Led by personal-record performances from Kevin Koski and Kimathi Johnson, the Illinois State men's and women's track & field teams got their outdoor season off to a fast start at the Mike Fanelli Track Classic and Stanford Invitational in California on Friday.
HAYWARD, Calif. – The 'Birds soared to new heights at the Mike Fanelli Track Classic, hosted by San Francisco State, with Koski and Johnson both notching personal-records in their respective events. Koski started his 2019 outdoor season on the right foot Thursday night, breaking the 30-minute barrier in the 10,000-meter run in just his second 10K race ever. He clocked in at 29:57.87, shattering his previous personal-best and placing 27th among 108 competitors.
Johnson found his own success on Friday afternoon, carrying his momentum from the indoor campaign into the outdoor season. Johnson ran an impressive 1,500-meter race, winning his heat with a personal-best time of 3:50.58 and finishing fifth in a field of 142 student-athletes. His time surpasses his previous personal-record by over 10 seconds.
STANFORD, Calif. – Jack Anstey and Grace Beattie both ran solid races at the highly-competitive Stanford Invitational. Competing in the invite section of the 1,500-meter, Anstey raced his way to a fifth place overall finish out of 67 student-athletes with a time of 3:44.07. Beattie made her mark in the 3,000-meter Steeplechase, crossing the finish line in 10:25.01 to finish 22nd among 41 individuals.
NEXT UP
The Illinois State men's and women's track & field teams will return to the track tomorrow, as they compete at the Ole Miss Classic and finish up action at the Stanford Invitational.
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