NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State men's and women's track and field teams will travel down the road to Illinois Wesleyan to compete in the Titan Open in the Shirk Athletic Center, while the multi-event student-athletes will head to Northern Iowa to compete in the Jack Jennett Invitational.
The annual Jack Jennett Invitational will take place on Friday, Jan. 29 with multi-events starting at 11:15 a.m. The Jack Jennett Invite will conclude on Saturday, Jan. 30 with the final multi-events starting at 10 a.m. The Titan Open is a one-day event on Saturday, Jan. 30 beginning at 10:30 a.m.
ISU is coming off a strong weekend in Lincoln, Nebraska, where Bloomington-Normal, native JD LaFayette notched a spot on the NCAA top-performance list in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:44.99. He is currently leading the Valley in the 800-meter run and the mile run.
Other top showings came from senior Kelly McShea, as she won two event titles in the 3,000-meter (9:42.40) and the mile run (4:51.27). Sophomore Elise Anderson posted a personal-best in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.61. Kimi Sanden broke the five minute mark in the mile run with a time of 4:57.90. Rayanne Wright and Ashleigh Wilson earned spots on the Illinois State all-time best list in the women's 600-meter run.
On the men's side, Kyle Mattes placed first in the men's 5,000-meter run (14:33.75, while Dion Hooker and Jalen Lewis captured personal-best performance, respectively. In his season debut, Anderson Devonish posted a time of 21.66 in the 200-meter dash.
This weekend marks for many student-athletes their season debuts, one coming from Ariel Michalek. Michalek is coming off of a thrilling cross country season as she captured a new school record in the 5K (16:57.78).
Fans are encouraged to come out and support on the Redbirds as it marks the first local showing of the 2015-16 track and field teams. The next local meet will not be until ISU host the annual Redbird Invitational on April 16. Admission for the Titan Open will be six dollars for adults, three dollars for students and seniors, one dollar for children and free for children under the age of five. Fan can also follow live action on Twitter @Redbird_TrackXC, or go to GoRedbirds.com for full coverage following the conclusion of the meet.
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