Illinois State junior thrower Sydney Laufenberg's ISU school record-breaking performance in the discus at the Ole Miss Classic Saturday headlined a number of standout performances for the Redbirds, both in Oxford, Mississippi and Stanford, California.
"Sydney threw a cannon today, and for her to come out and break the school record in the first meet of the outdoor season is huge for us," said Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Jeff Bovee. "We also found success in California, posting several NCAA-qualifying and MVC-leading marks that put us in a great position as the outdoor season begins to unfold. We are looking forward to being at home next weekend and seeing what we can do in front of our fans and supporters."Â
OXFORD, Miss. – At Saturday's Ole Miss Classic, Laufenberg, the reigning back-to-back MVC Champion in the discus, added another accomplishment to her resume: the Illinois State school record. Laufenberg didn't just break Angie Joy's previous school record of 55.17m (181-00) from 1998, she shattered it, surpassing this mark by over a meter. Laufenberg ultimately won the competition with a heave of 56.99m (187-00), engraving her name on ISU's record board.
In addition to Laufenberg, a quartet of Redbirds secured their spots on ISU's all-time top-10 list. In the jumps, Charde Golliday and Kameesha Smith made their presence known, both notching personal-bests. Golliday eclipsed the 20-foot mark in the long jump for the first time of her career, leaping 6.10m (20-00.25) to finish third. With this milestone, Golliday ranks third all-time in ISU history. Smith excelled in the high jump, clearing 1.76m (5-09.25) to place second. Her height improves her to fifth on the Redbirds' top-10 list.
Competing in the first 400-meter hurdles race of his collegiate career, freshman Cole Maguire posted the eighth-fastest time in Redbird history, finishing second with a time of 53.07. Logan Calvin posted an ISU top-10 mark of his own in the shot put, winning the event with an outdoor personal-best throw of 17.02m (55-10.25). He now sits eighth all-time in Illinois State history.
What was even more impressive for Calvin today was his overall body of work. In addition to winning the shot put, Calvin posted top-five finishes in the discus (49.70m/163-01) and hammer throw (54.82m/179-10), placing third and fourth, respectively. Both distances were also personal-bests.
STANFORD, Calif. – The Redbirds also put in work at the Stanford Invitational on Saturday, with Kyle Mattes, Jack Anstey, and Kimathi Johnson all racing.
Mattes had a stellar race in the 10,000-meter early Saturday morning, posting the third-fastest 10K time in Redbird history. Mattes crossed the finish line in a personal-record 29:06.89, besting his previous personal-record by nearly 30 seconds. He would finish 28th in a field of 62 student-athletes.
Anstey and Johnson both raced in the 800-meter Saturday afternoon. The pair clocked in at 1:50.11 and 1:52.48, respectively. Anstey's time was also good for a fifth place finish in a pack of 43 runners.
OTHER NOTABLE PERFORMANCES FROM OLE MISS CLASSIC
Women's 400-meter
3rd – Ashleigh Wilson (55.85)
5th – Destiny White (58.17)
Women's 60-meter Hurdles
3rd – Demetria Anderson (13.79)
Women's Pole Vault
3rd – Ariana Cranston (3.87m/12-08.25), outdoor personal-best
Women's Hammer Throw
4th - Julia Bourke (59.98m/196-09)
11th – Sydney Laufenberg (53.16m/174-05), personal-best
12th – Tayler Weaver (51.45m/168-09), personal-best
Men's 100-meter
13th – Dion Hooker (10.70), personal-best
Men's 400-meter
2nd – Avery Lyons (48.91)
3rd – Devon Kelly (48.93) personal-best
Men's 3,000-meter
4th – Matt Blanco (8:52.25)
Men's Hammer Throw
6th – Zachary Gregory (53.97m/177-01), personal-best
7th – Sam Weisz (53.03m/174-00), personal-best
NEXT UP
The Illinois State men's and women's track & field teams will return home next weekend to host the annual Redbird Invite on Saturday, April 6. More information on the 'Birds home meet will be posted to GoRedbirds.com during the coming week.
For all the latest on Redbird Track & Field and Cross Country, visit GoRedbirds.com and follow the 'Birds on Twitter (@Redbird_TrackXC), Instagram (@redbird_trackxc), and Facebook (@redbirdsTF)
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App:Â Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
