NOTRE DAME, Ind. – At Saturday's Notre Dame Invitational in Notre Dame, Indiana, the Redbird men's track & field team used two individual first-place finishes and three ISU top-10 all-time performances to score 106 points and win the meet. The ISU women, who finished fourth overall, secured one first-place finish, broke one school record, and captured three ISU top-10 marks.
"I'm very pleased with the men today, who posted big wins in the 60-meter dash and 800-meter run," said Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Jeff Bovee. "The men's pole vault squad also looked fantastic, and we had a ton of standout performances on the women's side as well. Of course, we still have a lot of work to do, and we will continue to take advantage of every week that we have."
The Redbird men, who took down ACC opponents Notre Dame, Louisville, and North Carolina, received huge performances from pole-vaulters Luke Nelson and Ryan Ashenbremer. Nelson had what is arguably the best performance of his young career, clearing a personal-best 5.08m (16-08.00). Not only was this mark good for a second-place finish, but he now ranks first in the Valley and second all-time in ISU history.
Ashenbremer's day was just as impressive, as the freshman cleared a personal-record 4.93m (16-02.00) to finish third. His height currently ranks fourth in Illinois State history, as well as second in the MVC.
Derrius Rodgers and Jack Anstey also played key roles in the Redbird victory, each winning their respective event. Rodgers continues to be a force to be reckoned with in the 60-meter dash, posting a time of 6.68 to win the event today. Anstey finished first in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:52.66.
Kimathi Johnson (1:52.83) and Jake Gillum (1:54.54) ran strong 800-meter races as well. Including Anstey, the trio currently holds three of the top-five times in the Valley so far this season.
On the women's side, D'Jenne Egharevba posted a solid performance in the 200-meter dash, winning the event with a time of 24.22. A new personal-record for Egharevba, she currently holds the top mark in the MVC and the second-fastest 200-meter time in ISU history.
Demetria Anderson, Julia Bourke, and Ashleigh Wilson had historic days as well. Anderson etched her name in the Illinois State record book, re-setting her own 60-meter hurdles school record (8.46) that she previously shared with Debbi Caddell. After recording a time of 8.43 today, Anderson now has sole possession of the ISU school record in the event.
Bourke cracked Illinois State's top-10 lists in two events: weight throw and shot put. In weight throw, she launched a heave of 17.45m (57-03.00) to capture the eighth-farthest distance in Illinois State history. In shot put, Bourke finished third overall with a throw of 14.84m (48-08.25). Not only is this mark good for seventh on the ISU top-10 charts, but it is the top distance in the Valley.
Wilson nearly broke the 600-meter school record, posting a time of 1:31.65. She moves up to second all-time in school history.
Other Notable Performances
Men's 60-meter Hurdles Finals
2nd - Kentre Patterson (8.02), third in ISU history, third in MVC, personal-record
Men's 400-meter
2nd - Anderson Devonish (47.44), first in MVC
3rd - Ben Montgomery (48.43), second in MVC
Men's High Jump
2nd - Anthony McRoberts (2.09m / 6-10.25), second in MVC
Women's 3,000-meter
4th - Grace Beattie (9:51.76), first in MVC, personal-record
Women's High Jump
3rd - Kameesha Smith (1.66m / 5-05.25), second in MVC, personal-record
The Redbird men's and women's track and field teams will be back in action next week, when they travel to two different meets. The high jump and multi-athletes will take part in the Jack Jennett Open, hosted by Northern Iowa, in Cedar Falls, Iowa, on Jan. 25-26. The remainder of the squad will compete in the Illini Classic in Champaign, Illinois, on Jan. 27.
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