Trio Of Redbirds Wrap Up Action At NCAA West Preliminary Round

AUSTIN, Texas – On the final day of competition at the 2017 NCAA Division I NCAA Track and Field West Preliminary, a trio of Illinois State standouts took the track looking to advance to the NCAA Championships.

Freshman jumper Anthony McRoberts had a pair of chances, competing in both the triple jump and high jump competitions.  The triple jump was first up for McRoberts and after fouling on his first attempt, he leapt 14.93 meters (48' 11.75") on his second attempt of the competition.  However, he could not improve on his third and final try and ended the event in 37th place overall.

He then came back a couple hours later to compete in the high jump, where he cleared the bar on his first three attempts to record a mark of 2.10 meters (6' 10.75"). However, when the bar was raised to 2.15 meters (7' 0.50") McRoberts was not able to clear the bar and finished in a tie for 14th overall after a jump off determined which athlete would gain the 12th and final qualifying spot for the NCAA Championship field.

"Anthony gave himself a great shot at making it out by clearing his first three bars and just missing a personal best," ISU head coach Jeff Bovee said. "He finished as the second best freshman in the West in the high jump, but also showed well in the triple jump with his second-best performance of the year."

Brandy Thomas and Morgan Keller were also in action on the final day in Austin, Texas, both competing in the shot put.  Thomas tossed a throw of 14.92 meters (48' 11.50") on her first of three attempts, but fouled on her final two attempts to finish in 30th place overall.  Keller, who also competed in the discus competition at the West Preliminary Round, tallied a mark of 14.26 meters (46' 9.50") on her first throw, but could not better that mark on the final two attempts and ended her stellar Redbird career in 43rd place overall.  

"Brandy opened well in the shot put with her first throw, but couldn't stay in the ring after that," Bovee stated. "She has a very bright future ahead of her. Morgan finished off her Redbird career today as well, and although it didn't end the way we had hoped it would, she leaves the program as a multi-time All-Valley performer and conference champion."

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