NORMAL, Ill. – Competing on their home track for the final time this season at Saturday's Redbird Invite, the Illinois State men's and women's track & field teams excelled, both securing victories and protecting their nests in dominating fashion.
"We had young blood come out today and demonstrate that they want to make a positive impact on this team as the season unfolds," said Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Jeff Bovee. "I was extremely pleased to see that, as we need to ensure that we stay hungry after coming off of a successful indoor season. We will continue to focus on getting better each and every day, and we definitely made some great progress this week."
TEAM RESULTS
What the Redbirds accomplished on Saturday was nothing short of impressive. The Illinois State women totaled 358 points, besting second-place Loyola Chicago (122 points) by over 200 points! UIC rounded out the women's scoring with 105 points.
The Redbird men, who also finished first, notched 300 points. Loyola Chicago placed second with 134 points and UIC finished third with 77 points.
ON THE TRACK
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. This marks the second-straight week that Ortiz has captured a personal-best in the 200-meter dash.
Jordyn Bruce also had a standout day for the Redbirds, winning the 400-meter hurdles in a season-best 1:01.20. Bruce did not stop there, however, also picking up second-place finishes in the 100-meter hurdles (14.68) and high jump (1.57m/5-01.75). Bruce's 100-meter hurdles time marked a season-best, while her high jump clearance set a new personal-best.
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.
IN THE FIELD
Today's 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 continues to be consistent in the event, posting a winning height of 3.87m (12-08.25) and tying 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.
Sam Weisz had himself a day in the throwing events, winning the hammer throw with a distance of 54.32m (178-02.00). He was also the top Redbird finisher in the discus, placing second with a heave of 47.45m (155-08.00). Freshman Zach Fiser stepped up today as well, capturing personal-bests in the hammer throw (42.77m/140-04.00) and javelin (49.04m/160-11). His distances were good for a pair of top-five finishes, as he placed fourth in the hammer and third in the javelin.
Multi-event athlete Jordan Wilkerson fine-tuned his skills in several throwing events on Saturday. Wilkerson captured a five-meter personal-best in the discus, finishing fourth with a throw of 35.74m (117-03.00). He also posted a personal-record in the javelin, placing second with a distance of 49.23m (161-06.00).
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
Women's 800-meter
1st – Hattie Plumb (2:12.76)
3rd – Maddi Exline (2:15.53), personal-best
Women's 1,500-meter
1st – Grace Beattie (4:37.42)
3rd – Annie Moore (4:41.23), season-best
Women's 100-meter Hurdles
1st – Demetria Anderson (13.68), season-best
Women's Hammer Throw
3rd – Tayler Weaver (52.91m/173-07.00), personal-best
5th – Faith Ayodele (50.23m/164-09.00), personal-best
6th – Hannah Johnson (48.43m/158-11.00), personal-best
Men's 400-meter
2nd – Avery Lyons (49.19)
4th – Kai Larson (51.29), personal-best
Men's 800-meter
4th – Nick Swartzendruber (1:53.47), personal-best
Men's 1,500-meter
2nd – Matt Blanco (4:00.26)
4th – Kevin Koski (4:01.00), personal-best
Men's Pole Vault
4th – Josiah Lemay (4.48m/14-08.25), outdoor personal-best
NEXT UP
The Illinois State men's and women's track & field teams will be back in action next week when they travel to Knoxville, Tennessee, to compete in the Tennessee Relays from April 11-13.
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