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Several schools helped unveil the new
track, including Missouri Valley Conference foe Southwest Missouri
State. Forde hopes that coaches will continue to bring their
athletes to compete at Illinois State in the future.
"So many coaches complimented our
facility, especially the running surface," Forde said. "My hope is
that they pass the word along and we can continue to have quality
programs come here to compete with us."
The Redbirds' performances on the day
did not disappoint either. Brittney Hourd was a first-place finisher
in the long jump with a mark of 18-3 3/4. Hourd also took second in
the triple jump, at 38-5 1/2. Laura Kennedy also placed first on the
day, winning the 3,000 steeplechase with a time of 11:03.88. In the
women's 4x100, Lian Lucas, Brittney Hourd Lindsey Arnold and Cherise
Devers came in first with a time of 45.80.
In the women's 1,500, Betsy McDonald
came in second with a time of 4:35.80, while in the 400 dash, Arnold
placed second with a time of 55.59. Lucas took second in the 100
dash, finishing in 11.68, while Stephanie Mell was a second-place
finisher in the javelin with 111-6.
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this article]
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On the men's side, Tyler Gaumer was a
first-place finisher in the pole vault with a height of 15-8 1/4,
while Pierre Woods won the high jump with a leap of 6-11 3/4. Woods
was also victorious in the 110 hurdles, winning with a time of
14.33. Like Woods, Rhett Hillard also won two events Saturday,
placing first in both the shot put (55-0 3/4) and hammer throw
(176-4).
Jeremy Doherty (3:47.83) and Dan Tripp
(3:50.58) finished first and second in the 1,500 respectively, while
Casey Gantt was runner-up in the triple jump (38-5 1/2) and third in
the long jump (23-0). Taiwo Sodeyi finished second behind Woods in
the 110 hurdles (14.88), while Mark Jackson was second in the hammer
(175-4).
"The kids ran really well at home, and
you always have to be happy about that," Forde said. "Everyone
performed at a high level in our home facility."
Next the Redbirds travel to Des Moines,
Iowa, for the Drake Relays April 22-24.
[Illinois
State University news release]
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