| Redbirds close regular indoor season at Boilermaker Invite |
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| Written by Ashley Schrader, Daily Vidette Sports Editor |
| Sunday, 19 February 2012 17:20 |
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In the final indoor track and field meet before the Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Championships, the Redbird men’s and women’s teams used the Boilermaker Invitational to brush off some dust this past weekend in West Lafayette, Ind., as only some members of the team competed. “This meet gave us a chance to allow those who haven’t competed in a while to get back into it to see where they are,” ISU head coach Elvis Forde said. Rachelle Harbert and Emily Swift represented the Redbirds in the women’s pole vault as they finished first and third, respectively. Harbert leaped a personal-best 12’03.5,” breaking the ISU school record. Swift’s leap of 11’11.75” was also a personal-best. ISU thrower, Brittany Smith earned a season best in the shot put, launching a throw of 55’08.25,” good for first place. Also in the field, women’s jumper Lita Wynne earned a season-best performance in the long jump with a leap of 18’05.75,” good for first place. The jump also puts Wynne at fourth place in the Valley standings. Also in the field for the men, Akil Mills hit a consistent 66’01.5” in the weight throw. Mills’ throw was the fourth-best in the ISU record books. “Overall, I am pleased with the outcome and hope that we can carry it into next weekend,” Forde said. “We have a lot of people who rested this weekend and those who competed showed us that we will be competitive come conference.” On the track, men’s hurdler Kendric Smith ran a personal-best time of 7.98 seconds in the 60-meter hurdles, which is also the second-fastest time in Redbird history. Smith’s race time also ranks him fifth in the MVC. Also on the track, Printassia Johnson set a career-best in the women’s 60-meter dash with a time of 7.9 seconds. The Redbirds will rejoin together this weekend for the MVC Indoor Championships in Cedar Falls, Iowa, hosted by Northern Iowa. The women’s pentathlon even begins Saturday at 9:30 a.m. |
