KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – On the third and final day of the Tennessee Relays, hosted by Tennessee, the Illinois State men's and women's track and field teams excelled in the relay events, posting a pair of ISU all-time top-10 marks, as well as a pair of season-bests.
"There were a lot of positives this weekend, including the improvement of our relays and the way that we battled, but there were multiple learning experiences as well," said Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Jeff Bovee. "The main take away from this meet is that our athletes gained invaluable experience in how to perform at a high level while going up against some of the top competition in the country. Coming here is going to help us in the development of our student-athletes and learning how to compete hard no matter the location or level of competition."
ON THE TRACK
The men's and women's distance medley relay teams ran their way to spots on Illinois State's all-time top-10 lists. The women's squad of Annie Moore, Ashleigh Wilson, Hattie Plumb, and Grace Beattie were the first to take the track, setting the tone for the rest of the Redbird relays. The team crossed the finish line third in 11:34.28, posting the third-fastest DMR time in ISU history.
The men's DMR team of Kimathi Johnson, Cole Maguire, Nick Swartzendruber, and Jack Anstey followed suit, clocking in at 9:48.69 to finish fourth with the fourth-best time on the Redbirds' top-10 list. The men's DMR's success was fueled by Anstey, who split a 4:01 on the mile anchor leg to get the 'Birds back in race contention. In addition, both the men's and women's DMR teams ran times significantly faster than their indoor season-bests.
The men's and women's 4x400-meter teams also found success on Saturday, both posting season-bests. The women's quartet of Tori Ortiz, Destiny White, Plumb, and Wilson placed eighth with a time of 3:46.55, a mark which surpassed the Redbirds' previous season-best by six seconds. The men's squad of Maguire, Avery Lyons, Swartzendruber, and Brandon Gage finished sixth in 3:13.73, improving upon ISU's previous season-best time by five seconds.
IN THE FIELD
After a strong showing in the shot put on Friday, Logan Calvin was back at it again on Saturday, this time in the discus. Calvin's throw of 47.67m (156-04) was good for eighth place, giving him his second top-10 finish of the weekend.
The men's pole vault duo of Ryan Ashenbremer and Luke Nelson both cleared a season-best 5.05m (16-06.75), placing sixth and eighth, respectively, in the invite section. Derek Wegman notched a season-best of his own in the men's high jump, placing ninth with a height of 2.00m (6-06.75).
NEXT UP
The Illinois State men's and women's track and field teams will be back in action next week when they travel to Terre Haute, Indiana, for Indiana State's Pacesetter Invitational on April 18-20.
For all the latest on the Redbird Track and Field and Cross Country programs, 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.
