ST. LOUIS – For the fifth time of his career, Illinois State track and field distance standout Jack Anstey has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Male Track Athlete of the Week, the league announced Tuesday afternoon.
Anstey put on quite the show at the 52nd annual Tennessee Relays, running his way to a lifetime personal-best performance in the 800-meter. Racing in the hot heat of a loaded field, Anstey stayed focused and ran his race, utilizing a strong push in the final 200-meters to finish second among 49 student-athletes in 1:48.78. Not only does this mark improve Anstey to third all-time in ISU history, but it currently leads the Valley and ranks eighth in the NCAA West Region and 17th in all of Division I.
As if this wasn't enough, Anstey came back a day later and split a 4:01 on the mile anchor leg of the Redbirds' DMR to get the 'Birds back in race contention after falling to the back of the pack. The DMR ultimately finished fourth with a time of 9:48.69, a mark which ranks fifth all-time in Redbird history and bests ISU's MVC Indoor DMR Championship-winning time of 9:57.06 by nearly 10 seconds.
In addition to leading the Valley in the 800-meter, Anstey also continues to sit atop the MVC in the 1,500-meter after his 3:44.07 performance at the Stanford Invitational on March 29. No one has touched Anstey's time so far this season, as he leads the conference by over four seconds. Even more impressive, his 1,500-meter mark currently ranks eighth in the NCAA West Region and 16th in the nation.
Anstey will be back in action Friday evening when he races in the 1,500-meter at the prestigious Bryan Clay Invitational in Azusa, Calif. The rest of the Redbird track and field squad will head to nearby Terre Haute, Indiana, for Indiana State's Pacesetter Invitational on April 18-20.
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