SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A program-high 20 Redbird men's and women's track & field student-athletes are ready to compete in the 2018 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Preliminary Round in Sacramento, California, Thursday through Saturday.
California State University, Sacramento will serve as the host of the three-day competition, which will take place at Hornet Stadium. Student-athletes with the top-12 times/marks, and the best 12 relay teams at both the East and West Preliminary Round sites, will move on to the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon, June 6-9.
Redbird track & field fans can watch a live stream of the NCAA West Preliminary Round as FloTrack subscribers. With subscription, viewers will receive access to all FloTrack live broadcasts, video on-demand from all events, and more. Coverage of the preliminary competition will be available Thursday through Saturday at www.FloTrack.com.
Live stats will also be made available over the course of the three-day meet. For live updates, follow the Redbird track & field Twitter account @Redbird_TrackXC. Full coverage will be available on GoRedbirds.com following the conclusion of each day of competition.
MEN'S BIOGRAPHIES:
The Illinois State men have a total of 12 meet entries, including both the 4x100-meter and 4x400-meter relays. Their five sprints and hurdles entries and three jumps entries are Valley-highs.
LaMont Allen, Fr., DeSoto, Mo. (DeSoto HS) - High Jump (Saturday 6 p.m.)
- Allen earned his spot at the NCAA West Preliminary Round on April 14 at the Redbird Invite when he cleared a personal-best 2.15m (7-00.50) to win the event.
- His mark is seeded 17th on the NCAA West qualifying list.
- Allen notched his first All-Valley honor at the MVC Outdoor Championships, clearing 2.09m (6-10.25) to place third.
Jack Anstey, So., Newtown Toowoomba, Australia (Toowoomba State HS) - 1,500m (Thursday 7:30 p.m.)
- Anstey won the 2018 MVC Outdoor 1,500m crown, also finishing second in the mile at the 2018 MVC Indoor Championships.
- His personal-best time of 3:43.22 that he captured at the Stanford Invitational on March 30 ranks 16th on the NCAA West qualifying list.
-The mark also ranks second in Redbird track & field history, only to MVC Hall-of-Famer and NCAA All-American Christian Goy.
Ryan Ashenbremer, Fr., Normal, Ill. (Normal West HS) - Pole Vault (Thursday 6:30 p.m.)
- Ashenbremer claimed both the Valley Indoor and Outdoor pole vault titles this year as just a freshman.
- He punched his ticket to the NCAA West Preliminary Round at the MVC Outdoor Track & Field Championships when he cleared a personal-best 5.13m (16-10.00) to win the Valley crown.
- Ashenbremer's height ranks 41st on the NCAA West qualifying list.
Anderson Devonish, R-Sr., Bridgetown, Barbados (The Lodge School) - 200m (Friday 9:30 p.m.), 400m (Thursday 9:20 p.m.)
- Devonish was crowned the 2018 MVC Outdoor 200m Champion, winning in an ISU school record, Gibson Track & Field Complex facility record, and MVC meet record time of 20.55.
- This comes after Devonish won the 200m and 400m titles at the 2018 MVC Indoor Track & Field Championships.
- Devonish's 200m mark of 20.55 ranks 12th on the NCAA West qualifying list.
- His season-best 400m time of 46.38 is seeded 22nd.
- Devonish will also run a leg on the Redbirds' qualifying 4x400m relay team.
Francis Ehigbai, Jr., Fishers, Ind. (Hamilton Southeastern HS) - High Jump (Saturday 6 p.m.)
- Ehigbai punched his ticket to the NCAA West Preliminary Round at the Valley Outdoor Track & Field Championships, clearing a personal-best 2.09m (6-10.25) to finish second and garner All-MVC honors.
- He earned one of the final qualifying spots, as his mark ranks 47th in the NCAA West region.
Kyle Mattes, R-Jr., Elmhurst, Ill. (York HS) - 10,000m (Thursday 11 p.m.)
- Mattes earned All-Valley honors in the 5,000m and 10,000m at the MVC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, placing second in the 5K and third in the 10K.
- Mattes' personal-best 10K time of 29:33.52 that he posted at the San Francisco State Distance Carnival on March 30 sits 43rd in the NCAA West region.
- Mattes is back on the national stage after being the first Redbird to qualify for the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in 15 years this past fall.
Jaylan McConico, So., Bolingbrook, Ill. (Bolingbrook HS) - 110m Hurdles (Friday 6:30 p.m.)
- A 2018 NCAA Indoor Second-Team All-American in the 60-meter hurdles, McConico is back and ready for more.
- McConico was named the 2018 MVC Outdoor Track & Field Most Outstanding Track Athlete after winning the Valley 110m Hurdles title in a personal-best 13.65. McConico received this honor at the MVC Indoor Championships as well.
- Not only does this mark re-set his own ISU school-record, but it is ranked fifth on the NCAA West qualifying list.
- McConico will also run a leg on the Redbirds' qualifying 4x100m relay squad.
Ben Montgomery, R-Jr., Athens, Ill. (Athens HS) - 200m (Friday 9:30 p.m.), 400m (Thursday 9:20 p.m.)
- Montgomery punched his ticket to the NCAA West Preliminary Round in both the 200m and 400m at the MVC Championships, posting season-bests in both events.
- He placed fifth in the 200m at the Valley Championships, crossing the finish line in 21.16. His time of 21.14 from the preliminary round of the MVC meet is 47th on the NCAA West qualifying list.
- He finished second in the 400m at the Valley Championships, posting a time of 46.89 to earn the final NCAA West qualifying spot.
- Montgomery will also run a leg on the Redbirds' qualifying 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams.
Andy Hatch, Jr., Union Grove, Wis. (Union Grove HS)
DeShaun Jordan, R-Sr., Chicago, Ill. (North Lawndale HS)
McConico, Montgomery - Men's 4x100m Relay (Saturday 8 p.m.)
- The 'Birds 4x100m relay team qualified for the NCAA West Preliminary Round when they posted a season-best time of 40.04 at the MVC Championships to finish second.
- Their mark not only ranks third in Illinois State history, but is 19th in the NCAA West Region.
Brandon Gage, Fr., Chicago, Ill. (Oak Park and River Forest HS)
Avery Lyons, Fr., Bloomington, Ill. (Bloomington HS)
Devonish, Montgomery - Men's 4x400m Relay (Saturday 11:25 p.m.)
- Illinois State's 4x400m relay team punched their ticket to the NCAA West Preliminary Round at the Valley Outdoor Championships, claiming the MVC crown with a season-best time of 3:08.16.
- Devonish played a huge role in winning the Valley title, splitting a 44.6 during the anchor leg to clinch the Redbird victory.
- The 'Birds time is 22nd on the NCAA West qualifying list.
WOMEN BIOGRAPHIES:
After claiming both the 2018 MVC Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field titles for the first time since 1997, the Illinois State women have punched eight tickets to the NCAA West Preliminary Round.
Demetria Anderson, Jr., St. Louis, Mo. (McCluer North HS) - 100m Hurdles (Friday 7 p.m.)
- Anderson was crowned the MVC Indoor 60m Hurdles Champion and MVC Outdoor 100m Hurdles Champion during the 2018 campaign.
- This year, she set the ISU school record in both the 60m Hurdles (8.33) and 100m Hurdles (13.51).
- Her personal-best 100m Hurdles time of 13.42 ranks 27th on the NCAA West qualifying list.
- Anderson will also run a leg on the Redbirds' qualifying 4x100m relay team.
Grace Beattie, So., Woodstock, Ill. (Woodstock HS) - 3,000m Steeplechase (Friday 11 p.m.)
- At the MVC Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Beattie placed second in the 3,000-meter Steeplechase, earning All-Valley honors. She also finished fourth in the 5,000m run.
- Her personal-best 3,000m Steeplechase time of 10:19.77 that she captured at the Virginia Challenge on April 21 ranks 21st in the NCAA West Region.
- Beattie's time also ranks fifth on ISU's top-10 list.
Julia Bourke, Fr., Melbourne, Australia (Baccus Marsh Grammar School) - Hammer Throw (Saturday 2 p.m.)
- Bourke has made her presence known in the hammer throw this season, as she already ranks third on ISU's top-10 list as just a freshman.
- Bourke punched her ticket to the NCAA West Preliminary Round when she eclipsed the 60-meter mark for the first time of her career at the Wisconsin Twilight on May 4, recording a distance of 60.26m (197-08).
- Her mark is seeded 29th on the NCAA qualifying list.
- Bourke finished fifth in the hammer throw at the MVC Championships, also finishing third in the shot put to earn her first All-Valley honor.
D'Jenne Egharevba, So., Naperville, Ill. (Naperville Central HS) - 100m (Thursday 8:55 p.m.), 200m (Friday 9:55 p.m.)
- Egharevba, the 2018 Valley 100m Champion, holds the 29th-fastest time in the NCAA West Region at 11.43. With this mark, she not only captured the MVC crown, but also broke the ISU school record.
- Egharevba will also compete in the 200m. Her personal-best time of 23.49 that she posted in the preliminary round at the MVC Championships is seeded 36th on the NCAA West qualifying list.
- She will run a leg on the Redbirds' qualifying 4x100m relay team as well.
Sydney Laufenberg, So., Clinton, Iowa (Clinton HS) - Discus (Friday 6:30 p.m.)
- Laufenberg is the MVC back-to-back Champion in the discus, claiming the title last year as a freshman and once again this year as a sophomore.
- At the Redbird Invite on April 14, Laufenberg won the event with a personal-best heave of 52.36m (171-09.00), solidifying her spot at the NCAA West Preliminary Round.
- Her qualifying mark not only ranks 32nd in the NCAA West region, but is fourth in Redbird track & field history.
Brandy Thomas, Jr., Ludington, Mich. (Bay City HS) - Shot Put (Thursday 6:30 p.m.)
- Thomas has had a fantastic junior campaign, winning the 2018 MVC Indoor shot put title and finishing as the runner-up at the Valley Outdoor Championships.
- She claimed her spot at the NCAA West Preliminary Round when she broke the 16-meter barrier for the first time of her career at the Virginia Challenge on April 21.
- Her throw of 16.00m (52-06.00) sits 28th on the NCAA West qualifying list.
- This is the second year in a row that Thomas has qualified for the NCAA West Preliminary Round in the shot put.
Emily Cowan, Sr., Aurora, Ill. (Metea Valley HS)
Kelsie Prear, So., Chicago, Ill. (Morgan Park HS)
Anderson, Egharevba - 4x100m Relay (Saturday 8:15 p.m.)
- The Redbirds' 4x100m relay team punched their ticket to the NCAA West Preliminary Round at the MVC Championships when they ran a season-best 45.18 to finish second and earn All-Valley honors.
- With the time, the 'Birds earned the final NCAA West qualifying spot.
- Cowan had a fantastic Valley meet, garnering All-Conference accolades in the 400m, 4x100m relay, and 4x400m relay.
*All times listed are Central
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