May 12, 2010
2010 State Farm MVC Outdoor Track & Field Championship Central
NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State will play host to the 2010 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships, May 14-16, with the Redbirds hoping to make a move in the final standings on their home turf at the Redbird Track and Field Complex.
The Redbird women were picked to finish in fourth place and the men were tabbed to finish in fifth place according to the league's pre-championship poll, as voted on by the conference's head coaches. Wichita State was selected as the unanimous pre-championship favorite on the men's side, while the Southern Illinois women were picked to finish on top for the second-consecutive year.
"Based on what we have seen all year long from the different schools in the conference and based on what we've seen with our team, we expect both of our teams to finish higher than where they were picked in the pre-championship poll," head coach Elvis Forde said. "The poll is just a predictor based off the Valley best lists compiled throughout the season, but those numbers don't take into account those athletes who may have been hampered by injury. The one thing that will fall true to form is that the meet will be very competitive, with Wichita State and Southern Illinois predicted as the team to beat."
Illinois State holds the fourth position (43 points) in the pre-championship poll on the women's side, just one point behind Indiana State in third place. Sophomore Leigh Petranoff, the reigning outdoor champion in the javelin, once again heads in as the woman to beat in the event. She currently ranks first in the Valley after her school record-breaking performance at the Lenny Lyles Invitational with a throw of 158'05". Junior Amanda Albrecht also heads in as a favorite, with her mark of 5'07.25" in the high jump serving as the top mark in the conference this season. Freshman Brittany Smith should be in contention in two events, as she ranks second in the Valley and 22nd in the nation in the discus and is third in the Valley and 35th in the nation in the shot put.
On the track, junior Meaka Brents and freshman Sade Sealy look to be big point-scorers for the Redbirds. Brents, a 2009 Outdoor All-MVC selection in the 100-meter dash, has the third-best time in the event this year (12.00) and also ranks third in the 200-meter dash (24.51). Sealy, the 2010 indoor champion in the 400-meter dash, currently sits in third place in the event (53.94) and ranks second in the 200-meter dash (24.48).
Junior Michelle Brunk will be back to defend her 2009 outdoor title in the 800-meter run and sits in third on the Valley best list with a time of 2:11.08 in the event. Other contenders include freshman Samantha Bluske and junior Olivia Myers, who rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 10,000-meter event and sophomore Aisha Praught in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, who ranks second in the event with a time of 10:37.98.
"On the women's side, we think the two, three and four positions will be very competitive throughout the whole weekend," Forde said. "That is the area we think we can really move up in the standings on the women's side and it will no doubt be a keenly contested meet between Wichita State, Indiana State and us."
The Illinois State men's team tallied 13 points and the fifth spot in the pre-championship poll. Freshman Tim Glover looks to make his mark this year in the javelin, as he is ranked second in the MVC and 22nd in the nation with a school-record breaking throw of 226'06". Sophomore Tyler Knight will also look to pick up points in the triple jump, where he sits third heading into the championships with a leap of 47'11.75', and junior Drew Holl will look to jump into the top three in the high jump where he ranks in a tie for fourth place with a height of 6'08.75".
On the track junior Scott Krapf will challenge for the 10,000-meter run title with the second-fastest time in the Valley (29:32.90) and also could contend in the 5,000-meter run as well, where he ranks fourth overall (14:27.06). Sophomores Mat Smoody and Kayode Adegoke could also be dual threats over the weekend for the Redbirds. Smoody currently ranks second in the 800-meter (1:15.36) and fourth in the 400-meter dash (48.22), while Adegoke sits in third place in the 200-meter dash (21.28) and in fifth place in the 100-meter dash (10.66).
Senior John Neisler and junior Yosef Tewolde will also figure into the mix in the 800-meter event, as they rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in the event. Sophomore Steve Regan heads into the weekend ranked fourth in the 1,500-meter event (3:53.64) and is poised to pick up crucial points for the Redbirds and junior Jon Roberts is within striking distance in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in third place with a time of 8:58.07.
"On the men's side, our task is a bit bigger, but we will move some athletes around to help us score some points," Forde said. "We will be missing a few key competitors due to injury, like Matt Mroczynski, but we will adjust and have to hope some of our athletes in the middle distance and sprint events can perform to our expectations."
The weekend's events begin Friday, May 14, at 10 a.m. with the men's decathlon and women's heptathlon events. Field events will begin at noon with the men's hammer throw trials and finals and running events will begin at 6:30 p.m. with the women's 10,000-meter final. Action will then resume at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 15, and will eventually conclude Sunday, May 16, with the men's 4x400-meter relay final at approximately 4 p.m.
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