Redbirds Head to Wisconsin for Badger Challenge

THIS WEEK

The Illinois State track and field squad heads to Madison, Wis., for the Badger Challenge hosted by the University of Wisconsin on Friday at the McClimon Track Complex. Field events will begin at noon CT, while track events will start at 4 p.m. CT.

LAST TIME OUT

The Redbirds turned in a successful outing last Friday at the John McDonnell Invitational, breaking three school records and collecting several top-five finishes in their respective events.

• Enyinnaya Nwagwu Jr. moved into 10th in school history with a personal best time of 10.46 in the 100m dash.

• Lindsey Miller placed fifth in the 100m dash with a wind-aided time of 11.53, improving her fifth-place time in the ISU record books.

• Macee Rivers continued the Redbirds' success on the track, winning the 100m hurdles with a wind-aided time of 13.32 to jump from sixth to third in program history.

• Maggie Reed was another top-five finisher for the Redbirds, taking fourth in the 3000m steeplechase with a time of 10:53.98.

• Rex Hallam took third in the long jump, posting a personal-best mark of 7.37m to move into seventh in program history.

• Voldy Makabu earned bronze in the high jump with a season-best leap of 2.11m, while Kaden Stewart took fourth with a mark of 2.06m.

• Victor Byaundaombe placed third in the triple jump with a season-best leap of 15.16m.

• In the men's shot put, Jacob Klink improved his seventh-place mark in program history from 17.80m to 17.96m and placed fourth, while Jo Atkins placed fifth in the event with a throw of 16.75m.  

• On the women's side of the shot put, Keira Fax took bronze with a personal-best throw of 14.70m.

• Illinois State boasted two more top-five finishers in the women's discus, as Sienna Robertson took fourth with a throw of 43.14m, and Brianna Brodie earned fifth with a mark of 40.90m.

FRESH SCHOOL RECORDS

Four outdoor school records have been tied or broken so far this season, including three this past weekend.

• Zach Paul finished runner-up and shattered the school record in the 100m dash with a wind-aided time of 10.19.

• The men's 4x400m relay squad of Paul, Enyinnaya Nwagwu Jr., Jake Welch and Evan Watson broke the school record, which was set earlier this season, by over a second with a time of 3:05.27.

• Seth Nelson broke his own school record in the men's pole vault with a clearance of 5.30m.

• Becca 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.

USTFCCCA #EVENTSQUAD RANKINGS

The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association released its fifth checkpoint of #EventSquad rankings for the 2026 outdoor season on April 28, 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 10th in the nation (69.71m, 17.43m avg). 

• The men's high jump group, including Kaden Stewart, Voldy Makabu, Jamarion Bardwell and Trey Thomas, is 20^th in the country (8.18m, 2.04m avg).

• The men's 100m dash squad of Zach Paul, Reece Curtis, Enyinnaya Nwagwu Jr. and Jaiden Reed is 39^th in the NCAA (41.70, 10.43 avg).

• The women's 1500m group, with Becca Heitzig, Pauline Schedler, Mattison Plummer and Astrid Van Breedam sits 34th in the country (17:25.48, 4:21.37 avg).

• The women's 800m squad, comprised of Heitzig, Schedler, and Colleen and Brooke Zeibert sits 35th in the country (8:34.42, 2:08.61 avg).

• The women's hammer throw group, comprised of Adison Scott, Morgan Foes, Brianna Brodie and Hannah Gibson ranks 50th in the nation (201.24m, 50.31m 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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