NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State men's and women's track & field teams will look to capture their first outdoor sweep in school history when they battle for two more Valley titles at the 2019 Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships, hosted by Indiana State, on May 10-12 in Terre Haute, Indiana.
MEET INFORMATION
The quest for an MVC crown will span over three days, beginning on Friday, May 10 and wrapping-up on Sunday, May 12. Competition will kick off on Friday with the multi-events, with the decathlon scheduled for 9 a.m. CT and the heptathlon following at 10 a.m. CT. Field events will get underway at 11 a.m. CT and running events will start at 5 p.m. CT. Track action on Friday will conclude with the men's and women's 10,000-meter finals.
The multi-events will resume on Saturday morning, beginning with the heptathlon at 9:30 a.m. CT. The decathlon will get underway shortly after at 10:30 a.m. CT. Field events are slated for a 2 p.m. CT start, with running events following at 4 p.m. CT. Saturday's track schedule will wrap-up with the men's and women's 3,000-meter steeplechase finals.
Champions will be crowned on Sunday, but only after a full day of competition. Field events will kick off at 10:30 a.m. CT and track events will commence at 12 p.m. CT.
For fans who cannot be in attendance, live results will be provided by TimingMD (click here), and select portions of the three-day meet will also be streamed on ESPN3. Real-time results will be available via Twitter (@Redbird_TrackXC) as well.
WHAT'S AT STAKE
The Redbird women, who were selected as the unanimous favorites to win the Valley title in the Pre-Championship Poll, are seeking their first set of back-to-back outdoor conference titles since 1983-84. If they can pull off the win, they will have won four-straight MVC titles between the indoor and outdoor seasons.
The Illinois State men are seeking their first outdoor crown since 1999, and will have to take down MVC-favorite UNI on their way to the top. The 'Birds are seeking revenge on the Panthers after losing by a single point at the 2018 MVC Outdoor Championships. This weekend's competition will prove to be another barn-burner after UNI was favored in the Pre-Championship Poll by just two voter points.
THE SCORING LANDSCAPE
Heading into the weekend, the following individuals rank in the top-eight in the MVC in their respective events:
MEN
Jack Anstey                    800-meter (1st)
                                      1,500-meter (1st)
Ryan Ashenbremer       Pole Vault (2nd)
Logan Calvin         Discus (3rd)
                    Shot Put (4th)
                    Hammer (5th)
Francis Ehigbai             High Jump (2nd)
Zach Fiser           Javelin (2nd)
Dion Hooker                   100-meter (7th)
Kimathi Johnson         800-meter (5th)
                    1,500-meter (8th)
Kevin Koski                   10,000-meter (7th)
Kellen Kravik         Pole Vault (1st)
Avery Lyons                  400-meter (4th)
Cole Maguire                400-meter Hurdles (2nd)
Kyle Mattes                  10,000-meter (2nd)
                                    5,000-meter (5th)
Caleb Miedema            Decathlon (2nd)
Luke Nelson                 Pole Vault (2nd)
Sam Peschke               Pole Vault (8th)
Alex Saunders              Triple Jump (5th)
Derek Wegman             High Jump (7th)
Sam Weisz          Discus (5th)
                   Hammer (7th)
Jordan Wilkerson          Javelin (3rd)
WOMEN
Demetria Anderson       100-meter Hurdles (1st)
Nicole Bagwell              Pole Vault (2nd)
Grace Beattie               3,000-meter Steeplechase (1st)
                   5,000-meter (3rd)
                   1,500-meter (6th)
Julia Bourke                 Shot Put (3rd)
                   Hammer (3rd)
Jordyn Bruce                400-meter hurdles (2nd)
                   Heptathlon (3rd)
Ali Cranston                 Pole Vault (3rd)
Ariana Cranston           Pole Vault (1st)
Maddi Exline                800-meter (7th)
Charde Golliday      Long Jump (1st)
                   Triple Jump (3rd)
Victoria Gruszka      Triple Jump (7th)
Kristin Higgins              High Jump (2nd)
Tessa Holland              High Jump (3rd)
                    Javelin (5th)
Kassie Hoyme              Shot Put (5th)
Sydney Laufenberg   Discus (1st)
                   Hammer (7th)
Tori Ortiz                      100-meter (7th)
Hattie Plumb                800-meter (1st)
Kelsie Prear                 100-meter (8th)
Mya Robinson       100-meter Hurdles (5th)
Olivia Rossman            Heptathlon (6th)
Kameesha Smith          High Jump (1st)
Ashlee Stieler               Javelin (4th)
Brandy Thomas            Shot Put (4th)
                   Hammer (8th)
Whitney Ward        400-meter Hurdles (5th)
Tayler Weaver              Shot Put (7th)
Ashleigh Wilson            400-meter (3rd)
Destiny White        400-meter (8th)
Maddie Wright              Pole Vault (6th)
RELAYS
Men's 4x100-meter Relay (4th)
Men's 4x400-meter Relay (3rd)
Women's 4x100-meter Relay (4th)
Men's 4x400-meter Relay (3rd)
NEXT UP
Qualifying student-athletes will move on to compete at the NCAA West Preliminary Round in Sacramento, California, on May 23-25.
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.
