NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Jeff Bovee announced the addition of 28 student-athletes to the 2020-21 Redbird track & field/cross country teams.
"I think this recruiting class is a much different class than the one from a year ago in that the women's group is much larger," said Bovee. "We had a really talented group of seniors who finished up this last year and we needed to go out and fill in those few holes. On the men's side, we didn't have a whole lot of men graduating so we have a smaller class for the men. We definitely have key pieces that will help us to continue fighting for Missouri Valley Conference championships and help us to make a bigger impact on the national level."
The following student-athletes are the newest additions to the Redbird track & field/cross country family:
Ashley Heagy // Peru, Ill. // LaSalle-Peru HS // Distance/XC
- 4x IHSA 2A Girls Track & Field State Qualifier
- 2019 All-State – 800m (2:21.85) – 5th place
- 2018 All-State – 4x800m (9:29.06) – 3rd place
- 2019 Interstate 8 Conference XC runner-up
- IHSA Class 2A XC LaSalle-Peru Regional Champion
- Finished 17th at the 2019 IHSA Class 2A State XC Championships
Ryan Kennedy // Naperville, Ill. // University of Nebraska-Lincoln // Distance/XC
- Won the 3000m with a time of 8:31.79 at the adidas Classic
- His personal-best mile time of 4:16.01 came during the 2020 indoor season at the Mark Colligan Memorial meet
- Ran a personal-best time of 25:34.3 in the 8K at the 2019 Pre-National Invitational
- 2x IHSA 3A State Qualifier in the 4x800m relay
Luke Manolakes // Champaign, Ill. // Champaign Centennial HS // Distance/XC
- Finished third in the 1,600m at the 2019 Big 12 Conference Championship (4:32.06)
- Placed third in the 1,600m at the IHSA 3A Boys Bloomington Sectional (4:25.45)
- Posted the 14th-fastest 3-mile time at the 2019 IHSA Class 2A State XC Championships (15:16.6)
- 4x IHSA State XC Qualifier
- 2019 Big 12 Conference XC runner-up
Ailey Mitchell // Shelbyville, Ill. // Shelbyville HS // Distance/XC
- 4x IHSA 1A Girls Track & Field State Qualifier
- 2019 All-State – 1,600m (5:17.88) – 3rd place
- 2019 All-State – 3,200m (11:20.75) – 2nd place
- 2017 State Class 1A State Cross Country Runner-Up – 17:41 (3 miles)
- Placed 10th at the 2018 Class 1A State Cross Country Championships – 17:42 (3 miles)
Rachel Patterson // Waterloo, Ill. // Waterloo HS // Distance/XC
- 2019 Mississippi Valley Conference Cross Country Champion
- 2019 IHSA Class 2A State Qualifier – placed 39th
- 2019 IHSA 2A Highland Regional XC Runner-Up
Charlie Wetzel // Hudson, Ill. // Normal Community West HS // Distance/XC
- 2x IHSA 3A Boys Track & Field State Qualifier
- 2019 All-State – 3,200m (9:17.64) – 6th place
- 2x Big 12 Conference Champion
- Finished 1st in the 3,200m and 2nd in the 1,600m at the 2020 Big 12 Indoor Boys Championship
- 3x Big 12 Conference Cross Country Champion
- 2x All-State Cross Country finisher
- Placed seventh at the 2018 Class 3A Cross Country Championships – 14:30 (3 miles)
Mattie Lieb // Monticello, Ill. // Monticello HS // Sprints
- 10x IHSA 2A Girls State Qualifier
- 7x All-State finisher
- Member of the 2019 2A State Runner-Up 4x200m relay team (1:44.26)
- Placed 4th in the 200m at the 2019 IHSA 2A State Championships (24.81)
- 4x Illini Prairie Conference Champion
Kyle Langellier // Lockport, Ill. // Lockport Township HS // Sprints
- Earned All-State honors in every event he qualified for the state meet in
- 5x IHSA 3A Boys Downers Grove North Sectional Champion
- Member of the 2019 3A State Runner-Up 4x400m relay team (3:19.58)
- Placed 5th in the 400m at the IHSA 3A State Championships
- 400m personal-best: 48.68 seconds
Kyra Dalluge // Rogers, Minn. // Rogers HS // Sprints
- 5x MSHSL State Qualifier
- 3x Minnesota All-State Finisher
- 3x Mississippi 8 Conference Champion
- Finished ninth in the 200m and seventh in the 400m at the 2019 MSHSL State Championships
Emelia Ness // Monticello, Ill. // Monticello HS // Hurdles/Sprints
- 11x IHSA 2A Girls State Qualifier
- 9x All-State Finisher
- 2019 2A State Runner-Up – 100m hurdles (14.76)
- 2019 2A State Runner-Up – 300m hurdles (44.77)
- Member of the 2019 2A State Runner-Up 4x200m relay team (1:44.26)
- Won the 300m hurdles 11/14 times in 2019
- Won the 100m hurdles 12/15 times in 2019
Sabrina Schlenker // Batavia, Ill. // Batavia HS // Hurdles/Sprints
- 5x IHSA 3A Girls State Qualifier
- 2x All-State Finisher
- Finished 7th in the 300mH at the 2018 IHSA 3A State Championships (46.07)
- Member of the 4x100m relay team that placed 7th at the 2018 IHSA 3A State Championships (48.08)
Trinity Allen // Plainfield, Ill. // Plainfield South HS // Sprints
- 2x IHSA 3A Girls State Qualifier
- 2019 All-State – 300mH (45.87) – 7th place
- 2019 Southwest Prairie Conference Champion – 300mH (47.19)
- Won the 300mH five out of the eight times she competed in them as a junior
- 300mH personal-best: 45.08
Seven Hicks // Peoria, Ill. // Peoria Richwoods HS // Sprints
- 9x IHSA 2A Girls State Qualifier
- 7x All-State Finisher
- 2018 2A 100m State Champion
- 2018 2A 200m State Champion
- 100m personal-best: 12.01
- 200m personal-best: 25.47
Khalil Ross // Springfield, Ill. // Lanphier HS // Horizontal Jumps
- 2x IHSA 2A Boys State Qualifier
- 2019 IHSA 2A State Champion – Triple Jump (46-9.5 ft.)
- Won the triple jump nine of the 11 times he competed in it as a junior
- Placed third in the triple jump at the 2019 Illinois Top Times Championships
Brittney Oakley // Warrensburg, Ill. // Warrensburg-Latham HS // Horizontal Jumps
- 12x IHSA 1A Girls State Qualifier
- 10x All-State Finisher
- Member of the 2017 1A State Champion 4x200m relay team (1:44.87)
- Won the long jump 10 out of the 15 times she competed in it as a junior
- Posted her highest finish in an individual event at the IHSA State Championships in 2019 when she placed fourth in the long jump (17-11.25 ft.)
Amni Austin // Sycamore, Ill. // Sycamore HS // Pole Vault
- 2019 IHSA 2A State Qualifier in the pole vault – placed 16th
- Recorded an outdoor personal-best clearance of 11-1 ft. at the IHSA 2A Rochelle Sectional, finishing second
- Cleared 12 ft. for the first time early this year at the 2020 Sycamore Girls Indoor Invitational, winning the pole vault
- 3x NDHSAA Division A State Championships Qualifier in the pole vault and 4x100m relay
Jessica Livigni // Mokena, Ill. // Lincoln-Way Central HS // Pole Vault
- Earned All-State honors in the pole vault as a junior, clearing 11-0 ft. to place sixth at the IHSA 3A Girls State Championships
- 2x 2019 Southwest Suburban Red Champion (long jump & pole vault)
- Placed in the top-three in the pole vault at sectionals as a sophomore and junior
- Personal-Best: 11-3 ft.
Morgan Wrublik // Lemont, Ill. // Lemont HS // Throws
- 2019 IHSA 3A Girls State Qualifier in the Shot Put
- 4x South Suburban Blue Conference Champion (shot put & long jump)
- Recorded a personal-best mark of 41-9.5 ft. in the shot put at the 2020 Morris Indoor Coed Quad
- 2019 Naperville North Sectional Shot Put Runner-Up (40-5 ft.)
- Set a personal-best mark of 115-5 ft. in the discus at the 2019 3A Sectional
Macy Byer // New Berlin, Ill. // New Berlin HS // Throws
- 3x IHSA 1A Girls State Qualifier in the Discus
- 2x All-State Finisher in the Discus
- 2019 Sangamon Conference Champion in the Discus
- Threw a personal-best 140-6 ft. in the discus at the USATF Summer Meet
- Shot Put Personal-Best: 39-10 ft.
Josh Schmid // Marion, Ill. // Marion HS // Throws
- 3x IHSA 2A Boys State Championships Qualifier
- 3x All-State finisher
- Placed third in the discus at the 2019 IHSA State Championships with a personal-best throw of 164-4 ft.
- Finished ninth in the shot put at the 2019 IHSA State Championships
- 4x South Seven Conference Champion
- Threw a personal-best of 55-7 ft. in the shot put at the SIU Boys Invite
- Had a personal-best throw in the discus at the 2019 USATF Summer Meet with a mark of 173-7 ft.
Payton Taylor // Sidell, Ill. // Salt Fork HS // Throws
- 6x IHSA 1A Boys State Championships Qualifier
- 2x All-State Finisher
- 4x Vermillion Valley Conference Champion
- Shot Put Personal-Best set in 2019: 54-0.5 ft.
- Discus Personal-Best set in 2019: 161-7 ft.
Jace Coffey // Polo, Ill. // Polo HS // Throws
- 3x IHSA 1A Boys State Championships Qualifier
- 2x All-State Finisher
- Finished as the 2019 IHSA State Discus Runner-Up with a personal-best throw of 177-8 ft.
- Won the discus eight out of the 10 times he competed in it as a junior
Batya Butler // Dunlap, Ill. // Dunlap HS // Throws
- 3x IHSA 3A Girls State Championships Qualifier
- 3x Mid-Illini Conference Champion
- Earned All-State honors at the 2018 IHSA State Championships, finishing ninth in the shot put
- Recorded personal-best marks in both the shot put (41-9 ft.) and the discus (125-7 ft.) at the 2019 Moline Sectional
Mye'Joi Williams // Rantoul, Ill. // Rantoul HS // Throws
- 3x IHSA 2A Girls State Championships Qualifier
- 2x All-State Finisher in the shot put
- Placed third in the shot put at the 2019 State Championships
- Recorded a personal-best mark of 43-5 ft. in the shot put at the Monticello Sectional in 2018
- 3x Conference Champion
- Threw a personal-best 123-9 ft. in the discus at the 2019 AAU district qualifier
Aneel Gillan // White Rock, B.C. // Semiahmoo Secondary School // Multis
- Crowned the Candian Indoor National Champion in the Pentathlon as a junior
- A two-time B.C. High School Multi-Event Champion
- Placed second in the 110mH at the B.C. High School Track & Field Championships as a junior
Caleigh O'Flaherty // North Vancouver, B.C. // St. Thomas Aquinas HS // Multis
- Finished fourth in the 400m hurdles at the 2019 BC HS Championships
- Placed third in the 80m hurdles and seventh in the 400m at the 2018 BC HS Championships
- Competed at the 2019 Canadian U18 Championships, finishing fourth overall with 4,669 points
- Personal-Best Heptathlon: 4,699 points
Alexa Tarohocker // Sarasota, Fla. // Riverview HS // Multis
- 2019 FHSAA State Qualifier in the triple jump
- Won the triple jump and the shot put at the 2019 Sarasota County Championships
- 2019 FHSAA 4A District 8 High Jump Champion
- 2019 FHSAA 4A District 8 Triple Jump Champion
Carly Tucker // Metamora, Ill. // Metamora HS // High Jump
- 4x IHSA 2A Girls State Championships Qualifier
- Finished as the 2019 IHSA State High Jump Runner-Up with a personal-best clearance of 5-8 ft.
- Placed third in the high jump at the IHSA State Championships as a freshman
- 3x Mid-Illini Conference High Jump Champion
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