NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State Track & Field will split squads between two meets this weekend, as a majority of Redbirds will compete at the Illini Invitational, in Champaign, Illinois. Additionally, a small group of distance runners will make the trip to Bloomington, Indiana for the Indiana Invitational. Both meets will begin on Friday and conclude on Saturday.
REDBIRDS IN THE TOP-48
In order to qualify for the NCAA West Preliminary Round, you must rank among the best 48 student-athletes in your respective event in the West Region. Currently, seven Redbird student-athletes qualify.
8. Logan Calvin, shot put
28. Ariel Atias, javelin
32. Brandon Ratliff, 110m Hurdles
32. Ryan Ashenbremer, pole vault
41. Cole Maguire, 400m Hurdles
45. Cam Getz, high jump
48. Riley Wells, 800m
LAST TIME OUT
Illinois State last competed at the Redbird Invite, hosting its final home meet of the 2021-22 season. In total, ten Redbirds notched program all-time top-10 marks at the meet.
Hailing from Hafia, Israel, sophomore Ariel Atias broke the Israeli national record in the decathlon with his performance at the Redbird Invite with 7,231 points. Atias came up just short of the Illinois State school record, as he now holds the second-best point total in school history. In addition, Atias ranks No. 1 in the MVC and No. 31 in the NCAA.
Sophomore Chase Knoblett also broke into the ISU record book with his 5,666-point performance in the decathlon. He now ranks No. 10 in school history.
Junior Cole Maguire won the men's 400m hurdles at the Redbird Challenge, clocking a personal best time of 52.25. Maguire's time ranks No. 1 in the MVC, No. 5 in school history and No. 41 in the NCAA West Region.
In the men's 100m dash, freshman Devin Turner and junior Junias Holmes Jr. ran times of 10.44 and 10.49, respectively. With that, Turner and Holmes now rank No. 7 and No. 10 in school history. They also sit at No. 3 and No. 4 in the MVC. Turner captured his second win of the day, as he placed first in the 200m dash with a time of 21.71.
On the women's side, freshman Arianna Walker torched the track with a time of 11.67 in the 100m dash to take the victory. Her time ranks No. 2 in the MVC and No. 7 in school history
For the second weekend in a row, sophomore Joe Boyer won the men's discus competition, tossing 50.35m (165-2 ft.). Boyer also took home a third-place finish in the shot put with a throw of 17.04m (55-11 ft.), which ranks No. 5 in the MVC and No. 9 in school history.
In the women's pole vault, freshman Windsor Roberts and sophomore Amni Austin finished 1-2 for Illinois State and each cracked the program top-10 list. Windsor's clearance of 3.85m (12-7.5 ft.) now ranks No. 2 in the MVC and No. 6 in school history. Austin's clearance of 3.70m (12-1.5 ft.), now No. 4 in the MVC and is tied for No. 9 in school history.
On the first day of competition, sophomore Amiri Buchanan cracked the ISU all-time top-10 list in the hammer throw with a personal best throw of 56.58m (185-7 ft.) to place fifth, as he now ranks No. 10.
MEET INFORMATION
For those who can't attend the Illini Invitational or Indiana Invitational, follow along on Twitter at @RedbirdTFXC for updates. Live results for both meets can be found below. Additionally, a stream of the Illini Invitational is available here.
Illini Invitational: https://bit.ly/3xKol4l
Indiana Invitational: https://bit.ly/38XhFFG
UP NEXT
Following the Illini and Indiana Invitationals, the Redbirds will split groups between the Drake Relays, from April 28-30, and Clark Wood Invitational, from April 29-30 hosted by Louisville.
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