA Regional mark by less than a second. On the men's side, Nick Geyer clocked in with a personal-best 1:52.56 in the 800 for a 10th-place finish.
Sophomore Aisha Praught turned in a second-place finish in the 1,500-meter run with a time of 4:46.26. In the men's race freshman Blake Brooks took fourth with a personal-best time of 3:54.01.
Alia McAfee and Meaka Brents posted personal-best performances in the 200-meter dash to finish fifth and sixth, respectively, McAfee finished with a time of 25.00 and Brents clocked in at 25.34. Freshman Hannah Query posted a fifth-place finish in the finals of the 100-meter dash with a time of 12.58.
"Alia surprised me with her performance," said Forde. "The track was slippery and she still ran a PR (personal-record). I think that it speaks volumes for her and I think we can expect a lot from her next weekend."
The Redbirds will be back in action as they head to the MVC Track and Field Championships, May 15-17, in Terre Haute, Ind., at Marks Field.
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