McLean County Times

Illinois State University's Pauline Schedler represented Austria in the 1500-meter race at the European Athletics U20 Championships in Tampere, Finland. Schedler, who is set to begin her first season with the Redbirds, achieved a personal-best time of 4:21.25 during the preliminary round and finished ninth in the finals.

Jeff Bovee, Illinois State Director of Track & Field and Cross Country, commented on Schedler's performance: "Pauline has improved tremendously this summer in both the 800m and 1500m, running 2:09 and 4:21, and has shown consistency along the way. Competing at a high level in the Euro U20 Championship is a strong predictor of success in the Missouri Valley and NCAA right away as a freshman."

Schedler had previously set her best time of 4:22.06 for the 1500 meters at an event in Germany on July 23. She also recorded a personal best of 2:08.99 in the 800 meters at another competition held in Germany on May 31.

Another Illinois State athlete, sophomore Astrid Van Breedam, participated in the championships as well. Representing Belgium, Van Breedam placed fourteenth in the preliminary round of the 3000-meter steeplechase but did not advance to the finals.

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