TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The first day of the 2024 Missouri Valley Championships was a strong one for Illinois State, as several Redbirds set personal-best times and marks at the Gibson Track & Field Complex in Terre Haute Indiana.
The Redbirds had a total of seven student-athletes advance to the finals, six personal-best and four season-best marks and times.
On the men's side, freshman Ryan Schaefer got the Redbirds off to a hot start as he currently sits in second place in the decathlon with 3,645 points. Junior Cade Ward currently trails the leaders with 3,326 total points, as he sits in seventh place overall.
Seniors Amiri Buchanan and Josh Schmid both scored points for the Redbirds, as Buchanan took fourth in the hammer throw with a toss of 57.60m (188-11) and Schmid finished eighth with a mark of 54.74m (179-07). Schmid also finished eighth in the javelin, with a season-best throw of 50.53m (165-09). Ward finished sixth in the pole vault, with a personal-best height of 4.50m (14-9.00).
On the track, senior Jaden Johnson advanced to the finals as he finished third in the 400m hurdles with a season-best time of 55.17 seconds, while sophomore Enyinnaya Nwagwu also advanced to the finals as he took third in the 200m dash in a time of 21.47 seconds. In the 1,500m run, sophomore Yusuf Baig advanced to the finals, as he finished 12th in a time of 3:52.21. Graduate student Nick Doud took fourth in the 10,000m run with a personal-best time of 29:52.79, while senior Baptsite Tardiveau finished seventh in a time of 30:03.88.
On the women's side, sophomore Lindsey Miller got the Redbirds going on the track by winning her heat for the 200m dash in a personal-best time of 23.98 seconds, while sophomore Nnenna Okpara advanced to the finals in a time of 24.16 seconds. To round out the 200m dash for the Redbirds, Hassy Fashina-Bombata advanced to the finals in a time of 24.93 seconds. In the 400m hurdles, freshman Cambria Geyer advanced to the finals after taking eighth in a personal-best time of 1:02.62. Juniors Mattison Plummer and Viviana Sanfilippo also advanced to the finals in the 1500m, with Plummer taking second with a season-best time of 4:30.79 and Sanfilippo finishing 11th with a personal-best time of 4:32.18.
In the women's heptathlon, sophomore Gracie Jessup leads the Redbirds and currently sits in ninth place with 2,817 total points. Senior Caleigh O'Flaherty currently sits in 15th with 2,639 total points, and senior Kiley Sanders stands in 16th with 2,617 total points. In the hammer throw, senior Morgan Wrublik scored points for the 'Birds, as she took fifth with a mark of 53.17m (174-05), while freshman Adi Scott also scored for the Redbirds as she finished eighth with a toss of 49.22m (161-05). Sophomore Isabelle Hemmen was also a point scorer, as she finished eighth in the pole vault with a height of 3.63m (11-10.75).
Up Next
Action continues from 2024 MVC Outdoor Championships at 10 a.m. on Saturday, with the completion of the decathlon and heptathlon before field events and track prelims follow.
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