ISU Track and Field

April 22, 2006
Track and Field
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

RECORDS FALL AT ILLINOIS INVITE

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Indiana State’s Charlie Sparks crushed a school record in the men’s discuss which had stood since 1977. His throw of 198’-5” Saturday at the Illinois Invite sailed past the old mark of 185’-4” set by Ken Currie in 1977 and was enough to take first place in the event. Sparks’ previous best in the discus was 184’-2” which he set last year.
   “The wind was an asset today in the discus,” noted head coach John McNichols. “Our runners had a difficult time with the conditions today, but this was one case where it helped us out.”
   Not to be outdone, teammate Drew Traub topped the 60-foot mark in the men’s shot put, setting a new school record. His mark of 60’-4.5” topped his previous best of 59’8.25” set last weekend at the Pacesetter Invitational. Their performances were just a few of the many highlights by the ISU men’s and women’s track and field teams at the non-scored meet.
   Jenae Bridges used a season-best mark of 19’-7.5” in the long jump to take second place. That mark was also good enough to qualify her for the regional meet next month. Yolanda Wright, who posted a jump of 17’-5.5” last weekend at the Pacesetter Invitational, jumped the same distance at the Illinois Invite for sixth place. Wright also took fifth in the triple jump with a mark of 38’-6.25”. Lisa Barrett took fourth place out of 21 competitors in the women’s javelin. Barrett finished with mark of 123’-9”.
   “Clearly we were strongest in the jumps today,” said head women’s coach John Gartland. “Jenae becomes our second regional qualifier and Santia Spight did a great job to win her event in a jump off. Melissa (Ullenbruch) improved her qualifying mark and continues to compete at a high level.”
   Valara Anderson finished the women’s 100-meter dash with a time of 12.48, good for sixth place out of the 15 entries in the field. Ebony White also tallied a personal-best with a mark of 168’-11” in the women’s hammer throw. That throw was good for fifth place in the event.
   Indiana State placed four of the top 16 in the women’s 800 meter run. Ashley Taflinger led the charge for ISU, finishing sixth with a time of 2:19.26, while Katie Weber’s time of 2:22.56 was a personal best.
   ISU’s Myra Bess finished the 100-meter hurdles in 14.4 seconds to take sixth place out of the 13 entrants. Bess also recorded a fifth-place finish in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 1:03.77, while teammate Amanda Jones was sixth (1:04.57).
   Laura Engle claimed third place in the women’s 1,500 meters with a time of 4:43.19. Dani Prince turned in a third-place finish in the 3,000 meter run with a time of 10:26.30.
Santia Spight captured first place in the women’s high jump with a height of 5’-7.25”, while Shanel Johnson claimed fourth in the event, clearing a height of 5’-1”. Melissa Ullenbruch continued to build on her strong season, capturing first place in the pole vault with a mark of 12’-6”. Nikki Royer vaulted 11’-5.75” in the pole vault, which was good for fifth place.
     Season bests and personal bests were also in danger in the men’s competition. Adam Lies used a personal-best 11.17 in the 100-meter dash to claim fifth place, while Hanif Muhammad followed closely behind with a time of 11.18.
   Sean Wright continued his strong freshman campaign in the 400 meter run. Wright finished second out of 23 runners with a time of 47.69. Jerry Clopton crossed the finish line with a time of 48.53 for fifth place, while Logan Edwards was sixth (48.65). Vincent Mason gave the Sycamores four runners in the top nine, as he finished with a time of 49.29
   The Sycamores turned in a strong performance in the 800-meter run, as three Sycamores crossed the tape fourth, fifth, and sixth in a field of 40 runners. Brad Ada led the Sycamore contingent, finishing fourth with a time of 1:48.53. Sean Bowman followed with a time of 1:54.49 for fifth place, while Jake Hack claimed sixth (1:54.93). Bowman took first place in the 1,500 meter run, eclipsing his season-best with a time of 3:50.71. He was followed closely by teammate Jordan Fife, who took second place (3:54.91).
   Paladin Jordan set a new season-best with a time of 14.77 in the 110-meter hurdles. Jordan’s mark was good for third place, just ahead of Jamie Dearman who came in fourth with a season-best time (14.82). Nigel Bigbee gave the Sycamores three of the top five finishers, as he claimed fifth place (14.84) in the event.
   Jordan, Andrew Geller, and James Twitchell finished first, second, and third in the 400-meter hurdles and each set personal-bests in the event. Jordan’s time of 52.44 edged out Geller (53.62) for first place and was good enough to reach the regional qualifying mark in the event. Twitchell came in third with a time of 54.70.
   Kyle Walsh, who did not compete in the steeplechase at the Pacesetter Invitational, claimed first place in the event this week with a time of 9:25.81. Scott Keeney completed the 5,000 meter run in a time of 15:32.24 to earn a third-place finish, while Erik Forehand’s time of 15:44.27 was good for fifth place.
   Jason Carruthers continued his stellar season, as he captured first place in the hammer throw. He took the event with a personal-best throw of 201’-78”. That mark bested his previous high of 197’-8” which he set in 2005.
   The Sycamores return to action next week (April 27-29) when they take part in the Drake Relays.