LINCOLN, Neb. – Illinois State JD LaFayette captured the second fastest 800-meter in school history at the Iowa State Classic with a new personal-best time of 1:49.47. He is also ranked second on the Missouri Valley Conference leaderboard.
LaFayette competed in a highly competitive heat. He started the race towards the back of the bunch but quickly worked his way through the mix, and kicked with 100 meters to go to end up with a third-place finish in his heat. He placed 11th overall.
"JD faced the toughest 800-meter that he will face in his career," Assistant coach Jake Shaver said. "He keeps improving his time, which puts him in great position for conference championships."
The sophomore Bloomington, native broke the 1:50 mark previously this season at the Mark Colligan Memorial in Lincoln, Nebraska (Jan. 23). At the Mark Colligan Memorial, LaFayette won the men's 800-meter run with a time 1:49.99.
Anderson Devonish competed in the fast section of the 400-meter dash on Saturday afternoon at Iowa State Classic. Devonish posted a second-place finish with a time of 47.25.
"Andy competed well and put himself in a great position, but got into a little trouble coming into the end. In the last turn he unfortunately got pinned, and he could not finish to his full potential. Overall it was a great performance day for him and JD," said Shaver.
Illinois State track and field are back in action on Saturday, Feb. 20 as they travel to Champaign, Illinois to compete in the Illinois Orange and Blue.
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