McLean County Times

After recent weather-related disruptions, Illinois Wesleyan University’s men’s and women’s track and field teams are prepared to compete at The Normal Invite, hosted by Illinois State University, on April 11 and 12. The hammer throw and the 200-meter 'B' sections will begin on Friday at 2 p.m., followed by a full day of events on Saturday starting at 10 a.m.

IWU experienced a pause last weekend as the Huntsman Family Invitational at Wabash College was canceled due to forecasted weather. However, the team previously participated in one outdoor meet this season. They divided their squads to compete in the Redbird Challenge at Illinois State University and the Big Blue Alumni Invite at Millikin University on March 29. During these events, the Green and White secured 38 top-5 finishes and 11 event victories.

Significantly, six Titans achieved top-10 performances in the program's record books, with sophomore Reece Dusek (Peoria, Ill.-Dunlap) setting new marks to rank fourth in the men's 400m (48.60) and fifth in the 200m (21.96) all-time. Senior CJ Ladewig (Palos Heights, Ill.-Stagg) advanced to third in IWU’s all-time men's hammer throw standings with a distance of 53.85m (176'8").

The Normal Invite will mainly occur on Saturday, while the hammer throw competitions are scheduled for Friday at the Redbird Track and Field Complex. Field events will commence on Saturday at 10 a.m., with track events set to begin at noon.

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