NORMAL, Ill. – In a complete team effort with personal bests and top-10 performances in nearly every event, the Illinois State women's track & field team won the ISU Invite with 283.5 points on Senior Day.
The 'Birds captured nine event wins, including six field event wins, in route to the team victory. The seniors showed out on senior day with the class of 2021 finishing first in six of the nine events. The throws squad nearly swept their events, finishing first in three of the four throwing events.
Julia Bourke won the hammer throw with a season-best mark of 60.83 meters (199-7 ft.), moving her up to No. 2 in the Valley and No. 24 in the NCAA West Region in the event. Winning her fourth discus competition of the 2021 season, Sydney Laufenberg had a winning throw of 51.49 meters (168-11 ft.). It was Tayler Weaver who made the biggest jump in her event though, with the senior winning the shot put with a personal-best throw of 16.39 meters (53-9.25 ft.). Weaver's mark was her first above 16 meters and moved her up to No. 4 all-time in school history, No. 2 in the Valley and No. 18 in the NCAA West Region.
In the vertical jumps, Nicole Bagwell and Maddie Wright made improvements in the pole vault, while Grace Daun, Kristin Higgins and Carly Tucker swept the high jump. Bagwell and Wright both improved their marks, but remain in the No. 5 and No. 6 spot in the pole vault in school history. Taking the win in the event was the senior, Bagwell, who cleared an outdoor personal-best height of 3.89 meters (12-9 ft.), while Wright came in third with an all-time personal best of 3.74 meters (12-3.25 ft.).
The high jump squad was led by Daun who collected her second win and fifth top-two performance this season first with a winning clearance of 1.74 meters (5-8.5 ft.). Higgins (second) and Tucker (third) each cleared 1.69 meters (5-6.5 ft.), finishing second and third based on number of misses. Tucker's clearance is a personal best.
In the long jump, Charde Golliday won with a season-best leap of 6.01 meters (19-8.75 ft.). Golliday's mark ranks second in the Valley and was her fourth-consecutive top-three finish in the event.
Grace Beattie was the lone winner in an individual running event for ISU, clocking in at 4:23.32 in the 1,500-meter run for an eight-second personal best. Beattie's time is the second-fastest 1,500m time in school history and is the third-fastest time in the Valley.
Both relay teams ran season bests today, with the 4x100-meter relay team of Jaclyn Greci, Mattie Lieb, Destiny White and Seven Hicks clocking in at 45.93 for the win. The 4x400-meter relay team of Destiny White, Audrey Harrod, Whitney Ward and Jaclyn Greci improved ISU's season-best time by six seconds, clocking in at 3:43.22 to win the race and lead the Valley.
In total, the 'Birds had 14 ISU top-10 performances with eight coming on the track and six in the field. See below for a full-list of the student-athletes who recorded top-10 performances in school history.
ISU TOP-10 PERFORMANCES
2. Grace Beattie – 1,500-meter run, 4:23.32
2. Jordyn Bruce – 400-meter hurdles, 59.09
4. Mya Robinson – 100-meter hurdles, 13.83
4. Tayler Weaver – shot put, 16.39 meters (53-9.25 ft.)
5. Maddi Exline – 1,500-meter run, 4:25.99
5. Nicole Bagwell – pole vault, 3.89 meters (12-9 ft.)
6. Seven Hicks – 100-meter dash, 11.65
6. Jaclyn Greci – 400-meter dash, 54.39
6. Whitney Ward – 400-meter hurdles, 1:00.77
6. Maddie Wright – pole vault, 3.74 meters (12-3.25 ft.)
10. Destiny White – 400-meter dash, 54.98
10. Zofia LeHew – javelin, 42.39 meters (139-1 ft.)
CURRENT REDBIRDS IN REGIONAL QUALIFYING POSITION (TOP-48 IN THE WEST REGION)
6. Jack Anstey, 1,500m
12. Grace Beattie, 3,000-meter steeplechase
15. Sydney Laufenberg, discus
18. Tayler Weaver, shot put
19. Mye'Joi Williams, shot put
19. Jordyn Bruce, 400-meter hurdles
20. Logan Calvin, shot put
T-21. Grace Daun, high jump
22. Grace Beattie, 5,000-meter run
23. Kellen Kravik, pole vault
24. Julia Bourke, hammer throw
T-32. Kristin Higgins, high jump
40. Logan Calvin, hammer throw
T-46. Seven Hicks, 100-meter dash
47. Jaclyn Greci, 400-meter dash
47. Whitney Ward, 400-meter hurdles
UP NEXT
The men's team will compete tomorrow, May 1 beginning at 9 a.m. Fan attendance is by pass list only. Live results can be found here or on Twitter @redbird_trackxc.
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