SOUTH BEND, Ind. – On the first day of the Meyo Invitational, hosted by Notre Dame, the Illinois State men's and women's track & field teams got off to a great start, posting two individual-event wins, three ISU all-time top-10 performances, and three personal-best marks.
Perhaps the most exciting race of the day was the women's distance medley relay, as the team of Rachel Hickey, Destiny White, Hattie Plumb, and Grace Beattie not only won the event, but cracked ISU's top-10 list in the process. The quartet's winning time of 11:39.68 not only leads the Missouri Valley Conference, but ranks third all-time in Redbird track & field history.
The men's distance medley relay squad of Kimathi Johnson, Devon Kelly, Nick Swartzendruber, and Jake Gillum also found success, finishing third overall with the 10th-fastest time in Illinois State history (10:03.40).
Ben Montgomery recorded an ISU all-time top-10 mark of his own in the 200-meter dash, crossing the finish line in an indoor personal-best 21.83. Not only was his time good for fourth place among 45 runners, but it sits seventh in Redbird history.
In the field, the men's pole vault squad dominated the competition, yet again. The event group continues to prove that strength come in numbers, as Luke Nelson, Ryan Ashenbremer, and Kellen Kravik all cleared 5.05m (16-06.75) to go 1-2-4 on the day. The reigning MVC Male Field Athlete of the Week, Nelson has now won the pole vault at three-straight meets.
PRELIMINARY ROUND RESULTS
The following student-athletes have advanced beyond the preliminary round of their respective events and will be back in action tomorrow morning:
Women's 60-meter Hurdles Semi-Finals (Sat. 8:45 a.m. CT)
Demetria Anderson (8.61)
Mya Robinson (8.93)
Men's 60-meter Hurdles Semi-Finals (Sat. 8:55 a.m. CT)
Duane Sleet (8.48)
Women's 60-meter Semi-Finals (Sat. 9:05 a.m. CT)
Kelsie Prear (7.66)
Men's 60-meter Semi-Finals (Sat. 9:10 a.m. CT)
Dion Hooker (7.09)
OTHER NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
Women's 200-meter
11th – Kelsie Prear (24.89), season-best
20th – Tori Ortiz (25.35), personal-best
Women's High Jump
3th – Kristin Higgins (1.70m/5-07.00), ties personal-best
5th – Kameesha Smith (1.70m/5-07.00)
NEXT UP
The Meyo Invitational will resume tomorrow morning. Running events are slated for an 8:45 a.m. CT start, with field events following at 9:30 a.m. CT.
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