Redbirds to Compete in Arkansas on Friday

THIS WEEK

The Illinois State track and field squad heads to Fayetteville, Arkansas, for the John McDonnell Invitational hosted by the University of Arkansas on April 24.

LAST TIME OUT

Illinois State earned seven event titles while competing at the Gibson Invitational in Indiana.

• Enyinnaya Nwagwu Jr. won the 200m dash with a season-best time of 20.85.

• Zach Paul claimed the 100-meter title in 10.17.

• The 4x400m relay team of Nwagwu, Jake Welch, Evan Watson and Jaiden Reed took first place with a time of 3:12.41.

• Curtis, Nwagwu, Reed and Paul won the 4x100m relay with a time of 39.92.

• Seth Nelson secured a victory in the men's pole vault with a clearance of 5.21m.

• Rex Hallam added another event title for the Redbirds, winning the collegiate section of the long jump with a mark of 6.90m.

• Isabelle Hemmen won the women's pole vault with a clearance of 3.99m.

UPDATING THE RECORD BOOKS

Along with several event titles, the Redbirds made moves in the program's top 10 list in eight different events.

• Curtis, Nwagwu, Reed and Paul set the Gibson Invitational meet record and moved from sixth to third in the program's top 10 list in the 4x100m relay.

• Hemmen set a Gibson Invite meet record in the pole vault and improved her fifth-place mark in school history with a clearance of 3.99m

• Aidan Wyzard is now 10th in program history in the long jump with a mark of 7.27m.

• Becca Heitzig improved her first-place time in school history from 4:14.79 to 4:14.76 in the 1500m.

• Pauline Schedler moved from third to second in the 1500m with a time of 4:15.89.

• Heitzig moved from eighth to second in the 800m with a time of 2:05.83.

• Schedler is now fifth in the 800m with a time of 2:07.39.

• Mattison Plummer moves from seventh to sixth in the 1500m with a time of 4:23.92

• Scott is now tied for ninth in program history in the hammer throw with a mark of 54.74m.

• Trey Thomas now ranks 10th in program history in the decathlon with 6,478 points.

• Cole Stevens is now eighth in program history in the hammer throw 60.87m.

FRESH SCHOOL RECORDS

Three outdoor school records have been tied or broken so far this season.

• Heitzig broke the women's 1500m school record by nearly two seconds with a time of 4:14.79 at the Pepsi Florida Relays on April 4 and then broke her own record with a time of 4:14.76 at the Bryan Clay Invitational on April 17.

• Nelson broke the men's pole vault school record with a clearance of 5.28m at the first-annual Joyce Morton-Kief Invite on March 28.

• The men's 4x400m relay squad, with Paul, Welch,  Curtis and Nwagwu, tied the program record with a time of 3:06.51 at the Pepsi Florida Relays on April 4.

USTFCCCA #EVENTSQUAD RANKINGS

The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association released its fourth checkpoint of #EventSquad rankings for the 2026 outdoor season on April 21, and multiple Redbird event groups were featured among the nation's best.

• The men's shot put group, with Zach Cowper, Jo Atkins, Jacob Klink and Garrett Taylor, is ranked eighth in the nation (69.50m, 17.38m avg).

• The men's high jump group, comprised of Kaden Stewart, Voldy Makabu, Jamarion Bardwell and Trey Thomas, ranks 15th in the nation (8.16m, 2.04m avg).

• The women's 1500m group, with Becca Heitzig, Pauline Schedler, Mattison Plummer and Astrid Van Breedam, sits 30th in the country (17:25.48, 4:21.37 avg).

• The women's 800m squad, featuring Heitzig, Schedler, Colleen Zeibert and Brooke Zeibert is rated 34th in the nation (8:34.42, 2:08.61 avg).

• The women's hammer throw group, comprised of Adi Scott, Morgan Foes, Brianna Brodie and Hannah Gibson ranks 34th in the nation (201.24m, 50.31m avg).

• The women's triple jump squad, with Abby Milott, Ava Lawless, Laney Nelson and Megan Clark, ranks 34^th in the country (45.77m, 11.44m avg).

• The women's discus squad, featuring Scott, Brodie, Foes and Sienna Robertson, is rated 39th in the country (165.29m, 41.32m avg).

For the latest updates on Illinois State Track & Field, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com, follow the Redbirds on X (@RedbirdTFXC) and Instagram (isuredbirdtfxc) and like the team on Facebook (Illinois State Track & Field/Cross Country).

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