NORMAL, Ill. – Following their second Coughlan-Malloy Cup victory in just as many years, the Illinois State men's and women's track & field teams return to action Saturday when they travel to South Bend, Indiana, to compete in the Notre Dame Invitational.
MEET INFORMATION
Saturday's meet will take place at Meyo Field inside the Loftus Sports Center on the Notre Dame campus. Field events are scheduled to start at 9 a.m. CT with the men's long jump and women's weight throw. Running events will commence at 11 a.m. CT with the 60-meter hurdle prelims.
Admission to the meet is free of charge, and food and drink is not permitted inside of the facility. For fans who cannot be in attendance, live results will be provided on www.enduranceracetiming.com. Real-time results will also be posted on the @Redbird_TrackXC Twitter page and on GoRedbirds.com following the conclusion of the meet.
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
In addition to the Redbirds and host Irish, Saturday's competition will feature men's and women's squads from Central Michigan, Louisville, and MVC-foe Loyola Chicago. The Redbird men enter the meet with a target on their back after winning the 2018 Notre Dame Invite, taking down ACC-opponents Notre Dame, Louisville, and North Carolina. Both the ISU men and women will look to carry their momentum from last weekend's victory into Saturday's meet as they attempt to bring home another win.
FACES TO WATCH
In their last outing at the Coughlan-Malloy Cup, the Redbirds won 18 of the possible 30 individual events. Logan Calvin, Rachel Hickey, and Kelsie Prear accounted for six of these victories, each winning two individual events a piece. All three student-athletes will be back in action this weekend.
After notching personal-bests in the weight throw and shot put last weekend, and recording the third-furthest shot put heave in Redbird track & field history, Calvin will compete in both events again this weekend. On the track, Hickey will race in the 1,000-meter and mile runs, while Prear will compete in the 60-meter and 200-meter dashes.
Illinois State's distance runners will also be a group to watch after posting multiple nationally-ranked performances at last weekend's meet. Jack Anstey and Grace Beattie both won their respective events, setting new meet records in the process. Anstey's winning 800-meter time of 1:53.49 currently ranks 11th in the NCAA, while Beattie's record-breaking 3,000-meter mark of 9:46.21 sits 17th. Both times also sit atop the MVC.
Hattie Plumb and Harrison Porter excelled in the 800-meter run as well, both placing second in their respective races. Plumb's 800-meter time of 2:10.75 is the fifth-fastest in all of Division I so far this season, while Porter's mark of 1:54.28 is ranked 21st.
Anstey, Plumb, and Porter will all compete in the 1,000-meter run on Saturday, with Beattie racing in the 3,000-meter.
NEXT UP
The Redbird men's and women's track & field teams will be back in action on Saturday, Jan. 26 when they head to nearby Champaign, Illinois, to compete in the Illini Classic.
For all the latest on Redbird Track & Field and Cross Country, visit GoRedbirds.com and follow the 'Birds on Twitter (@Redbird_TrackXC) and Facebook (@redbirdsTF).
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