CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Illinois State track & field women's team concluded day two of the Don DeNoon Invitational with several personal-bests, three ISU top-10 performances and an NCAA top-10 clearance by senior high jumper Kameesha Smith.
Smith, who made her season debut today, cleared a personal-best 1.80 meters (5-10.75 ft.) to win the high jump. Her mark leads the Missouri Valley Conference, ranks second all-time on the ISU indoor top-10 list and ties her for the eighth-best clearance in the nation.
The 'Birds took the top four spots in the high jump with Grace Daun, Kristin Higgins and Carly Tucker going 2-3-4 behind Smith. Daun cleared a personal-best 1.71 meters (5-7.25 ft.) to place second, while Higgins and Tucker cleared 1.68 meters (5-6 ft.) and 1.65 meters (5-5 ft.), respectively.
The sprints squad posted multiple fast performances in the 60m and 200m today with every student-athlete running sub-eight-seconds in the 60 and sub-26-seconds in the 200m. Freshman Seven Hicks posted the top performance for the Redbirds in both events, finishing second with a time of 7.76 seconds in the 60 and a personal-best of 25.04 seconds in the 200.
In addition, to Hicks' performance, Jacki Greci (7.81) and Rebecca Waite (7.83) recorded personal bests in the 60-meter dash. Nearly every Redbird competing in the 200m ran a personal best time, including Greci (25.25), Mattie Lieb (25.43), Waite (25.46) and Destiny White (25.49).
Competing for the first time since last year's MVC Indoor Championships, senior Mya Robinson won the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.84 seconds in her debut.
Senior pole vaulter Nicole Bagwell continued her 2021 winning streak, taking first in the pole vault with a personal-best clearance of 3.90 meters (12-9.5 ft.). She now has the fourth-best clearance in Illinois State indoor track & field history and ranks No. 1 in the Valley.
For the throws squad, junior Hannah Johnson had a big day, throwing over 18 meters in the weight throw for the first time in her career. She finished fourth with a personal-best throw of 18.01 meters (59-2.25 ft.), etching her name onto the ISU indoor top-10 list for the first time with the 10th-best throw in school history.
UP NEXT
The Redbirds will be back in action on Feb. 12-13 at the Grand Valley State University Big Meet in Allendale, Michigan.
In accordance with state and local guidelines, fans are currently not allowed to be in attendance at home ISU Athletics events. Game dates, opponents, times and locations are subject to change.
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