Track & Field

Track & Field Notebook (Jan. 21)

Weekly Notebook (PDF) 

Male Track
Alexander Bruno, R-Sr., Valparaiso (Bloomington, Ill.)
Bruno had a night for the ages. The standout senior started the meet by bolstering his program-best time in the indoor mile. He won the race with a time of 4:08.97, topping his previous record-setting time of 4:09.78. Later, Bruno set the program record in the 800-meter run, also winning that race with a time of 1:52.93. That mark is nearly two seconds better than Nate Nunnelly’s previous record of 1:54.79, which had stood since 2003. Including the distance medley relay from 2018 (in which Bruno ran anchor), he now has 3 all-time program indoor records.

Noteables: Matthew Lewis-Banks (Indiana State), Jack Anstey (Illinois State), Tyler Elmore (Loyola), Adam Fogg (Drake), Tayshaun Cooper (Northern Iowa) 

Female Track
Allana Ince, Sr., Indiana State (Christ Church, Barbados)
Allana Ince made her season-debut on Friday at the Coughlan/Malloy Cup for Indiana State and earned her first victory in the 60-meter hurdles since Jan. 12, 2019. The Barbados native crossed the line with the fifth-best time in Sycamore history of 8.60, .11 in front of Illinois State’s Mya Robinson. Ince’s time now sits atop the Missouri Valley Conference.

Noteables: Tori Ortiz (Illinois State), Mimi Reimers (Loyola), Yinka Ajayi (Drake), Sierra Fischer (Valparaiso), Malia Watkins (Missouri State), Taylor Raines (Northern Iowa)

Male Field
Eric Burns, Sr., Loyola (New Carlisle, Ind.)
Loyola senior Eric Burns used a personal-best effort to pick up his second long jump victory in as many meets at the Cardinal Opener in Naperville, Ill. on Friday. Out of New Carlisle, Ind., Burns unleashed a leap of 24-08.50 (7.53m) on his third attempt of the day to win the event by over three feet and move to second all-time at Loyola in the event. The senior’s mark not only leads the Missouri Valley Conference, but also has him tied for 17th on the NCAA’s long jump leaderboard.

Noteables: Brett Norton (Indiana State), Eddie Winner (Illinois State), Cloud Misibhera (Drake), Eddie Juszczak (Valparaiso), Darius King (Northern Iowa) 

Female Field
Kristin Higgins, Jr., Illinois State (Geneva, Ill.)
With her win in the high jump on Friday, Kristin Higgins not only helped Illinois State to its third-straight Coughlan-Malloy Cup title, but also took down a meet record that had not been broken since the meet began in 2005. Higgins’ clearance of 1.73 meters (5-08 ft.) is the best mark cleared at the Coughlan-Malloy Cup since 2005 when an Indiana State student-athlete set it at 5-07.75 and in 2007 when another Sycamore tied the mark. Higgins’ mark is the best in the Valley and tied for the 38th-best in the nation this season.

Noteables: Kaitlyn Davis (Indiana State), Mackenzie Arnold (Loyola), Maja Gebauer (Drake), Lauren Mikolajczak (Valparaiso), Jessica Haney (Missouri State), Alana Neitert (Northern Iowa)