ST. LOUIS – After an action-packed weekend at the Illini Invitational, hosted by Illinois, the Redbird men's and women's track & field teams dominated the Missouri Valley Conference Athlete of the Week honors, with Luke Nelson, Ariana Cranston, and Grace Beattie all receiving recognition, the league announced Tuesday.
Nelson and Cranston were deemed the MVC's Field Athletes of the Week, while Beattie was named the MVC Female Track Athlete of the Week. The Redbirds, who claimed three of the possible four weekly awards, have now had at least one student-athlete recognized in each week of the 2018-19 season.
Nelson receives his first weekly honor of the season and the second of his career after a record-breaking performance in the men's pole vault. On the final day of the Illini Invite, Nelson made Illinois State track & field history, winning the pole vault competition and shattering the ISU school record in the process. Nelson, whose previous personal-record was 5.08m (16-08.00), recorded a monster personal-best, clearing 5.29m (17-04.25) to win the event and take down Chase Pavelonis' previous school record of 5.28m (17-03.75) that was set in 2015. With the mark, Nelson not only ranks first in the Valley by a margin of over nine inches, but 25th in all of Division I as well.
Cranston collects the first MVC weekly accolade of her career after winning her third pole vault competition of the season and clearing over 13 feet for the first time of her career at the Illini Invite. Cranston's winning height of 3.97m (13-00.25) is not only a personal-best, but improves her to third all-time in Illinois State track & field history. Even more impressive, Cranston's mark is first in the MVC by a gap of nearly seven inches and ranks 61st in the NCAA.
Beattie earns her second Athlete of the Week award of the 2018-19 campaign and the third of her career after placing first in the mile run at the Illini Invite with a Valley-leading time of 4:51.04 (converts to 4:48.19). Beattie ran a commanding race, leading for the entirety of the 1,600-meter circuit en route to her third victory of the season. In addition to ranking first in the Valley, Beattie's time is 75th in all of Division I. Beattie currently leads the Valley in the 3,000-meter run as well.
The Illinois State men's and women's track & field teams will be back in action on Feb. 1-2 when they return to South Bend, Indiana, to compete in the Meyo Invite, hosted by Notre Dame.
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