NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State track & field teams will compete for two conference titles this weekend at the Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships at the Lew Hartzog Track & Field Complex in Carbondale, Illinois. The three-day competition, which is hosted by Southern Illinois, will be held on Friday, May 14, Saturday, May 15 and Sunday, May 16.
Spectators are not allowed to attend the Championships but will be able to catch exclusive coverage of the three-day meet on ESPN3 ($) with Brad Wells, Mike Mahon and Kelly Burke providing commentary. Individuals without access to ESPN3 can follow live updates here or on Twitter @redbird_trackxc.
BROADCAST SCHEDULE
Day 1 – 5:50 - 8:30 p.m.
Day 2 – 4:45 - 7:15 p.m.
Day 3 – 12:50 - 4:30 p.m.
All times listed are central.
The women's squad is seeking their third-straight and eighth overall MVC outdoor title this weekend, currently tied for the third-most outdoor titles in the conference with seven. Should the 'Birds win the title, they will become the fifth program in Valley history to win at least three-consecutive MVC Outdoor Championships, joining Indiana State, Missouri State, Southern Illinois and Wichita State. The women's team has a combined six-straight titles throughout indoor and outdoor over the last four years.
The men's team has won four MVC outdoor titles and looks to win their first conference outdoor title since 1999 after finishing second in 2018 and 2019.
After a successful 2020-21 season already with MVC titles in men's cross country and women's indoor track & field, the 'Birds will look to build on that even further at the Valley Outdoor Championships. Should Illinois State win both the women's and men's MVC outdoor titles, they will become the first program since the 2016-17 Wichita State squad to win four of the six conference titles for track & field/cross country in the same year. Only five times in conference history has one program won at least four titles in a single season led by the 1984-85 Illinois State program that won five of six titles (men's cross country, women's cross country, men's indoor, women's indoor, men's outdoor).
- 2016-17 – Wichita State – 4 (men's indoor, women's indoor, men's outdoor, women's outdoor)
- 2009-10 – Wichita State – 4 (women's cross country, men's indoor, women's indoor, men's outdoor)
- 2007-08 – UNI – 4 (men's indoor, women's indoor, men's outdoor, women's outdoor)
- 1989-90 – Illinois State – 4 (men's cross country, women's cross country, women's indoor, women's outdoor)
- 1984-85 – Illinois State – 5 (men's cross country, women's cross country, men's indoor, women's indoor, men's outdoor)
PRE-CHAMPIONSHIP POLL
For the second time this season, the women's team was picked first with all 10 first-place votes followed by Southern Illinois in second with 88 points and Indiana State in third with 73 points. The men's hunt for a conference title is going to be a close one with Indiana State being selected first with five first-place votes for 76 points, followed by MVC Indoor Champion UNI with three first-place votes and 74 points and Illinois State being chosen third with one first-place vote and 66 points.
VALLEY LEADERS
The Redbirds have conference-leading marks/times in 10 different events heading into the weekend. Fifth-year senior Grace Beattie leads the 'Birds with the top time in both the 3,000-meter steeplechase and the 5,000-meter run. She leads both races by more than 20 seconds, clocking in at 10:02.73 in the steeplechase and 16:06.28 in the 5K. Throughout the outdoor campaign she has gone undefeated in individual events, broken three facility records and ran the No. 2 time in school history in four different events (1,500m, steeplechase, 5,000m, distance medley relay). Beattie also holds the No. 3 1,500-meter run time at 4:23.32.
MVC Cross Country Champion Kevin Koski has the Valley's top 10,000-meter run time at 29:47.38, which is 34 seconds ahead of the second-ranked runner. Koski also enters the weekend with the MVC's No. 2 5,000-meter time at 14:10.47.
In the sprint events, hurdler Brandon Ratliff and the women's 4x400-meter relay team have the top times in the conference. Ratliff, who has the fourth-fastest time in school history in the 110-meter hurdles, ran a personal-best time of 13.94 seconds to win the ISU Invite and move into qualifying range for the NCAA West Prelims. He was the MVC runner-up in the 60-meter hurdles indoors and will look to take home his first Valley title this weekend. Illinois State's 4x400-meter relay team of Destiny White, Audrey Harrod, Whitney Ward and Jaclyn Greci will look to sweep the conference 4x400m relay titles after ISU's squad won the indoor crown earlier this year. The 'Birds have the MVC's fastest 4x400m relay time by two seconds with a season best of 3:43.22.
A Redbird leads in four field events, including the women's high jump, men's pole vault, women's discus and men's javelin. A freshman outdoors due to COVID-19, Grace Daun looks to win her first Valley high jump title after taking second at both the 2020 and 2021 MVC Indoor Championships. She is currently tied for first with a clearance of 1.76 meters (5-9.25 ft.).
ISU's newest school record holder Kellen Kravik leads a trio of Redbirds with the conference's top clearances. Kravik's Valley-leading mark of 5.26 meters (17-3 ft.) broke the ISU outdoor pole vault school record earlier this year and is the only mark above 17 ft.
In the throws, Sydney Laufenberg and Zach Fiser will aim for the top of the podium with the duo currently leading the conference in their events. Laufenberg, a two-time MVC Champion in the discus, will look for her first conference discus title since 2018 after taking second at the 2019 MVC Outdoor Championships. She currently leads the field by more than five meters with a season-best mark of 54.90 meters (180-1 ft.). Fiser is seeking his first MVC title and first All-Valley performance after taking eighth in the javelin in 2019. He currently has a leading mark of 51.94 meters (170-5 ft.), three inches ahead of the second-place thrower.
Returning to the MVC Championships for the first time since the 2020 MVC Indoor Championships after expiring her indoor eligibility, Jordyn Bruce will look to take home some hardware, ranking in the top-three in three different events, including holding the top points total in the heptathlon. Bruce's 5,004 points not only lead the Valley, but also rank No. 9 all-time in school history. The fifth-year senior also ranks second in the 400-meter hurdles (59.09 seconds) and third in the 100-meter hurdles (14.10 seconds).
In addition to their nine leading times/marks, the Redbirds have 30 student-athletes and three relays that are in the top three, which would earn All-Valley honors.
LAST TIME AT THE MVC OUTDOOR CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Illinois State women's track and field team won back-to-back Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track & Field titles for the first time since 1983-84, while the men's team finished as the outdoor runner-up for the second-straight year.
CURRENT NCAA WEST PRELIMS QUALIFIERS
13. Jack Anstey, 1,500m
14. Grace Beattie, 3,000m steeplechase
15. Logan Calvin, shot put
19. Sydney Laufenberg, discus
20. Tayler Weaver, shot put
22. Mye'Joi Williams, shot put
25. Grace Daun, high jump
25. Brandon Ratliff, 110mH
26. Jordyn Bruce, 400mH
27. Julia Bourke, hammer throw
29. Kellen Kravik, pole vault
38. Kristin Higgins, high jump
38. Grace Beattie, 5,000m
47. Logan Calvin, hammer throw
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Day 1 | Friday, May 14
Multi Events
10 a.m. – men's decathlon (100m, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400m)
11 a.m. – women's heptathlon (100mH, high jump, shot put, 200m)
Field Events
12 p.m. – women's hammer throw
12 p.m. – women's pole vault
2 p.m. – men's hammer throw
4 p.m. – women's javelin throw
4 p.m. – men's pole vault
6 p.m. – men's javelin throw
Track Events
6 p.m. – women's 1,500m prelims
6:15 p.m. – men's 1,500m prelims
6:30 p.m. – women's 200m prelims
6:40 p.m. – men's 200m prelims
7 p.m. – women's 10,000m final
7:45 p.m. – men's 10,000m final
Day 2 | Saturday, May 15
Multi Events
10 a.m. – men's decathlon (110mH, discus, pole vault, javelin, 1,500m)
10:30 a.m. – women's heptathlon (long jump, javelin, 800m)
Field Events
3 p.m. – women's shot put
3 p.m. – men's high jump
3:30 p.m. – women's long jump
5:30 p.m. – men's shot put
5:30 p.m. – women's high jump
6 p.m. – men's long jump
Track Events
5 p.m. – women's 100mH prelims
5:10 p.m. – men's 110mH prelims
5:20 p.m. – women's 400m prelims
5:30 p.m. – men's 400m prelims
5:40 p.m. – women's 100m prelims
5:50 p.m. – men's 100m prelims
6 p.m. – women's 800m prelims
6:10 p.m. – men's 800m prelims
6:20 p.m. – women's 400mH prelims
6:30 p.m. – men's 400mH prelims
6:40 p.m. – women's 3,000m steeplechase final
6:55 p.m. – men's 3,000m steeplechase final
Day 3 | Sunday, May 16
Field Events
11:30 p.m. – women's triple jump
11:30 p.m. – women's discus
1:30 p.m. – men's triple jump
1:30 p.m. – men's discus
Track Events
12:55 p.m. – National Anthem*
1 p.m. – women's 4x100m relay*
1:05 p.m. – men's 4x100m relay*
1:10 p.m. – women's 1,500m final
1:20 p.m. – men's 1,500m final
1:30 p.m. – women's 100mH final
1:40 p.m. – men's 110mH final
1:55 p.m. – women's 400m final
2 p.m. – men's 400m final
2:10 p.m. – women's 100m final
2:15 p.m. – men's 100m final
2:20 p.m. – women's 800m final
2:25 p.m. – men's 800m final
2:35 p.m. – women's 400mH final
2:45 p.m. – men's 400mH final
2:55 p.m. – women's 200m final
3 p.m. – men's 200m final
3:05 p.m. – women's 5,000m final
3:30 p.m. – men's 5,000m final
3:55 p.m. – women's 4x400m relay**
4:05 p.m. – men's 4x400m relay**
4:20 p.m. – Graduating Seniors Recognition followed by Awards Presentation
* If either 4 x 100 Meter Relay becomes a two-heat final, the event will be conducted as a slow section followed by a fast section and the schedule (including National Anthem) will be adjusted 5 minutes earlier.
** If either 4 x 400 Meter Relay becomes a two-heat final, the event will be conducted as a slow section followed by a fast section and the remaining schedule and awards presentation will be adjusted 5 minutes later.
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