CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois State Track & Field closed out competition at both the Illini and Indiana Invitationals on Saturday, as four Redbirds and one relay squad etched their names into the program record book with their performances.
800M SQUAD AT IU
It was quite the weekend for redshirt sophomore Rachel Hickey, who notched an Illinois State all-time top-10 mark for the second day in a row. In a field of nearly 34 competitors, Hickey finished fourth in the women's 800m with a new personal best time of 2:07.36. Hickey now ranks No. 3 in school history in the event and she continues to hold the fourth-fastest time in the Valley on the season.
In the men's group, sophomore Riley Wells finished as the top Redbird, as he clocked a time of 1:50.18 to match a season best. Junior Joe Morrison finished just behind Wells at 1:50.27, which ranks No. 4 in the MVC.
ACTION FROM THE ILLINI INVITATIONAL
Competing in the women's pole vault, sophomore Amni Austin cleared a new personal best of 3.88m (12-8.75 ft.) to tie for second place. Her mark ranks No. 6 in school history and No. 2 in the MVC on the season. Senior Ali Cranston finished behind Austin with a personal best clearance of 3.73m (12-2.75 ft.), which ranks No. 9 in school history.
Sophomore Joe Boyer had a strong performance in the throwing ring, as he finished in the top-3 of both events he competed in. In the shot put, Boyer threw a massive personal best at 18.00m (59-0.75 ft.) to finish third. His throw ranks No. 6 in school history and is the third-best mark in the MVC on the season. On top of his performance in the shot put, Boyer also finished second in the discus with a toss of 50.08m (164-3 ft.).
The Redbird men's 4x400m relay squad of Junias Holmes Jr., Avery Lyons, Cecil Brownridge III and Brandon Gage captured the win in the relay event, clocking a season best time of 3:09.54. That time ranks No. 1 in the MVC by nearly four seconds, ranks No. 7 in school history and No. 21 in the NCAA West Region.
Running the third leg of the 4x400m relay, Brownridge also won the men's 400m dash with a time of 47.59, which now leads the MVC.
It was a windy day in the short sprints, as the Redbirds set or matched wind-aided personal bests in four events:
The Redbird first win of the day came in the women's 4x100m relay. The squad of Sa'Mone Winters, Bri Buggs, Madison Saunders and Arianna Walker finished in a time of 46.03 seconds. The men's 4x100m relay team clocked a season best of 41.05 to finish third.
Freshman Elijah Williams was crowned the triple jump champion with a leap of 14.73m (48-4 ft.), a new personal best under all conditions.
Illinois State finished second in both the men's and women's high jump competitions, as sophomore Carly Tucker was the runner-up on for the women. Tucker cleared an outdoor personal best of 1.70m (5-7 ft.), which is tied for No. 2 in the MVC on the season. In the men's competition, junior Cameron Gets placed second with a clearance of 2.05m (6-8.75 ft.).
For the second week in a row, senior Logan Calvin won the men's shot put as he threw 18.94m (62-1.75 ft.), his second best performance of the outdoor season.
On the women's side, sophomore Mye'Joi Williams set an outdoor season best in the shot put with a throw of 15.11m (49-7 ft.) to place third.
UP NEXT
With the conclusion of the Illini and Indiana Invitationals, the Redbirds will shift their focus to the Drake Relays and Clark Wood Invitational before wrapping up the regular season with a trip to Wisconsin.
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