NORMAL, Ill. – After competing at home last weekend, the Illinois State men's and women's track & field teams will return to the road this week, as they travel to Knoxville, Tennessee, to compete in the 52nd annual Tennessee Relays on April 11-13.
MEET INFORMATION
The Tennessee Relays, hosted by Tennessee, will take place at the Tom Black Track at LaPorte Stadium. The three-day meet is scheduled to kick off on Thursday at 11 a.m. CT with the start of the heptathlon, which will feature Jordyn Bruce and Olivia Rossman. The decathlon will begin ten minutes later at 11:10 a.m. CT and will include Jordan Wilkerson and Caleb Miedema.
Friday's slate is a full day of competition and will get underway at 10 a.m. CT with the women's hammer. Track events will follow at 1:45 p.m. CT with the men's 110-meter hurdles. Both the heptathlon and decathlon will also wrap-up on Friday, with the decathlon resuming at 1 p.m. CT and the heptathlon at 2 p.m. CT.
Saturday will be the final day of competition and will feature the relay portion of the meet, along with the remainder of the field events. Field events are scheduled for a 10 a.m. CT start, with running events beginning for the Redbirds at 12:30 p.m. CT.
For fans who wish to follow along with the meet, live results will be provided by AdkinsTrak Timing and can be accessed here. Tennessee also intends to stream portions of Friday and Saturday's meet via the SEC Network+, which can be accessed online and via the ESPN app. For full coverage of the competition, be sure to follow at @RedbirdTrack_XC on Twitter and visit GoRedbirds.com at the conclusion of each day of action.
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
In addition to the Redbirds and host Volunteers, this week's meet will feature competitors from 21 institutions. Both the men's and women's fields feature a trio of USTFCCCA top-25 nationally-ranked opponents. The Illinois State women will go up against No. 9 Kentucky, No. 16 Tennessee, and No. 20 Virginia Tech, while the men will face No. 16 Indiana, No. 23 Tennessee, and No. 24 Kentucky. This will be a great test for the Redbirds as the MVC Championships draw closer.
LAST TIME OUT Â Â Â Â
The Illinois State men's and women's track and field teams protected the nest last weekend, sweeping the annual Redbird Invite.
ISU was led on the track by freshman Tori Ortiz, who not only picked up two individual-event wins, but captured personal-bests in both events as well. Ortiz won the 100-meter (11.97) and 200-meter (24.70) dashes, crossing the finish line in personal-record time in both sprints. On the men's side, Devon Kelly posted a personal-best in the 400-meter for the second-straight week, winning the event with a time of 48.87.
The field events featured a sister act in the women's pole vault, as Ariana Cranston and Ali Cranston finished first and second, respectively. Ariana Cranston posted a winning height of 3.87m (12-08.25) and tied her outdoor personal-best. Ali Cranston soared to new heights, clearing two personal-best bars and finishing with a height of 3.72m (12-02.50). The freshman is now tied for fifth all-time in ISU track & field history.
NEXT UP
The Illinois State men's and women's track & field teams will be back in action next week when they travel to nearby Terre Haute, Indiana, to compete in the Pacesetter Invitational on April 18-20.
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.
