CHICAGO, Ill. – The Illinois State track & field program closed out the MVC Indoor Track & Field Championships, Monday afternoon at the Dr. Conrad Worrill Track and Field Center.
The Redbirds squads each earned a top-three finish after all events were scored. The women's team finished in second place with 105 points, and the men's team finished in third place with 130.5 points.
The men's 4x400m relay team of Jake Welch, Cade Ward, Zach Paul, and Enyinnaya Nwagwu Jr. captured the title after running a time of 3:10.51. Their time is now the fastest at an MVC Indoor Track & Field Conference Championship event.
Junior Lindsey Miller took home the women's 60m and 200m dash titles. In the 60m dash, Miller ran a time of 7.41, and in the 200m, she recorded a mark of 23.95, improving on the top-10 time she notched on Sunday. Miller also earned the women's MVC Most Valuable Athlete honors for her performance.
Senior Ariel Atias closed out his title defense on Monday as he captured the men's heptathlon championship with 5353. Sophomore Ryan Schaefer joined Atias on the podium with a third-place effort and a point total of 5045.
Junior Enyinnaya Nwagwu Jr. secured a runner-up finish in the men's 200m dash with a time of 21.22. Nwagwu Jr. improved on the top-10 time he set on Sunday.
In the 60m hurdles, Junior Erin Starks recorded a personal-best mark with a time of 8.32 to improve on her top-10 time in a runner-up effort. Senior Corrina Courser wrapped up the podium with a third-place finish and a time of 8.39. Junior Macee Rivers also scored points for the Redbirds with a time of 8.59 and a fifth-place finish.
Junior Yusuf Baig tallied a runner-up finish in the men's 3000m dash after he ran a time of 8:12.09. Freshman Julian Baker also placed for the Redbirds after running a mark of 8:18.29.
Sophomore Ava Lawless notched a runner-up finish in the women's triple jump after recording a jump of 12.09m (39-6.75). Senior Madison Saunders also scored for the Redbirds with a season-best jump of 11.72m (38-5.50) in a seventh-place effort.
On the men's side, the freshman trio of Astor Snaider, Victor Byaundaombe, and Zion Russell each scored points for the Redbirds. Snaider, the highest finisher of the three earned a podium spot with his third-place finish and jump of 14.66m (48-1.25).
Junior Rob Pulliam earned a podium spot after his third-place finish in the men's high jump. Pulliam cleared at a season-best mark of 2.04m (6-8.25).
Junior Jake Welch scored six points for the Redbirds after a third-place finish in the men's 400m. Welch ran a time of 47.48 to secure a podium finish. Freshman Evan Watson also added a point for the Redbirds in his first championship meet appearance after running a time of 48.80 in an eighth-place effort.
Alongside Miller in the 60m dash, Sophomore Immaculate Daniel joined her as a podium finisher after her third-place effort. Daniel ran a time of 7.44 on her path to the podium.
In the men's 60m dash, four Redbirds scored points for Illinois State. Sophomore Jaiden Reed matched his personal best time of 6.73 to secure a third-place finish and his spot on the podium. Freshman Zach Paul also matched his personal best with a time of 6.76 to add five points to the Redbirds' total. Enyinnaya Nwagwu Jr. and Freshman Reece Curtis scored with fifth and eighth-place finishes.
In the men's shot put, Sophomore's Jacob Klink and Garrett Taylor improved on their top-10 marks to finish fourth and fifth. Klink recorded a throw of 18.09m (59-4.25), and Taylor tallied a mark of 18.05m (59-2.75). On the women's side, Freshman Chidiogo Odeluga finished in ninth with a personal best throw of 13.31m (43-8).
Freshman Astrid Van Breedam added a point for the Redbirds in the women's mile. She finished in seventh place with a time of 4:57.95.
Sophomore Grace Erb earned two points in a seventh-place finish after she ran a time of 2:13.09 in the women's 800m.
Senior Kiley Sanders added an additional two points after scoring on Sunday for the Redbirds as she finished seventh in the women's high jump as she cleared the bar at 1.67m (5-5.75).
Starks and Daniel joined Miller in securing points for Illinois State in the women's 200m dash after their fourth and seventh-place finishes. Starks ran a time of 24.19, and Daniel finished with a mark of 24.66.
