PALO ALTO, Calif. - Ryan Rutherford ran to a record-breaking time of 28.41.23 late Friday evening at the Stanford Invite to capture an Illinois State and Missouri Valley Conference record in the 10,000-meter run.
Rutherford beat the former Valley record of 28:42.71 set by Jeff Schirmer of Southern Illinois in 2011 and was 18 seconds faster than the 15-year old ISU record set by Julius Mwangi in 1999. The junior bested his former personal-record by one minute, notching a fifth-place finish overall in a competitive 75-man field.
Also racing the 10K in California, Rachael Brewer clocked a time of 34:58.87, while teammates Kristen Zillmer and Kelly McShea ran for times of 10:18.81 and 10:27.79 in the steeplechase, respectively.
In Charleston, Ill., battling cooling temperatures, Jenna Combs captured an eighth-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:04.80, while Javar Cruz clocked a 400-meter hurdle time of 58.07 to finish 17th.
Jianna Williams picked up a first-place finish in the women's hammer throw, tossing a personal-best mark of 54.97m, beating out conference rivals Sophia Lozano of Southern Illinois and Mary Theisen of Indiana State. Akil Mills notched another fourth-place finish in the hammer throw, heaving a mark of 59.46m, and Curt Jensen finished right behind Mills with a throw of 58.30m.
The Redbirds continue action today in Charleston, Ill., as field events are slated for a start time of 10 a.m., and running events will follow at 11:30 a.m.
Fans can follow the action live on @ISU_Track_XC, and results will be posted following the conclusion of the meet at www.GoRedbirds.com.
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