NORMAL, Ill-. Day two of the John Coughlan Invite was a successful one for the Illinois State men's and women's track & field squads, as the Redbirds combined to win 15 total events on Saturday inside Horton Field House.
Saturday began with the conclusion of the men's heptathlon, as senior Ariel Atias held onto his lead from the first day of competition to take the win with 5,266 total points thanks to first-place finishes in four of the seven events. Freshman Ryan Schaefer also put his name in the record books with a total score of 4,653 points, as he currently sits in seventh all-time indoors in the heptathlon. Elsewhere on the field side, senior Amiri Buchanan took home a pair of event wins, taking first in the shot put with a throw of 18.03m (59' 2.00") and the top spot in the weight throw with a mark of 19.23m (63' 1.25"). Also an event winner was sophomore Charles Cruse, who took first place with a new personal-best of 4.95m (16' 2.75").
On the track, senior Jaden Johnson took first in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.48 and fellow senior Raydoffa Braziel took first in the 600m with a time of 1:22.00. Rounding out the event winners on the men's side was the 4x400 relay team of Michael Marrs, Devin Turner, Jaiden Reed and Julian Head which took first with a time of 3:25.81.
In the women's field events, Ella Vacek leaped her way to first place in the high jump with a mark leap of 1.63m (5' 4.25"), while junior Atleigh Hamilton won the long jump with a mark of 5.47m (17' 11.50"). Junior Windsor Roberts set a new Horton Field House record in the pole vault with a final clearance of 3.85m (12' 7.50") and claiming second in the pole vault was sophomore Sawyer Schoon with a new personal-best of 3.60m (11' 9.75"). In the shot put, senior Batya Butler took first with a throw of 13.49m (44' 3.25") and Madison Saunders was first in the triple jump with a leap of 11.60m (38' .75").
On the track, Saunders also earned a victory in the 60m dash after she set a personal-best with a time of 7.65, while senior Emelia Ness also set a personal-best with a time of 8.11. In the 60m hurdles, freshman Cambria Geyer flew across the line with a time of 8.86 to secure her first collegiate victory and senior Sentoria Harris won the 600m with a time of 1:41.99.Â
Up Next
The Redbirds will next travel to Terre Haute, Indiana, to compete against the Indiana State Sycamores in the annual Coughlan/Malloy Cup on Friday, January 12.
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