McLean County Times

Illinois State University's track and field team participated in the first day of the Gibson Invitational in Terre Haute, Indiana. This event serves as a precursor to the upcoming Missouri Valley Conference Championships.

In the men's hammer throw, senior Josh Schmid secured first place with a throw of 52.89 meters. Junior Anthony Smith achieved ninth place with a mark of 47.63 meters, while senior Payton Taylor finished 11th with a throw of 47.43 meters. Freshman Cole Stevens completed the event in 15th place with a distance of 45.53 meters.

On the track, senior Tyler Polak ran a season-best time of 9:14.04 in the steeplechase, finishing fourth overall. Freshman Carter Smott recorded a personal best in the 5,000-meter run with a time of 15:18.48, securing third place.

For the women's events, senior Morgan Wrublik placed second in the hammer throw with a distance of 51.91 meters. Freshman Adi Scott and junior Olivia Birge took 20th and 22nd places respectively, while freshman Laney Lester finished in 28th position. Birge also achieved fifth place in the javelin throw with a mark of 37.45 meters, and sophomore Reece Davis came in at 12th place.

The second day of competition at the Gibson Invitational is set to begin at 11:30 a.m., while another group from Illinois State will compete at the LSU Gold Alumni Meet starting at 10:00 a.m.

Updates on Redbird track & field can be followed on social media platforms including Facebook (@Illinois State Track & Field/Cross Country), Twitter (@RedbirdTFXC), and Instagram (@redbirdtfxc). Additional information is available on GoRedbirds.com and through the Illinois State Redbirds App.