McLean County Times

The Illinois State track and field team concluded the Joe Walker Invitational at Prefontaine Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi, with impressive performances across various events.

The men's 4x100m relay team, consisting of Reed, Nwagwu, Paul, and Curtis, recorded a time of 40.45, placing third and ranking as the sixth fastest time in Redbird history. On the women's side, the team of Daniel, Miller, Flowers, and Starks achieved a season-best time of 45.55, securing runner-up position.

The men's 4x400m relay team, composed of Welch, Nwagwu, Paul, and Watson, ran a time of 3:09.35, finishing second and earning another top-10 mark. The women's 4x400m relay team, featuring Flowers, Mpama, Starks, and Miller, also marked a season-best with a time of 3:44.51.

In individual events, sophomore Garrett Taylor achieved a top-10 mark in the men's shot put with a throw of 17.04m, finishing sixth overall. Taylor also secured a third-place finish in the men's discus competition with a throw of 53.76m. Sophomore Adison Scott ranked seventh in the women's discus event with a throw of 42.69m.

In the women's 1500m, sophomore Colleen Zeibert secured first place with a time of 4:34.97, followed by junior Maggie Reed in second with 4:39.88, and freshman Astrid Van Breedam in third with 4:42.94.

Sophomore Jonathan Tegel and senior Cade Ward ran new personal bests in the men's 400m with times of 54.81 and 55.47, respectively. In the women's 100m hurdles, junior Macee Rivers finished second with a time of 13.80, and senior Corrina Courser finished fourth with 13.87.

In the women's 100m, senior Lindsey Miller earned a third-place finish with a time of 11.70. On the men's side, freshman Zach Paul placed fifth with a time of 10.42, and junior Enyinnaya Nwagwu Jr. came eighth with 10.53.

Sophomore Grace Erb finished third in the women's 800m with a time of 2:13.97, while sophomore Kane Shields finished seventh in the men's event with 1:52.82.

In the men's high jump, junior Rob Pulliam achieved a third-place finish by clearing 2.05m, and freshman Trey Thomas finished 11th with 1.94m. Kiley Sanders took eighth place in the women's high jump with a clearance of 1.60m.

Freshman Victor Byaundaombe finished second in the men's triple jump with a leap of 14.51m, while sophomore Ava Lawless secured eighth place in the women's event with a jump of 11.69m.

Sophomore Chidiogo Odeluga competed against her cousin Akaoma in the women's shot put, finishing ninth with a throw of 12.89m.

The Redbirds will return home for the Normal Invite on Friday, April 11, with competitive action beginning at 2 p.m.