McLean County Times

Senior athlete Amiri Buchanan has secured a place in the NCAA Championships following his performance at the NCAA West Preliminary Round held in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Buchanan achieved a mark of 18.58 meters (60-11.50) in the shot put, placing him 12th overall and earning him a spot to compete at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships scheduled for June 5-8 in Eugene, Oregon.

Freshman Jacob Klink also participated in the shot put event, finishing 34th with a mark of 17.21 meters (56-5.75). In other field events, sophomore Charles Cruse placed 28th in the pole vault with a height of 5.07 meters (16-7.5), while junior Devin Turner took 33rd place in the long jump with a leap of 7.36 meters (24-1.25).

On the track, senior Raydoffa Braziel advanced to Friday's quarterfinals by recording his personal-best time of 46.06 seconds in the 400m dash, marking it as the third-best time in program history. Sophomore Dewayne Johnson finished 40th in the 110m hurdles with a time of 14.28 seconds.

The Redbirds will not have any competitions on Thursday as their three female qualifiers are set to compete on Saturday. The men's team will resume action on Friday with athletes including Braziel, Mathis Chavand, and members of the 4x400m relay squad.

For updates on Redbird track & field and cross country activities, fans can follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram or visit GoRedbirds.com and use the Illinois State Redbirds App for tickets and merchandise information.