NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State track & field team will host the Redbird Invite on Friday, April 2 at the Redbird Outdoor Track Complex. Field events will begin at 10 a.m. with running events to follow at 1 p.m. This is the first of two home meets for the Redbirds this season.
MEET INFORMATION
The only fans that are permitted to attend the Redbird Invite are those listed on a team's student-athlete pass list. All other fans can follow live results here or on Twitter @redbird_trackxc.
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
Illinois State will welcome seven teams to Normal on Friday, including two teams from the Missouri Valley Conference. Bradley, Loyola-Chicago, Butler, Marquette, Milwaukee, Northern Illinois and UIC are all set to compete at tomorrow's meet.
REDBIRD INVITE HISTORY
With the exception of the 2020 season that was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this is the eighth-straight outdoor season that ISU has hosted the Redbird Invite. At the last Redbird Invite in 2019, the 'Birds won in dominating fashion with both the men's and women's squads totaling at least 300 points each and winning a combined 22 events.
REDBIRDS IN THE NCAA WEST REGION TOP-32
In order to qualify for the NCAA West Preliminary Round this year, you must rank among the best 32 student-athletes in your respective event in the West Region. Currently after one meet, seven Redbirds qualify in six different events, led by Calvin who has qualifying marks in three events – the shot put, the discus and the hammer throw. Below is a full list of Redbirds that currently qualify for the NCAA West Prelims in College Station, Texas on May 27-29:
10. Sydney Laufenberg, discus
11. Logan Calvin, shot put
18. Kristin Higgins, high jump
18. Julia Bourke, hammer throw
26. Tayler Weaver, shot put
28. Logan Calvin, discus
29. Logan Calvin, hammer throw
29. Cole Maguire, 400-meter hurdles
32. Eddie Winner, pole vault
OLE MISS CLASSIC RECAP
The field event athletes shined at last weekend's Ole Miss Classic, recording six Illinois State outdoor track & field top-10 performances.
Redshirt-junior Logan Calvin recorded personal bests in all three of his events and moved up the top-10 list in the hammer throw and shot put, while also improving his already seventh-ranking mark in the discus. In the hammer throw, Calvin threw 59.76 meters (196-1 ft.), ranking ninth all-time after having never previously been on the ISU indoor top-10 list for the event. His throw of 52.44 meters (172-0.75 ft.) in the discus created even more distance between his No. 7 spot and the No. 8 spot. The Bloomington, Indiana native wrapped up the weekend with a win in the shot put, throwing the second-best mark all-time in school history at 18.56 meters (60-10.75 ft.).
Also joining the hammer throw top-10 list for the first time was fifth year senior, Tayler Weaver, who launched a personal-best throw of 55.89 meters (183-4.5 ft.) to rank No. 6 all-time in the event.
Pole vaulter Eddie Winner and high jumper Kristin Higgins rounded out the ISU top-10 performers from the weekend with Winner sitting eighth all-time in the pole vault for his clearance of 5.07 meters (16-7.5 ft.) and Higgins tied for seventh in the high jump with an outdoor personal-best clearance of 1.75 meters (5-8.75 ft.). Higgins personal-best jump not only won her the high jump at Ole Miss, but also earned her the title of Missouri Valley Conference Female Field Athlete of the Week for the second time in her career.
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