CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – In just his first heptathlon as a Redbird, sophomore Ariel Atias broke the Illinois State school record in the indoor event, totaling a personal best of 5,285 points over the seven events. The Redbirds also claimed the team victory for both the men and women, defeating Illinois, Wisconsin, Northern Illinois, Illinois-Chicago and Chicago State at the meet.
"Ariel with his first multi event for the Redbirds, coming out to break the school record was fantastic." Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Jeff Bovee said.
Not only did Atias set a personal best in total points, he also did so in three of the events – the 60m hurdles (8.74), pole vault (4.60m) and 60m dash (7.34). Atias, who placed second overall, currently ranks No. 13 in the nation and No. 2 in the Valley.
Putting the nation on notice, fifth-year senior Kameesha Smith cleared her best mark of the season at 1.80m (5-10.75 ft.) in the women's high jump. Smith, who qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships last season, now sits at No. 13 in the NCAA and No. 1 in the MVC.
"Kameesha was a little rusty the first couple of meets getting back to her old self," Bovee said. "Now, I think her legs are back under her and it's really good to see her back at her best."
Kickstarting the strong day for the Redbirds was redshirt senior Ryan Ashenbremer, who captured the win in the men's pole vault with a mark of 4.94m (16-2.5 ft.). His teammate, junior Max Schweitzer, cleared a personal best 4.79m (15-8.5 ft.) to finish second.
On the track, sophomore Seven Hicks and freshman Devin Turner both grabbed second-place finishes for the 'Birds. Hicks finished in a time of 7.56 seconds, just 0.04 seconds off her personal best time. Turner clocked in at 6.95 seconds.
In addition, sophomore Mattie Lieb and senior Avery Lyons ran their way to personal bests in the dash. Lyons also ran the first sub-7 second 60m dash of his collegiate career.
"The short sprints looked great today." Bovee said.
Sophomore Brandon Ratliff finished as the runner up in the 60m hurdles and set a season best with a time of 8.01 seconds. His time was just 0.03 seconds off his personal best.
Three Redbirds set new personal bests in the women's shot put, led by senior Hannah Johnson, who finished second overall with a throw of 14.82m. In addition to Johnson, sophomore Batya Butler and freshman Taylor Kesner set personal bests. Butler also competed in the weight throw and threw a personal best.
"Going into this meet, we really wanted to focus on bringing a lot of energy and supporting each other," Bovee said. "We definitely brought a much higher level of energy and a lot more competitiveness. We had a lot of people contribute today across the board, and I was really pleased with how we came together as a team."
EVENT WINNERS
Men's Winners
Women's Winners
TEAM SCORES
Men's Team Score
- Illinois State - 204
- Illinois - 199
- Illinois-Chicago - 42
- Chicago State - 36
- Wisconsin - 29
Women's Team Score
- Illinois State - 164
- Illinois - 163
- Northern Illinois - 131
- Wisconsin - 39
- Illinois-Chicago - 37
- Chicago State - 25
UP NEXT
The Redbirds will make their second out-of-state trip of the season, hitting the road for the PNC Lenny Lyles Invitational in Louisville, Kentucky on Saturday, Jan. 29.
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