Weekly Notebook (
PDF)
Male Track
Jack Anstey, Jr., Illinois State (Newtown Toowoomba, Australia)
On the second day of the Tennessee Relays, Anstey ran his way to a lifetime personal-best performance in the 800-meter. Racing in the hot heat of a loaded field, Anstey stayed focused and ran his race, utilizing a strong push in the final 200-meters to finish second among 49 student-athletes in 1:48.78. Not only does this mark improve Anstey to third all-time in ISU history, but it currently leads the Valley and ranks eighth in the NCAA West Region and 17th in all of Division I. As if this wasn’t enough, Anstey came back a day later and split a 4:01 on the mile anchor leg of the Redbirds’ DMR to get the ‘Birds back in race contention after falling to the back of the pack. The DMR ultimately finished fourth with a time of 9:48.69, a mark which ranks fifth all-time in Redbird history and bests ISU’s MVC Indoor DMR Championship-winning time of 9:57.06 by nearly 10 seconds.
Notables: Stanley Chepchieng, Evansville; Quentin Pierce, Indiana State; Adam Clayton, Loyola; Conor Ham, UNI; Theo Phipps, Southern I; llinois; Dominic Paoletti, Valparaiso
Male Field
Willie Rodgers, Jr., Southern Illinois (Gainesville, Fla.)
Willie Rodgers tied his personal-best with a clearance of 6’-8.75” (2.05m) in the high jump to finish seventh at the Tennessee Relays. Rogers also set a season-best in the triple jump at 49’-5.75” (15.08m) to take seventh. His triple jump mark is the best in the MVC and ranks him 26th in the NCAA West Region.
Notables: Michael Boots, Evansville; Caleb Miedema, Illinois State; Sam Overton, Indiana State; Gift Chinda, Loyola; Isaac Holtz, UNI; Jake Rasawehr, Valparaiso
Female Track
Savannah Long, Jr., Southern Illinois (DeKalb, Ill.)
Savannah Long clocked a personal-best in the 400m hurdles at the Tennessee Relays. The junior hurdler ran 1:00.40 to finish sixth. Her time is the 10th-best time in school history and gives Long her first top-10 school mark of her collegiate career. It also inches her closer to qualifying for her first regional meet as an individual, as she now leads the MVC and ranks 37th in the NCAA West Region in the event.
Notables: Anna Lowry, Evansville; Hattie Plumb, Illinois State; Brooke Moore, Indiana State; Abigail Jones, Loyola; Namibia Clavier, Missouri State; Patrice Watson, UNI; Sierra Fischer, Valparaiso
Co-Female Field
Jessica Heims, So., UNI (Swisher, Iowa)
Jessica Heims broke the para-athlete F64 classification discus world record with a throw of 105-feet-07 (32.19-meters) to take 18th-place at the Iowa Musco Twilight meet in Iowa City. Heims also finished second in the unseeded 100-meter dash with a time of 15.30, the top time in the world this year to date for the F64 classification. She was named to the US Paralympic track field national team and she is scheduled to compete at the Parapan American Games in Lima, Peru from Aug. 23-Sep. 1. Just a few months later, the team will compete at the World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai from Nov. 7-15.
Shauniece O’Neal, So., Southern Illinois (Florrisant, Mo.)
Shauniece O’Neal won the discus at the Tennessee Relays with a PR of 176’-6” (50.76m). It was not only a 10-foot personal-best but it is the fourth-longest toss in school history. The Florissant, Mo. native’s throw was also the furthest by a Saluki since 2014. With her mark, the sophomore sensation moves up to 21st in the NCAA West Region in the event. O’Neal also placed third in the hammer throw at the Tennessee Relays with her third-straight toss over 200-feet.
Notables: Ariana Cranston, Illinois State; Erin Reese, Indiana State; Jana Rokitta, Loyola; Jamilah James, Missouri State; Hayley Krulik, Valparaiso