By WJBC Staff
CEDAR FALLS – The Illinois State track and field teams recorded two new school records and tied one school record on day one of the two-day 2017 Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships.
Amanda McClain had two spectacular performances in the women’s long jump and the 400-meter dash. She had one of her best series in the long jump, as she captured her third Missouri Valley Conference title with a new school record and an all-time personal-best mark of 6.17m. Just an hour before the long jump, McClain ran a time of 55.72 in the 400-meter dash preliminaries, which is the fastest seedtime heading into finals tomorrow.
“It was just a phenomenal day for Amanda McClain,” Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Jeff Bovee said. “Having the fastest 400-meter qualifying time and then less than an hour later came back to win the long jump with her best series she’s ever had with getting a new school record, and going three-for-three with MVC titles. She is off to a great start.”
Derrius Rodgers also set a new school records in the men’s 60-meter dash. Rodgers ran a personal-best time of 6.67 in the 60-meter prelims, which is the second-fastest seedtime. He also qualified in the 200-meter dash will be preliminary time of 21.53.
Demetria Anderson tied the school record in the 60-meter hurdles, as she ran a PR time of 8.46 in the prelims. She will advance to the finals with the fourth-fastest seedtime.
The men and women’s distance medley relays team had stellar performances, as they both captured all-MVC honors.
For the men, Skyler Arthur, Michael Jopes, Tye Sutherland, and Jack Anstey placed second with a time at 10:05.11. On the women’s side, Phoebe Clowser, Whitney Ward, Molly Krawczykowski and Grace Beattie ran a time at 12:00.92 and placed second overall as well.
The distance crew also excelled in the 5,000-meter run, as Kyle Mattes captured All-MVC with a second-place finish with a personal-best time of 14:26.13. Mattes’ time is ranked ninth on ISU’s all-time best list.
Jesse Hahne and Cody Baele also scored points for the Redbirds as they placed sixth and seventh, respectively. Hahne ran a PR time of 14:30.00, while Baele also ran a personal-best time at 14:30.99.
“I was really pleased with our men’s 5K today,” Bovee said. “I was not only pleased with Kyle (Mattes) in the runner-up spot, but Jesse (Hahne) and Cody (Baele) ran phenomenal races. For us to get three guys there was a nice swing.”
For the women, Ariel Michalek and Ashley England scored in the women’s 5K as they placed fifth and seventh, respectively. Michalek ran a personal-best time at 17:16.91, while England ran a time of 17:24.48.
The Redbirds picked up points in the field events on both the men and women’s side. For the men, Anthony McRoberts and Travon Diggins posted tremendous performances in the long jump, as they both scored and captured personal-best marks.
McRoberts placed seventh in the long jump with an all-time personal-best mark at 7.13m, which is ranked ninth on ISU’s best list. Diggins also posted an all-time personal best with a mark at 7.11m and placing eighth overall.
In the women’s long jump, Patrice Jones posted her all-time PR with a leap at 7.81m, which is ranked ninth on the top-10 list at Illinois State.
Kellen Kravik picked up some points for the Redbirds in the men’s pole vault, as he captured a huge PR with a mark at 4.77m. His mark is tied for ninth on ISU’s all-time best list.
In the multi-events, James Brandenburg and Jordan Wilkerson started the heptathlon strong, as they posted multiple personal-best performances. After four events, Brandenburg is sitting in fourth day with 3,023 points, followed by Wilkerson in fifth with 2,940 points.
They both started the day with running personal-best performance in the 60-meter dash with Wilkerson winning the event with a time at 6.98, and Brandenburg running a time at 7.09.
Brandenburg won the long jump with a mark at 7.28m, which is his all-time personal best and tied for the sixth-longest jump in ISU history. Wilkerson also captured a personal-best with a leap at 6.78m.
The duo continued to shine as they both posted personal-best marks in the shot put. Brandenburg notched a PR mark of 11.51m, while Wilkerson throw a personal-best at 11.48m. In the high jump, Brandenburg cleared a season-best at a height of 1.09m
In the pentathlon, Tessa Holland finished eighth with a total of 3,536 points, while Jordyn Bruce finished in 12th with 3,251 points.
Holland captured a personal-best in the 60-meter hurdles with a time at 9.04. She also posted an all-time personal-best in the shot put with a mark at 10.52m.
Bruce notched a PR in the high jump as she cleared a height at 1.51m. She also captured a personal-best in the long jump with a leap at 4.88m. In the 800-meter run, Bruce finished second with a time at 2:21.68.
Overall, Illinois State had 15 student-athletes qualify for finals tomorrow. One of those is D’Jenne Egharevba who ran a time of 7.49 in the 60-meter dash, which is tied for the second-fastest time at ISU. She also qualified in the 200 with a time of 24.61
In the women’s mile, ISU had three freshmen qualify for finals—Grace Beattie, Dakota Roman and Phoebe Clowser.
After day one, Illinois State is sitting in third on both sides in the team standings. For the women, ISU has a total of 27 points, while Wichita State is in first with 60 points, followed by Northern Iowa with 29 points. On the men’s side, the Redbirds have 25 points with Southern Illinois in first with 40, followed by Wichita State in second with 37 points.
“At the end of the day, we got a lot of the women through finals in some critical events,” Bovee said. “Events like the mile and the 400 meter went well for us today. Having three freshman women in the mile is exciting. Not just for this year but for the future. We had three freshmen on our DMED, which is a strong finish for them. I think our women are in a good position and are in a hunt for a trophy if they come out in day two like they did in day one. That is what we really came here to do.”
The second day of the MVC Championships will resume with the heptathlon at 9:30 a.m.
OTHER FINAL QUALIERS
Women’s 400-meter dash
- Ashleigh Wilson – 55.97
- Ally Christiani – 56.93
Men’s 400-meter dash
- Ben Montgomery – 48.75
Women’s 800-meter dash
- Rayanne Wright – 2:18.55
- Molly Krawczykowski – 2:17.83
Men’s mile run
- Paul Steeno – 4:18.79
