NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State track & field program is set to travel to Chicago, Illinois for the Blue Demon Holiday Invite, hosted by DePaul, on Friday, Dec. 10. The action from the Gately Indoor Track & Field Complex is set to begin at 3:00 p.m. CT with the field events. Track events will begin at 4:30 p.m. CT with the men's and women's 60m hurdles prelims.
The indoor complex at Gately will also serve as the site for the 2022 MVC Indoor Track & Field Championships.
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
The Redbirds are set to compete against seven other teams on Friday, as Butler, Chicago State, DePaul, Marquette and UIC will all be in attendance. In addition, fellow MVC foes Indiana State and Loyola will also compete at the Blue Demon Holiday Invite.
JOHN COUGHLAN INVITE
The Illinois State track & field teams opened up the 2021-22 indoor campaign by hosting the John Coughlan Invite, as the Redbirds captured 17 event wins, six program top-10 marks and numerous personal bests.
Sophomore Mye'Joi Williams notched an impressive win in the women's shot put. With a throw of 16.64m, Williams set a new personal best and now ranks second in program history. Her throw also ranks second in the NCAA through one week of indoor season competition.
Also posting a notable performance from the Redbird throws squad was redshirt senior Logan Calvin. In the men's shot put, Calvin won the event with a mark of 18.95m, improving his personal best and inching closer to the school record. Calvin's throw also ranks second nationally.
Junior Amiri Buchanan notched personal bests in both events he competed in. In the weight throw, Buchanan won the event with a mark of 19.12m, which now ranks 10th in school history. That mark also ranks 13th in the NCAA. In the shot put, Buchanan finished as the runner-up with a throw of 17.88m. Buchanan now ranks fourth in program history in the event.
On the track, the Redbirds swept event wins in both the men's and women's 60m dashes. Sophomore Seven Hicks notched the victory in the 60m dash, clocking in at 7.52 seconds to set a new personal best. With her time, Hicks sits at No. 1 in the Valley, No. 16 in the NCAA and No. 7 in program history.
In his first meet as a Redbird, junior Marshaun Cook captured the win for the ISU men. His time of 6.83 second ranks No. 1 in the Valley, No. 27 in the MVC and No. 8 in school history
MVC SWEEP
For their performances at the John Coughlan Invite, four Redbirds took home MVC Athlete of the Week honors, as Illinois State swept all four weekly awards.
Mye'Joi Williams (Throws), Logan Calvin (Throws), Seven Hicks (Sprints) and Marshaun Cook (Sprints) were all recognized for their strong performances to open the 2021-22 indoor season.
MEET INFORMATION
For those who can't be in attendance at the Blue Demon Holiday Invite, follow along on Twitter at @RedbirdTFXC for updates. Live results will also be available here.
UP NEXT
Following the Blue Demon Holiday Invite, the Redbirds will have a month-long break from competition. On Jan. 15, Illinois State will travel to Terre Haute, Indiana for the annual Coughlan-Malloy Cup, a dual between Illinois State and Indiana State.
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