NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State track & field program has 15 student-athletes prepared to compete at the 2021 NCAA Division I West Preliminary Round from Wednesday, May 26 through Saturday, May 29 at E.B. Cushing Stadium on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.
The men will compete on Wednesday and Friday, while the women will compete on Thursday and Saturday. Student-athletes with the top-12 times/marks, and the best 12 relay teams at both the East and West Preliminary Round sites, will move on to the NCAA Championships held June 9-12 in Eugene, Oregon at the newly renovated Hayward Field.
Live results for the NCAA West Preliminary Round can be found here with live coverage of the event also being provided by the SEC Network+ ($).
BROADCAST SCHEDULE
Wednesday, May 26 – 6 p.m.
Thursday, May 27 – 6 p.m.
Friday, May 28 – 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 29 – 5:30 p.m.
The following Illinois State student-athletes have qualified for the NCAA West Preliminary Round:
MEN'S QUALIFIERS
Jack Anstey | 1,500-meter run | Wednesday, May 26 | 6:30 p.m.
- Anstey most recently won the 800-meter run at the MVC Outdoor Championships for the second-straight year, earning his sixth career MVC title.
- He clocked a personal-best, new school record and a then-Valley record in the 1,500-meter run at the Joe Walker Invite earlier this year, recording a time of 3:39.17. Anstey is the only Redbird in school history to run sub-3:40 in the 1,500m, holding the school record by more than three seconds.
- This weekend will mark Anstey's fourth and final time competing at the NCAA West Preliminary Round as his eligibility expires following this season. Competing in the 1,500m for the third time at the West Prelims, Anstey enters the week with the seventh-fastest time.
Amiri Buchanan | shot put | Wednesday, May 26 | 6 p.m.
- Buchanan qualified for the NCAA West Preliminary Round after throwing a huge personal-best mark of 18.17 meters (59-7.5 ft.) to take fourth at the MVC Outdoor Championships. That is the fifth-best mark in school history and Buchanan is one of only five Redbirds to ever throw 18 meters or better in the shot put.
- He is competing at his first NCAA West Preliminary Round and currently has the 31st-best mark in the field.
Logan Calvin | Wednesday, May 26 | hammer throw (1:30 p.m.) | shot put (6 p.m.)
- Earned All-Valley honors in the shot put at the conference championships and was the only man to place in the top-5 in the shot put, hammer throw and discus at the MVC Championships.
- Ranks No. 2 all-time in the shot put, No. 6 all-time in the hammer throw & No. 7 in the discus in ISU school history with personal bests all set this year.
- He ranks No. 18 in the shot put in the NCAA West Preliminary Round and was the last man in the hammer throw.
Kellen Kravik | pole vault | Wednesday, May 26 | 3 p.m.
- ISU's newest school record holder with a personal-best clearance of 5.26 meters (17-3 ft.), Kravik currently has the No. 28 best mark in the NCAA West Region.
- He is coming off of his first MVC title in the pole vault, leading his team to a 1-2-3-4 sweep of the event with his clearance of 5.22 meters (17-1.5 ft.).
Brandon Ratliff | 110-meter hurdles | Wednesday, May 26 | 6 p.m.
- Ratliff ran a regional qualifying time and the No. 4 time in school history at the ISU Invite earlier this year, clocking in at a lifetime-best of 13.94 seconds.
- A freshman outdoors, Ratliff will be making his first appearance at the NCAA West Preliminary Round after earning his third-career All-Valley honors earlier this season with a third-place finish at the MVC Outdoor Championships.
Riley Wells | 800-meter run | Wednesday, May 26 | 7:50 p.m.
- Wells most recently took second with a personal-best time of 1:49.54 at the MVC Track & Field Championships to secure his spot at the NCAA West Prelims.
- His time at the MVC Championships earned him his second career All-Valley honors after winning the MVC title in the 800m indoors and moved him onto the ISU top-10 list for the first time in an individual event. He currently ranks No. 7 all-time in the 800-meter run in school history.
WOMEN'S QUALIFIERS
Grace Beattie | 3,000m steeplechase (6:10 p.m.) & 5,000-meter run (8:30 p.m.) | Saturday, May 29
- Broke a record in every individual race she ran this year, including three facility records and one meet record.
- Ranks No. 2 in school history the 1,500-meter run, the 3,000-meter steeplechase and the 5,000-meter run.
- Crowned the MVC Champion for the second-straight year in the steeplechase, breaking the meet record with a time of 10:07.04. Also finished as the MVC runner-up in the 1,500m.
- She is competing at her third NCAA West Prelims in the steeplechase, while she's making her first appearance in the 5,000m.
Jordyn Bruce | 400-meter hurdles | Thursday, May 27 | 8:20 p.m.
- Bruce was named the Missouri Valley Conference Women's Most Valuable Athlete after scoring 26 points, winning two individual titles, and posting three All-Valley performances at the MVC Outdoor Championships.
- Won her second-consecutive MVC title in the 400-meter hurdles with a personal-best time of 58.80 seconds, which is the No. 2 time in school history.
- Crowned the heptathlon conference champion for the first time in her career, garnering 5,439 points, just 17 points shy of the school record.
- Earned All-Valley honors in the 100-meter hurdles, placing third with a personal-best time of 13.75 seconds, which is the fourth-fastest time in school history.
- This weekend will mark Bruce's first appearance at the NCAA West Preliminary Round.
Whitney Ward | 400-meter hurdles | Thursday, May 27 | 8:20 p.m.
- Ward ran personal-best times twice this season, most recently at the MVC Championships where she took fourth by running her first sub-one-minute 400-meter hurdles race with a time of 59.63.
- Ward's time moved her back into the top-48 in the 400-meter hurdles, advancing her to her first ever NCAA West Preliminary Round.
Grace Daun | high jump | Saturday, May 29 | 1 p.m.
- Won her first Missouri Valley Conference title in the high jump two weeks ago, clearing 1.74 meters (5-8.25 ft.).
- Matched her collegiate personal-best of 1.76 meters (5-9.25 ft.) to qualify for her first NCAA regionals at Louisville's Clark-Wood Open and move up to No. 6 all-time in ISU school history.
Kristin Higgins | high jump | Saturday, May 29 | 1 p.m.
- Cleared an outdoor personal best 1.75 meters (5-8.75) to open the season with a win in the high jump at the Ole Miss Classic. That mark is tied for the eighth-best in school history.
- Earned her fourth-career All-Valley honor at the MVC Championships, taking second with a clearance of 1.74 meters (5-8.25 ft.).
Mye'Joi Williams | shot put | Saturday, May 29 | 6 p.m.
- Earned All-Valley honors in both the shot put and the discus at the MVC Championships, throwing a mark of 15.90 meters (52-2 ft.) to place third in the shot put and a seven-meter personal-best of 50.11 meters (164-5 ft.) to earn runner-up honors in the discus.
- Ranks No. 5 all-time in the shot put outdoors with a personal-best throw of 16.36 meters (53-8.25 ft.) and No. 7 in the discus with her mark of 50.11 meters.
Tayler Weaver | shot put (6 p.m.) & hammer throw (1:30 p.m.) | Thursday, May 27
- Finished as the MVC runner-up in both the shot put and the hammer throw at the MVC Championships, throwing a personal-best of 61.71 meters (202-5 ft.) in the hammer throw and a mark of 16.29 meters (53-5.5 ft.) in the shot put
- Competing at her second NCAA West Prelims this weekend
- Ranks No. 4 all-time in both the shot put and hammer throw in ISU history
Sydney Laufenberg | discus | Saturday, May 29 | 1:30 p.m.
- Won her third MVC title in the discus at the MVC Championships nearly breaking the meet record with a season-best throw of 56.68 meters (185-11.5 ft.)
- She looks to return to the NCAA Outdoor Championships for the second-straight outdoor season after qualifying in the discus in 2019 and earning Second Team All-American honors
- This week will be her fourth time competing at the NCAA West Prelims
Julia Bourke | hammer throw | Thursday, May 27 | 1:30 p.m.
- Bourke will compete at the NCAA West Preliminary Round in the hammer throw for the third time in her career, currently sitting No. 27 in the region.
- She threw a season-best mark of 60.83 meters (199-7 ft.) at the ISU Invite to win the hammer throw.
- The senior is coming off an All-Valley performance, taking third in the hammer throw with a best throw of 60.33 meters (197-11 ft.)
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