May 25, 2011
NORMAL, Ill. -
A group of 17 Illinois State track and field student-athletes will compete in Eugene, Ore., in hopes of earning a spot to the NCAA Outdoor Championships with strong performances in the 2011 NCAA West Regional scheduled to take place Thursday through Saturday.
A total of 12 Redbird women and five men will be competing at the Hayward Field on the Oregon campus. The three-day meet will feature the top athletes from schools in the west region, as determined by the NCAA through its declaration process. The top-12 competitors in each individual event and a minimum of eight teams from each relay event advance from each preliminary round site to the 2011 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships June 8-11 in Des Moines, Iowa.
Several of the Redbird student-athletes qualified for the preliminary round with personal-best performances, while a few also set school records during the regular outdoor season.
The Redbird women competing over the weekend, include Amanda Albrecht (high jump), Samantha Bluske (10,000-meter run), Shandel Ellis (4X400 relay), Jordan Frey (4X400 relay), Jess Husted (1,500-meter run), Alia McAfee (4X400 relay), Leigh Petranoff (javelin), Aisha Praught (3,000-meter steeplechase), Sade Sealy (400-meter run and 4X400 relay), Brittany Smith (shot put, hammer throw and discus), Tori Ziegler (shot put) and Kristen Zillmer (3,000-meter steeplechase).
The men's squad heads to the preliminary round five members strong, with Tim Glover (javelin), Curt Jensen (shot put), Tyler Knight (triple jump), Scott Krapf (10,000-meter run) and Akil Mills (hammer throw) all set to compete this weekend.
The action will begin Thursday, May 26, with the women's javelin beginning at 10 a.m., while running events are scheduled to start at 3:30 p.m., with the women's 400-meter hurdles.
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