Golliday, Ehigbai Tabbed MVC Field Athletes of the Week

ST. LOUIS – Following exceptional performances in their respective events at the Lenny Lyles-Clark Wood Invite, Illinois State track and field standouts Charde Golliday and Francis Ehigbai have been named Missouri Valley Conference Field Athletes of the Week, the league announced Tuesday afternoon.

After an ISU school-record and Lenny Lyles-Clark Wood meet-record breaking performance in the long jump this past weekend, Golliday earned the title of MVC Female Field Athlete of the Week. Ehigbai was named the MVC Male Field Athlete of the Week after winning the high jump competition in his first meet of the 2019 outdoor campaign.

Golliday garners the first MVC weekly accolade of her career after a spectacular weekend on the long and triple jump runway. On the first day of the Lenny Lyles-Clark Wood Invitational, Golliday seized the moment, winning the long jump competition with a meet-record jump of 6.30m (20-08.00) and breaking the ISU school record in the process. With the leap, Golliday took down Angie Taylor's previous school record of 6.24m (20-05.75) that had stood since 1987. Golliday's jump, which sits her atop the Valley standings, places her in prime position to qualify for the NCAA West Preliminary round, as it ranks 14th in the region. 

As if this wasn't enough, Golliday came back on Saturday and leaped a lifetime personal-best 12.26m (40-02.75) in the triple jump to finish fourth. Not only does her jump rank eighth all-time in Redbird history, but it sits third in the MVC and 61st in the NCAA West Region.

Ehigbai receives the second MVC weekly honor of his career, and the first since the 2016 indoor season, after a commanding performance in the seeded high jump. Ehigbai made up for lost time on Saturday, winning the high jump competition in his first meet back since winning the 2019 MVC Indoor High Jump Championship. Using a short approach, Ehigbai cleared 2.06m (6-09.00) to claim the victory. With the jump, Ehigbai not only finds himself atop the MVC standings, but 48th in the NCAA West Region as well.

The Illinois State men's and women's track and field teams will have their final tune-up before the 2019 MVC Outdoor Championships when they travel to Madison, Wisconsin, for the Wisconsin Invitational on May 3.

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